4.

02 Methods of Plant
Propagation

Sexually and Asexually

propagating plants
Plant Propagation
 Sexual Propagation
 starting plants from seeds
 Germination rate
 % that sprouts 75 of 100 = 75%.
 Rates are affected by temperature and
moisture
 Rates vary depending on plant and
quality (viability) of seed
Sexual Propagation
 Seed viability is the seed’s capability of
growing or developing

 Seed viability is affected by

temperature and moisture
 Sexual Propagation
 Plant seeds based on size of
seeds
 Plant seeds no more than 1.5 times
the diameter of the seed
 Largerseeds are planted deeper
 Smaller seeds are planted shallow
 Ex. Petunia seeds are TINY
 Water small seeds by bottom
soaking to prevent burying them
 Sexual Propagation
 Seedlings
 small plants
 The first sets of leaves are called
cotyledons
 Monocots produce one seed leaf
 Dicots produce two seed leaves
 True leaves are the second set of leaves
 Sexual Propagation
 Transplant seedlings when the first true
leaves appear

 Before planting in the outdoor

environment, reduce humidity and
water and make environment more like
outside to “harden off” plants.
Advantages of Sexual
Reproduction

1. Fast way to get many plants.

2. Easy to do.

3. Economical.
Disadvantages of Sexual
Reproduction
1. Some plants, especially hybrids, do
not reproduce true to parents.

2. Some plants are difficult to propagate

from seeds.
Sexual Propagation
 Examples of plants started by seed are:
 Marigold
 Impatiens
 Begonia
 Coleus
 Salvia
 Shasta daisy
 Pansy
Plant Propagation
 Asexual Reproduction –starting plants by
means other than seed
 Methods include:
 Cuttings
 Layering
 Division
 Separation
 Grafting
 Budding
 Tissue culture
Cuttings
 Stem
 Start with sterile flats, soil, and tools
 Must include a node
 A node is a point along a plant stem where
leaves or other stems are attached
 Internode is the area between two nodes
 Cutting is taking a 4-6 inch piece of the
plant and forcing roots to grow
Cuttings
 Using hormones help speed up rooting

 Dipping the cutting in fungicides help

prevent rotting

 Rooting media should be about 4

inches deep
Cuttings
 Herbaceous plants are soft-tissue plants
 Woody plants are plants that produce woody
tissue
 Examples of plants that can be started by
cuttings
 Herbaceous – geranium, impatiens, begonia
and coleus
 Woody – holly, abelia, and rosemary
Cuttings
 Leaf
 Usually propagated from herbaceous
plants
 Midrib vein must be cut in order to make
roots form
 Examples
 African violet and philodendron
 Snake plant and jade plant
Cuttings
 Root
 Should be spaced three inches apart in
rooting area
 A sand, vermiculite or perlite mixture is a
good medium for root cuttings
 Examples: hosta and daylily
Cuttings
 The best time of day to take a stem,
leaf, or root cutting is early morning
because plants have more moisture
Layering
 Tricking the plant stem into growing
roots while still attached to the parent
plant
 Examples
 Air layering
 Trench Layering
 Mound Layering
Layering
 Air layering
 Making an incision at the node of a
branch
 Dust with rooting hormone, place
sphagnum moss in plastic and wrap
around the incision forcing roots to grow
on the stem of the plant
Layering
 Air layering
 Once roots form, remove below the new
roots for a new plant
 Examples
 Decora rubber plant
 Weeping fig
Air Layering

Some plants, like the

spider plant, naturally
layer.
Layering
 Trench Layering - new plants form at each
node along the stem while still attached to
the plant
 Is cutting a trench and laying a branch in the
trench
 Types of trench layering are simple, tip, and
serpentine
 Examples of plants for trench layering
 Grapes
 Clematis
 Types of Trench Layering

Simple Layering

Tip Layering

Serpentine Layering
Layering
 Mound layering
 Is mounding the soil on a branch
 An example would be an azalea

Mound Layering
Division
 Cutting apart rhizomes, tubers,
runners, stolons, or suckers to get new
plants
 Division is used on plants that grow in
clumps
 Examples of plants that can be divided
are hostas, daylilies, and irises
 Also used on some grasses
Separation
 Separating natural structures of a plant
without making a cut
 Examples of plants:
 Bulbs and corms
Grafting
 Joining separate plant parts together so
that they form a union and grow
together to make one plant.
 Tools needed are a knife, tape, and wax
 Plants must be related to each other and
normally in the same genus or family
Grafting
 Scion is the piece of plant at the top of
the graft
 Rootstock is the piece of the plant at
the root or bottom of the graft
 Examples of plants that can be grafted:
 Maples and fruit trees
 Sweetgum (fruitless sweetgum)
 Pecan
Budding
 A form of grafting when a bud is used.
 Types:
 T-budding,
 Chip budding,
 Patch Budding.
Budding
 Successful T budding requires:
 that the scion (top)material have fully-
formed, mature, dormant buds,
 that the rootstock be in a condition of
active growth such that the "bark is
slipping".
 This means that the vascular cambium is
actively growing, and the bark can be peeled
easily from the stock piece with little damage.
 An example would be a rose
 Budding Technique

Bud is inserted Wound is

Removing the bud
into the wrapped
from the scion
rootstock. for healing
wood.
1.
3.
5.

2. 4.
 Tissue Culture (or
Micropropagation)

 This is the newest form

of Asexual propagation
Tissue Culture
(Micropropagation)
 A sterile environment is necessary for
micropropagation (biotechnology)
 It is a good way to get the most plants
in a short period of time
 It will give you a plant identical to the
parent plant (clone)
 An example would be impatiens and
many flowers and vegetable plants
Asexual Propagation Terms
 1. Corm - Enlarged, bulb-like, fleshy
base of a stem. Usually flattened and
round. Ex: gladiolus and crocus

 2. Rhizome - a creeping underground

stem, usually horizontal, that produces
roots and leaves at the nodes. Ex:
cannas and bearded Iris
Asexual Propagation Notes:
3. Stolon (or Runner) – a creeping above
ground stem that grows horizontally and
produces roots and shoots at the nodes. Ex:
strawberry

4. Tuber – a swollen, modified stem that

grows underground. Ex: potato

5. Sucker - a shoot or stem that originates

from the roots.
Asexual Propagation Methods in
Review
 Cuttings
 Layering
 Division
 Separation
 Grafting
 Budding
 Tissue Culture
Advantages of Asexual
Propagation
 Asexual reproduction or propagation-plants
mature in shorter time.
 Budding is faster or quicker than grafting.
 In trench layering, plants form at each node
on covered stems.
 Some plants do not produce viable seeds.
 New plants are same as parent plant.
Disadvantages of Asexual
Propagation
 Some require special equipment and
skills, such as grafting.
 Cuttings detach plant parts from water
and nutrient source.
 Some plants are patented making
propagation illegal.