acodo

Acodo is a horticultural propagation technique used to create new plants from woody stems without seeds. In Spanish-language horticulture, it is often called acodo or acodo aéreo, and in English it is commonly known as air layering or marcottage. The term acodo also means “elbow” in Spanish, reflecting the bending and wrapping involved in the method.

The basic method involves selecting a healthy, semi-hardwood shoot and encouraging root formation while the shoot remains attached to the parent plant. A section of bark is removed or girdled just below a node, a rooting medium such as moist sphagnum moss is applied to the exposed area, and the bundle is wrapped with plastic to maintain high humidity. After roots develop—typically weeks to a few months—the new plant is detached from the parent, potted, and grown as a distinct individual. The technique can be applied to a wide range of woody ornamentals and fruit trees, including citrus, figs, and many ornamentals.

Advantages of acodo include the ability to propagate from mature wood, the production of clonal material that preserves desirable traits, and often faster establishment than seed propagation. It is particularly useful for propagating cultivars that do not root well from cuttings.

Limitations include the need for careful humidity control, potential for fungal infection or desiccation, and variable success across species. Acodo is one of several vegetative propagation methods and is frequently used where other methods are impractical or slow.