Air Layering Is the Plant Propagation Method You Need to Try

Picture this, plant parents: You have a plant you really, really love, and you want to propagate it to create a new plant. Or, you've got a super expensive or rare plant you want to propagate. The mere thought of cutting the mother plants sends chills up your spine. Memories of past failed propagation attempts come flooding back, and you just can't bring yourself to make the snip.

We've been there, too. But did you know you can significantly increase your chance of a successful propagation with another method that doesn't require you to cut the mother plant? Yes, it's called air layering, and we have step-by-step instructions on how to try this method without harming your plant, plus tips from a plant collector and YouTuber, SunnySideUp With Nicole.

Why Is Air Layering More Successful?

When propagating plants via a stem cutting, the end goal is for the cutting to establish new roots so a new plant can grow from it. That doesn't always happen, but air layering method has the potential to increase that chance by a lot.

“Air layering doesn’t guarantee root development," said plant collector and YouTuber, SunnySideUp With Nicole," adding, "but it does increase the success rate significantly.

"Based on my experience, when propagating in water or soil, the success rate is 60-70%, while the air layering success rate is 90% and above. The biggest benefit from air layering is that if the node does not root, it tells me that it might not root in water, soil and/or other medium. I can avoid making this unnecessary cut and causing harm to the mother plant.”

Benefits of Air Layering

No Damage to Plant: Nicole said she uses this method to propagate rare or hard-to-root, such as her Monstera Standleyana Variegata.

Potentially Get Roots Before Cutting: Even if you successfully root a cutting, Nicole explained that's still no guarantee that it will continue to grow into a healthy plant. "Due to many factors, there is no guarantee that a cutting will survive after making a cutting from the mother plant," Nicole said. "However, by using this method, I can ensure that the node will be able to root before the cut. In addition this method helps roots grow faster and stronger," she said.

Less Stress on the Cutting and Mother Plant: "The reason I like to do it this way is it only requires one cut. This means the mother plant and the cutting only get disturbed once. If I do it the traditional way, I will have a cutting that gets placed into water, which can rot (especially if the temperature is not correct).

"Also the fragile roots are going to be moved from the water to the soil which can cause stress. With this single cut via the air layering method, the cutting already has roots and one cut, which is less traumatic and has one less thing that could cause the cutting to fail.” 

Sold on trying this method yet? Here are Nicole's step-by-step instructions:

How to Propagate Using the Air Layering Method

We followed Nicole's instructions demonstrated in this video, in which she propagates a Horsehead Philodendron. Here are her steps, which I followed to try the method on two not-so-rare plants—a golden pothos and a marble queen pothos.