I.

INTRODUCTION

Marcotting or air layering, an asexual or vegetative method of plant propagation,

can be easily performed with less skill. Air layering is just slightly different from other
methods of layering such as tip layering, simple layering, compound or serpentine
layering, etc. In all these methods, the induction of root development is usually done by
wounding the part of the plant to be rooted.

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.

A great advantage of marcotting is the near-certainty of success for rooting. Unlike

cuttings, which are removed from the parent, a marcot remains and continues to be fed
by the parent. Choose a healthy limb with a diameter of approximately 20mm. Using a
knife or secateurs, cut a section through- but only just - the bark and cambium. Remove
the entire bark and cambium layer with pliers to expose a length of branch. The use of
rooting hormones is optional but they do promote rooting action. Paul uses indolebutyric
acid - IBA - at 5,000ppm. He makes up his own solution, as he considers it to be more
effective in a liquid form than as a powder.

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

To make and create a marcotting

To observe and analyze the development of plant in marcotting

III. METHODOLOGY

1. Location and duration of the study

2. Materials

Sawdust
Tape
Meter rule
Twine
Transparent water proof

IV. PROCEDURE

1. Plant and Shoot Selection

A shoot with plenty of leaves is chosen from a healthy plant. The size of the stem
at the part to be rooted is generally about that of an ordinary pencil, but this is not
essential. Both the thickness and length of the stem vary depending on the plant part to
be layered (trunk, branch or twig), the intended size of the air layer to be produced, and
the plant species. In roses, the stems used in marcotting are normally thinner. In
comparison, in herbaceous plants like aglaonema and dieffenbachia, the stems are
thick.

2. Girdling and Scraping

 This is unique in marcotting. However, this procedure is skipped in bamboo and
herbaceous plants. For trees, shrubs and semi-woody plants, a strip of bark is first
removed from around the portion of the stem to be rooted. This involves pressing of a
sharp knife against the bark preferably as close as possible below a node, moving the
knife in circular motion around the stem. A similar cut is made generally about 2 cm to 5
cm below the first cut, but it can be wider with larger stems. The two cuts are then
connected by a straight cut and the bark is pried loose and removed.

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.

3. Slitting and Wedging

In herbaceous plants, an inward cut is made starting from below a node and
slightly upward. The cut has to traverse the horizontal line that marks the node at the
point about halfway of the thickness of the stem and terminate above the same node. In
other words, this slanting cut must be able to severe the horizontal connection of the
node.

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.

4. Placing and Securing the Rooting Medium

A slightly moistened sphagnum moss or coconut coir dust is placed around the
debarked stem and wrapped with a piece of plastic sheet. A transparent plastic sheet is
preferred to be able to see later if roots have developed. In many plant species,
however, the stems can be marcotted even with pure soil.

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.

5. Separation of the Air Layer or Marcot From the Parent Plant

The rooted shoots are severed from the parent plant when plenty of roots have
developed. At this time the rooting medium becomes hard and rough when touched.
New shoots will also have sprouted from the portion of the stem immediately below the
rooting medium. In many plant species this occurs at least 15 days from marcotting.

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

After the experiment, the student concludes that;

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