Plant Propagation is the production of more plants by seeds, cuttings, grafting, layering, division, budding and tissue culture.
Plant Propagation enables new plants to be grown from parts of plants because each living plant cell contains the ability to duplicate all plant parts and functions. When the stem is cut a callus forms in the area to prevent loss of fluids. Cells near the callus area reorganize to form adventitious roots, and this is what we are aiming for in plant propagation by stem cuttings. The use of stem cuttings is the most common form of plant propagation used for woody ornamental plants.
Instructions
For plant propagation take cuttings from the upper part of healthy, disease-free plants. You are looking for the current or past season’s growth, and should avoid flower buds if possible. If you use plants with flowers or buds, these should be removed so that the plant’s energy can be used to produce new roots rather than flowers.
Cuttings to be used for plant propagation should be taken from young, healthy plants to ensure a maximum success rate, and early morning is the best time to take the cuttings. Often cuttings from lateral shoots root better than cuttings from terminal shoots.
Keep the plant propagation cuttings cool and moist until you are ready to use them. A good idea is to use a dark plastic bag lined with wet paper towels to store the cuttings for a short time. If you have a delay in setting them for propagation they can be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
Cleanliness is very important with plant propagation, so all tools should be thoroughly disinfected before use. The best tools to use when taking cuttings are either a sharp, thin-bladed pocket knife or sharp pruning shears.
Probably the best part of the stem to use for plant propagation is the terminal part, but where you have a long shoot it can be divided into several cuttings.
Rooting Medium
The rooting medium for plant propagation should be sterile, low in fertility, and well-drained to provide sufficient aeration, but able to retain enough moisture so that watering does not have to be done too often. Water the medium before putting the cuttings in it.
Materials commonly used are:-
coarse sand,
a mixture of one part peat and one part perlite (by volume),
or one part peat and one part sand (by volume).
Vermiculite by itself is not recommended, because it compacts and tends to hold too much moisture.
Method
When you have the cutting suitable for plant propagation, remove the leaves from the lower half of the cutting. If the remaining leaves are large, they should be cut in half to reduce water loss from the plant.
Species notoriously difficult to root should be wounded before being treated with rooting hormone. When using these root-promoting compounds it is a good idea to put some in a separate container to use for the current job and discard any of this that is left over. Do not return it to the original container. This is a measure to take to prevent possible contamination of your entire supply. Be sure to tap the cuttings to remove excess hormone when using a powder.
Carefully insert the cuttings in the plant propagation medium up to the bottom of the lowest leaf, making sure the cutting is the right way up. Don’t overcrowd the cuttings, as they all need to receive sunlight on the leaves.
Cover the cuttings with plastic and put them where they will receive indirect light as direct sunlight is too harsh and will dry them out. Keep the medium moist until the cuttings have rooted, and also mist the cuttings regularly to increase the strike rate.
Plant propagation time varies according to the type of cutting, the species of plant and environmental conditions. When the cuttings have rooted, transplant them into containers and let them develop to a larger size before planting them on, either to a larger container or to a permanent position in the garden.
When you get into it, you will probably become quite addicted to the pursuit of making your own new plants by the method of plant propagation.
