We hear all the time that there is no shortcut, but sometimes in agriculture, there is.  If you want a new fruit tree or other plant, you can always plant a seed.  And wait.  And wait.

But many plants can be propagated more quickly by either taking small “cuttings” to be rooted under special conditions, or an even faster way to get a more mature plant is by “air-layering,” or “makotaj” in Creole.

Air-layering has the advantage of getting exactly the same plant as your host.  It is really “cloning” your mother plant.  You can expand your nursery quickly by air-layering your healthy, vigorous plants.  Since you can start with a larger piece of the host plant, you’ll have a larger, more mature plant once the new roots form in the air-layer.

The technique is to strip away a portion of healthy bark from a small branch, then cover that area with a specially prepared, rich, moist rooting medium that will keep moisture and nutrients tight against the exposed wood.  After packing the rooting medium around the branch, you wrap it with plastic to keep the moisture and humidity in and hopefully any disease out.  After 3-4 months, there should be a root ball of new roots growing in the rooting medium.  You’ll be able to see the new roots through the plastic.  Cut that air-layered section off the host plant and plant your new “tree” where you can continue to care for it.

Makotaj is often used in Haiti to create new, young plants from older dying plants that have great characteristics (flavor or hardiness) that you don’t want to lose to old age.

The students at our Agricultural Training Center (ATC) are learning valuable new skills that will lead them to a better life for generations to come.  Thank you for all your support that makes this possible.

Rad Hazelip, Assistant Executive Director