I've always favored marcotting (or air-layering) as a propagation technique over stem cuttings. If possible, I would air layer several branches of a garden plant all at the same time.
One limiting consideration with multiple air layers in one garden plant is when the branches for air layering are crowded and or are too close to each other.
Crowding of branches happen when there are simply too many branches in the garden plant, especially in one spot. One option you have is to marcot the branches at different times, meaning, continue airlayering only after harvesting the other marcots.
Or another option is to air-layer another spot or node along the branch so you avoid hitting another branch when air-layering.
Garlic Vine (Mansoa alliacea, Cydista aequinoctialis)
The Garlic vine, also called Ajos Sacha, is a woody, flowering climber that is often featured in tropical garden books. A member of the Bignoniaceae family, known via a range of synonymous botanical names but best referred to as Mansoa hymenaea.
This flowering vine is native to tropical South America, from Mexico to Brazil. In Costa Rica, it can be found growing from sea level to 900 m in elevation. Interestingly, it is not related to the common edible onion or garlic at all!
This flowering vine is native to tropical South America, from Mexico to Brazil. In Costa Rica, it can be found growing from sea level to 900 m in elevation. Interestingly, it is not related to the common edible onion or garlic at all!
Best Location for the Garlic Vine (Mansoa alliacea) - Part 2
Moving all three garlic vines (my own 2 vines and the mall-bought plant) to the front wall of the house was a good idea, I concluded. The Princess vine at the side wall has become bigger and thicker that its branches were entangling with the garlic vines'.
It was a mess, to say the least. Training the branches of both vines to keep them apart has become so tedious that I was already contented just whacking and pruning them away to keep the wall neat.
Also, this front wall of the house gets afternoon sunlight year round. Compare that to the old side wall where the vines only had sunlight in the summer months.
It was a mess, to say the least. Training the branches of both vines to keep them apart has become so tedious that I was already contented just whacking and pruning them away to keep the wall neat.
Also, this front wall of the house gets afternoon sunlight year round. Compare that to the old side wall where the vines only had sunlight in the summer months.
Best Location for the Garlic Vine (Mansoa alliacea)
This article documents that journey.
In late 2009, we already had seedlings of the Garlic Vine growing in small seedling bags in the garden. These were very easy to root from cuttings. They're hardy and grow quickly. They grew to about four feet but didn't yield flowers. This, in spite that they looked quite healthy. I've researched on the internet on its requirements for flowering.
Make a Garden Dibble Handle for Comfort
In a previous article, I illustrated how to make a custom garden dibber. This customized garden dibber allows the repotting of seedling plugs from the seedling tray. The garden dibber has been effective in preventing the damage of tender roots of young seedlings.
The garden dibber, or garden dibble as others would call it, is essentially made of two basic parts: the dibble head and the dibble handle. The dibble head is molded concrete. The dibble handle is really nothing more than a metal rod that sticks out from the dibble head. It's a scrap reinforcement bar (or rebar) that is only 9 mm thick.
The rebar, as I've found, is really too thin for my hand to hold. The dibble head, being made of concrete, is a bit heavy and there isn't enough leverage when holding the garden dibble.
The garden dibber, or garden dibble as others would call it, is essentially made of two basic parts: the dibble head and the dibble handle. The dibble head is molded concrete. The dibble handle is really nothing more than a metal rod that sticks out from the dibble head. It's a scrap reinforcement bar (or rebar) that is only 9 mm thick.
The rebar, as I've found, is really too thin for my hand to hold. The dibble head, being made of concrete, is a bit heavy and there isn't enough leverage when holding the garden dibble.
