(Updates) Lemon verbena via air layering

The lemon verbena has been doing very well ever since someone cut it away from the mother plant.

I’d say that my air layering method is a success.

(Propagation) Air layering

Less than two weeks after I posted previously about the traditional method of air layering and causing an open wound to a plant’s stalk to aid in rooting, I checked in on my lemon verbena and saw what I thought are roots! Or, at least, from on top, one visible root.

I understand that when a part of the plant stalk is injured (especially if the injury is near any plant node) through say cuttings, or partially-open wounds like as if the plant had been bent and a small part snaps, but not fully, hormones or chemicals are produced by the plant. This leads to the plant either attempting to heal itself by growing new cells over the wound, or leads to root production.

In this case, rooting hormone made into a slurry and smeared onto the open wound definitely helps.

The flat beige piece is a wire I’d used to peg the stalk down. The long white thing is the (suspected) root/s.

(Propagation) Air layering

Credit: Hub Pages

I find that plants which are harder to propagate through cuttings have a higher rooting chance through air layering. And, to increase the chances of the stalk rooting, I like to use a knife to make a cut through the stalk, usually about quarter- or halfway. Then, I smear rooting powder on that open wound, and bury that portion in the soil, and pin it down.

Apparently, open wounds on the plants (and open wounds nearer to plant nodes) encourage rooting. The rooting powder should encourage it a lot further.

I am trying this on my lemon verbena right now. I shall report any progress I have.