Marco Tting
Marco Tting
Marco Tting
INTRODUCTION
In this layering method, roots are induced to form on the part of the plant while it remains
aerial (aboveground), hence the term air layering. But in other layering methods, the
same plant part is rooted on the ground with stem usually by bending it downward.
Marcotting is an old term for the propagation technique now called air layering, where a
stem is induced to form roots while still on the parent plant. The stem is cut partly
through and a rooting hormone (auxin) often applied. Then it is wrapped with moist
sphagnum peat moss and ties in place with plastic sheeting. When roots are well
formed, the branch is cut below the roots to make a new plant.
Air layering is used for hard to propagate plants and to rejuvenate houseplants, such as
diffenbachia, that have gotten too tall.
Marcotting or air layering is another easy way to propagate hardwood cuttings and
produce a replicate plant of quickened maturity. Although marcotting is derived from the
French word marcotter, meaning to layer, this technique is attributed to Hindustan,
where the practice is known as 'gootee'. Traditionally they used cow poo for packing
material, but shredded sphagnum moss is probably preferable for most people.
Soak the moss in water and squeeze handfuls out until it is only moist, then put a
handful in a plastic bag. Cut a slit across the bag and place the cut part of the bag onto
the bare section of limb. Wrap the rest of the bag tightly around the limb and secure with
a tie or tape. The greatest threat to success is bag destruction by birds and other pests.
When the bag is packed with compressed roots, after three months or so, sever the
marcots from the main branch. These must be kept immersed in water and potted up as
soon as possible. Remove about 1/3 of the foliage. Carefully remove the wrapping.
Whatever you do, do not tickle the roots, as marcot roots are extremely brittle. Pot up
into a smaller rather than a larger pot and only use thoroughly composted potting mix.
Do not add fertiliser. Once potted up, remove to a protected area - shady with high
humidity is often the ideal. Keep there until new growth commences. Once the plant is
established, sun-harden it off. By this time, its roots have become strong enough to be
tickled out and planted out.
Marcotting also known as air layering is a type of plant propagation that involves rooting
of part of a stem while it is still attached to the parent plant. It is a type of vegetative plant
propagation.
Most trees especially fruit trees are seasonal fruits (they fruit seasonally) and so are
sometimes hard to propagate when they are not in season. Air layering reduces the how
long trees last before they can fruit (i.e with air layering, the trees take shorter time to
fruit).
II. OBJECTIVES
III. METHODOLOGY
2. Materials
Sawdust
Tape
Meter rule
Twine
Transparent water proof
IV. PROCEDURE
The debarked portion of the stem is then scraped to remove the phloem and cambium,
that slippery coating on the wood, to prevent the wound from healing and the upper and
lower barks from reconnecting.
Coir dust, sphagnum moss or a piece of wood or any other suitable material is then
inserted into the wound to serve as wedge. The purpose of this wedge is to keep the
upper and lower cut surfaces apart and prevent healing just like in girdling and scraping.
The rooting medium may be as thick as 1 inch (2.5 cm) from side to side or bigger
depending on the earliness to develop roots and size of the stem. The longer is the time
required to induce rooting and the bigger is the stem, the thicker should be the rooting
medium. Both ends of the plastic sheet are gathered and tied securely against the stem,
with one end just under the bottom part of the debarked stem (lower cut) and the other a
short distance above the upper part (upper cut). It is important that the upper cut should
be covered with the rooting medium because it is from this cut that roots form. As an
alternative, the plastic sheet may be placed first on the stem with one end tied just below
the lower cut.
The rooting medium is then inserted gradually and the upper end of the plastic wrapping
is tied securely to the stem. This technique is more convenient and applies with any
rooting medium which crumbles if not held by the hand. To prevent breaking of the stem
with big and heavy rooting medium, it is tied to another branch or to a stick attached to
the parent plant. In stems which are more or less erect, the rooting medium can be held
by any container such as broken or halved pots, cans or plastic cups with open top. For
big containers, a support is needed to prevent them from dropping. A container can be
made also with a relatively thick plastic sheet with the bottom gathered and tied just
below the lower cut and the top is expanded to form a shape like that of a funnel. The
sides are overlapped and stapled. In plants which easily root like Ficus and croton or san
francisco (Codiaeum variegatum), this funnel-shaped container can be made out of
some thick leaves. The sides are secured in place by piercing with a stick. The container
is then filled with rooting medium which is kept moist by regular watering.
6. Potting
The marcotted shoot is immediately potted into suitable container. The intensity
of care that will ensure the successful establishment of the layers will depend on various
factors such as size of the shoot, size of the rooting medium, and profuseness of roots.
For maximum survival, the newly potted layers are kept under partial shade and high
humidity.
V. RESULTS/DISCUSSION
VI. CONCLUSION
Making the process or technique of marcotting acquires pleasant effort and patience to
achieve the desired art of it and the complete needed for making of it like fertilizers in
order to grow healthy.
VII. REFERENCE
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2001-07/994651423.Bt.r.html
http://www.cropsreview.com/marcotting.html
http://mysantasblog.blogspot.com/2016/08/marcotting-what-is-marcotting.html
http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s210793.htm