By Bodie V. Pennisi
Georgia Extension Service
Volume XXVII
|
Saying someone has a green thumb usually means they can make
anything grow.
But it can also mean they are successful in multiplying their
plants.
If you’re like me, every time you walk into a garden center,
you have a wave
of jealousy mingled with pleasure. Plant collecting is my soft
spot. But how
do I get more plants, different species, even cultivars?
Plant propagation is the answer. It lets me expand my plant
collection without
threatening my pocketbook.
You can start your own collection of plants. All you need are
a few tools and
plants and lots of enthusiasm.
Basic propagation tools
The basic tools necessary for propagation are inexpensive and
can be found
in most garden stores. Start with various sizes of clay or
plastic pots with
drainage holes.
You’ll also need potting mix with good aeration and water-
holding capacity.
Commercial-grade mixes from garden supply stores are OK. Or
you can mix your
own with equal parts perlite, vermiculite and milled sphagnum
moss, or equal
parts sand and peat moss.
Use small river stones to keep the potting mix from coming
out of the pot’s
bottom.
You’ll need rooting hormones, too, which are especially
important if you’re
propagating woody plants. And sharp clippers are necessary for
taking cuttings
or making cuts.
Finally, you’ll need plastic bags or plastic wrap, alcohol
for disinfecting
the clippers, a misting nozzle and labels.
Most garden flowers and vegetables are grown from seed. They
need water, warmth
and air to germinate. Whether you buy your seeds or collect
from your plants
in the garden, follow several simple steps.
- Plant them outside in the ground or inside in a container
of potting mix. - Plant larger seeds two to three times as deep as their
greatest dimension.
Very fine seeds should be barely covered. - Water carefully, using a misting nozzle, and check every
day to make sure
the soil doesn’t dry out. - If you’re starting seeds inside, keep them in a warm
place (65 to 85 degrees
Fahrenheit) until they germinate. Then move to a cooler
place with plenty
of light.
If you want to just germinate seeds, spread them on a damp
paper towel and
leave them in a warm place. If you use mung beans or alfalfa
seeds, you can
eat the sprouts.
Several options
One of the simplest vegetative propagation techniques is to
remove plantlets
from the mother plant. Plantlets are miniature, but complete
plants, which grow
by the side, or on the top, of the mother plant. Spider plant,
strawberry begonia
and some species of kalanchoe can be propagated that way.
Division is one of the surest and easiest methods of plant
propagation. It’s
done almost exclusively to herbaceous plants. It’s important
to divide plants
when they’re dormant in spring or fall.
A good rule to follow is to divide early-blooming species in
the fall and late-blooming
species in spring. Greenhouse and houseplants can be divided
in the spring,
when their new growth is about to begin.
Propagation from cuttings may be made from tip cuttings,
which consist of the
apical bud and the first one or two nodes on the stem, or from
a stem section
containing a single node or several nodes. Simply stick the
cutting into moist
potting media, cover the pot with plastic and make sure the
medium stays moist.
We just grazed the surface of plant propagation. But it’s
enough to get you
started. So sharpen up your clippers and roll up your
sleeves, ’cause it’s propagation
time.
