Carissa bispinosa undergoing air layering

This Carissa bispinosa plant seen near Pringle Bay wears wrapped plastic over some stem parts. The vegetative propagation method used here is called air layering or marcotting. It involves a stem part being wounded, wrapped in moist Sphagnum moss, peat, coir, or a light potting mix, and enclosed in plastic for a period until roots form. The rooted stem section is then cut off and planted.

The technique works well for woody shrubs and trees including Ficus, apple, pear, and citrus. Air layering is usually done in the growing season, spring or early summer.

Sphagnum is a genus of lightweight bog mosses, useful in this method as they absorb many times their own weight in water, while remaining airy and don’t decay easily (https://www.gardeningknowhow.com; https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org; https://plantpropagation.org).