In a word; Yes.

Hey Thisisme,

I posted the same question in the other fig forum and nobody thought it was a good idea.
Do you know of this being done successfully by anyone ?

Thanks .... John

It seems that it should work.
I do not air layer, Because it take just as long to root 6 inch cutting & grow it to 2 feet. As it does to air layer a 2 foot & baby it for two years. I say this to point out that the bigger the air layered trunk+ branches the lower the success rate. You will have to watch it & gave it special care.
That being said you can do it & it should be worth the extra pain. If no other reason, because no one we( most of us) know of has done this.
Please document with photos, so we can enjoy your achievement, too.

Thisisme (AZ), I was just wondering, what do you base your recommendation on? undoubtedly you must have air layered a bunch of fig branches, or maybe you've done some research and have verified that a several inch thick trunk can be air layered without much fuss, or maybe you've seen some other people air layer thick branches and they've quickly rooted without any ill effects? please enlighten us on your reasoning for such a recommendation. Tks

Joli, given that you do not air layer (per your post), I take issue with your statement
"I do not air layer, Because it take just as long to root 6 inch cutting & grow it to 2 feet. As it does to air layer a 2 foot "

I do air layer fig branches and other plants as well and in a couple of months I can have a 3 ft long 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick fig branch well rooted and cooking in full sun in a 3 gallon pot, where as your cutting is still being babied in the shade and hoping that it would not collapse. I air layer cause it's a 100 pct success rate and fast turn around.

John, sounds like your on the edge of a rooftop and you can't see how high the jump is and you're being egged on to jump by others who also can't see the ground.
..... don't jump John....take the stairs down...

I base my recommendation on having seen it done before successfully here in this forum a few years ago. The pot used was large so the air-layered tree had a good root system to start with.

I did a simple search and found the old thread. I guess my memory is better than most since no one else remembered.

Here is a link that might be useful: Air-Layering with Air-Pots

Thanks all for your input .

I understand that it may be a risky proposition . If the the air layer was to fail I would still have the original root system so it would send up new shoots. All would not be lost. I do however appreciate the cautious words Ben .
Thisisme thanks for the link . It's just the thing I was looking for , pictures are always so helpful.

John

'thisisme' Thanks for posting the link, I do recall seeing that a while back. It would be nice to see a 'finished product' and see how long it took the graft to establish into a producing tree. It seems very dry in the pot.

The point remains, air layering the TRUNK of a fully established tree and thusly reducing the root mass to a not well established 3 gallon pot is a high risk preposition.
I can easily see the tree going into shock and possibly dying or at best a couple of years of time to re-establish itself to the previous root mass.
I certainly would not even consider it as the top will continue to grow anyway and eventually it will have to be chopped again, if the garage will be the yearly rest area for the potted tree.

I am open to new ideas and experiments but not in this case, in my opinion the risk is not worth the minimal reward..

Best of luck John, let us know (and document) what you decide, you may help someone else down the road

ben in sofla, to each his own.
I do not air layer any more, because it takes too long.
My babies will be rooted in 6-8 weeks & in the ground in 3-4 months with 36-48 inches tall & 1/2 trunk(some times more, some time less).
After one winter of protection & Harding off, my tree can stand alone.
I doubt yours can stand alone in 24 months, even in frost free sofla-10b.
I hope I am wrong for your sake, but remember I am in 7b/8a zone.

Why not forget about air layering the whole tree and just air layer the top of the tree?

The shape of the tree will most likely change all by itself and need pruning in the future anyway and then you'll need to prune it.

noss

Here is a useful link at Galgoni.com with some excellent illustrations on what I think you are trying to accomplish. Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Galgoni

Hi Radiuspr2 ,

Thanks for the link . Excellent pics & info .

John