For simple layering, shoots are bent over to the ground in early spring or fall. A second bend is made in the branch a short distance from the tip.
The tip is covered with soil and held in place with a wire or wooden stake.
The stem is sometimes wounded at this bend to promote rooting.
Once the layer has rooted, it can be removed from the mother plant.
Simple layering is an easy and cheap alternative to stem cuttage.
It is an easy way to propagate many shrubs on a small scale.
It is not a propagation technique used extensively for commercial propagation, but some difficult-to-propagate can be done by simple layering.
Simple layering of a hydrangea.
