Grow a new Acer plant for free with this genius 'air layering' propagation method

Learning how to propagate and take cuttings from your plants is a great way to grow your garden and introduce new additions without spending extra money. And Acers are a great candidate.

Not only are acers one of the best patio container plants, but they're also a brilliant plant for autumn colour when the rest of your blooms wilt away after summer. Whilst acers aren't always expensive, if you do want more of them, why not use a completely free method and one you can do over and over again?

"If you've ever wanted to propagate your own Acer, and you don't want to take cuttings, there's a really easy way to do it whilst keeping the Acer still attached. It's known as air layering, and it's incredibly simple to do. I'm going to be able to see if I can do it all in one go," says Ish, garden design expert and garden influencer on Instagram @gardening.with.ish.

Whether you're looking for ways to keep costs down in that garden, or want to try out some Japanese garden ideas, propagating your own acers is a great choice.

"Now, what you want to do is find a pretty healthy branch with a slightly woody part. So this branch is absolutely great, we've got life there, we've got a nice woody bit here," explains Ish.

"You want to take some secateurs and just ever so slightly rest it on so it starts breaking the bark and just wiggle it around like this. Then go about an inch higher and do the exact same thing," he adds.

Make sure your secateurs, an essential gardening tool, are sharp and clean to avoid stressing your plant or spreading disease amongst plants.

"Once you've done that, just make an ever-so-slight slit along the line here, and you should just be able to really easily, there we go, peel away the bark. The next thing you need to do is make a nice container for it where you're going to allow it to root," Ish instructs.

If you've taken a plant cutting before, you'll recognise the following step and what you need to help establish roots with cuttings.

"So, get a nice bit of tin foil here and put some ericaceous compost right in like that, and add a little bit of water on too. Make sure it's nice and hydrated, but not too soggy. Get a little bit of rooting powder and just stick that directly on top, you'll end up with something like that, and you just want to take this and wrap it right around that part of the tree," Ish says.

"You can also use a little bit of cling film just to hold that in place and wrap that around. Once that's in place, you can leave that there for about two to three months, and after a couple of months, you start to notice that roots have now appeared exactly where this is," he continues.

"Cut below exactly where the roots are, put it in a pot, and you've got yourself a brand new Acer. For best results, make sure you do this in spring or early summer," finishes Ish.

As one of the best trees for a pot, growing multiple acers is a great way of adding moveable shade to your garden. Whilst you can shadescape your garden with other things like parasols and pergolas, using plants to cool down your garden in summer keeps costs down and is great for the environment.