Layering is a vegetative propagation method used in horticulture and gardening to reproduce plants asexually. It involves encouraging a plant to grow roots from a stem or shoot that is still attached to the parent plant. Once the roots have developed, the new plant can be separated and grown independently. Layering is a useful technique for producing new plants that are genetically identical to the parent plant.

There are several common methods of layering, including:

1. Simple Layering: In simple layering, a low branch or shoot of the parent plant is bent down to the ground and partially buried in the soil. The buried section of the stem will produce roots. Once roots have developed, the stem can be severed from the parent plant, and the new plant can be transplanted.
2. Tip Layering: Tip layering is similar to simple layering, but it involves burying only the tip of a growing stem in the soil while leaving the majority of the stem aboveground. This method is often used with plants that have long, flexible stems.
3. Air Layering: Air layering is a method used for plants with hard-to-root stems. It involves removing a ring of bark or a small section of a stem’s outer tissue, then wrapping the exposed area with moist sphagnum moss and covering it with plastic wrap or foil. This creates a humid, rooting environment. Once roots form, the rooted section can be cut from the parent plant and potted.
4. Compound or Serpentine Layering: This method is used for plants with a long, flexible stem. It involves bending the stem in a serpentine pattern, burying sections of it at intervals, and allowing roots to form along the buried sections.
5. Mound Layering: Mound layering is suitable for plants that produce new shoots from their base. It involves partially burying the basal shoots in the ground, allowing them to develop roots. Once rooted, these new shoots can be separated from the parent plant.
6. Stool Layering: Stool layering is commonly used for woody shrubs and involves burying a portion of the plant’s base, usually after it has been cut back, and allowing it to produce new shoots that can be separated and potted.