Air layering is a method of propagating new trees and shrubs from stems still attached to the parent plant. It is a process that often occurs naturally when a low branch or stem touches the ground and takes root. Air layering is an effective propagation method for some plants that do not root readily from cuttings and which often lack low-growing shoots suitable for conventional layering. This method is useful for rooting ornamental plants such as magnolia, holly, camellia, azalea, and many fruit and nut-bearing plants such as citrus, apple, pears, and pecans. Air layering is a simple and easy method that does not require a horticultural degree, fancy rooting hormones, or tools.

Here are the steps for air layering plants:

1. Choose a one- to two-year-old stem that is straight, healthy, and vigorous.
2. Trim off side shoots and leaves from a 30cm (1ft) section. Do not leave any snags.
3. Wound the stem, making a 2.5cm (1in) cut through a leaf bud, angled towards the shoot tip. This will create a tongue that can be lifted.
4. Apply rooting hormone to the wound (optional).
5. Wrap the wound with damp sphagnum moss, then wrap plastic wrap around the moss to keep it in place.
6. Secure the plastic wrap with tape or string at the top and bottom of the moss.
7. Check the moss periodically to make sure it stays moist.
8. After roots have formed, cut the stem below the moss and pot up the new plant.

Air layering is a useful method of producing roots on the stem of indoor landscape plants that have become “leggy” through the loss of their lower foliage. Most plants can be air layered, and even if no rooting takes place, the original plant is not damaged by the process since you do not remove the donor material until it has produced roots.