Cannabis Layering.
Layering is a process in which roots develop on a stem even though it remains attached to, and nutritionally sup ported by the parent plant. The stem is then detached and the meristematic tip becomes a new individual, growing by itself roots, called a layer. Layering differs from cutting because rooting happens while the shoot is still attached to the parent. Rooting is kicked off in layering by varied stem treatments which interrupt the downward flow of photosynthates ( products of photosynthesis ) from the shoot tip. This will cause the accumulation of auxins, carbs and other expansion factors. Rooting happens in this treated area although the layer remains attached to the parent. Water and mineral nutrient elements are supplied by the parent plant because only the phloem has been interrupted ; the xylem tissues connecting the shoot to the parental roots remain intact ( see illus. One, page twenty-nine ). In this way, the propagator can overcome the difficulty of keeping a detached cutting alive although it roots, so seriously in creasing the possibility of success. Old woody reproductive stems that, as cuttings, would dry up and die, might be rooted by layering. Layering can be really time-intensive and is less practicable for mass cloning of parental stock than removing and rooting lots of cuttings. Layering, nevertheless does give the small-scale propagator a high-success alternative which also needs less hardware than cuttings.
Methods of Layering.
Nearly all layering methods depend on the concept of etiolation. Both soil layering and air layering involve depriving the rooting portion of the stem of light, promoting rooting. Root-promoting substances and fungicides prove constructive, and they are typically applied as a spray or powder. Root formation on layers relies upon repeated moisture, good air movement and moderate temperatures at the location of rooting.
