How to Air Graft a Lychee Tree (2nd part) | air layering | air layering fruit trees | litchi plant

How to Air Graft a Lychee Tree (2nd part) | air layering | air layering fruit trees | litchi plant 1 Select a shoot on the parent lychee tree that is between one-half and three-quarter inches in diameter. Make two parallel cuts on the shoot, just through the bark, one-and-one-half inches apart. Slice between the two cuts, just through the bark, so you can peel the bark off between the parallel cuts. Gently peel the bark layer off the shoot between the parallel cuts to expose the white layer inside. 2 Moisten about three cups of sphagnum moss until it is damp, but not dripping. Set it aside to drain. Apply rooting hormone to the barkless portion of the shoot with a brush. Wrap the drained sphagnum moss around the barkless portion of the shoot, making sure to overlap the bark by at least one-half inch on each side of the wound. Wrap some light-duty string around the sphagnum moss to keep it in place. 3 Wrap the sphagnum moss with heavy-duty clear plastic wrap. Secure each end tightly to itself with electrical tape. Overlap the bark with tape so that the plastic wrap is secured to itself as well as the shoot. Watch for new roots to push through the sphagnum moss in eight to 10 weeks. 4 Remove the air-layered section from the tree, cutting just below the electrical tape on the bottom of the root ball. Carefully unwrap the plastic wrap and string, leaving the moss and roots undisturbed. 5 Plant the new tree into a nursery bed prepared properly for young lychee trees. Place a tent made of clear plastic over the young tree to encourage the development of the root system. Provide the young plant with a solar shade until the plant has developed sufficient roots to prevent drying out in direct sunlight.