How to propagate your favorite plants in more ways than one
I still remember my first plant cutting, the first plant I ever propagated.
I must have been about five. While walking with my grandmother, I found a large segment of a succulent similar to some Euphorbia. It was lying on the ground, probably after falling out of a pot on somebody’s windowsill.
“Bring it home and put it in water,” she said. “It will come alive.”
And it did! That piece of succulent grew roots and more segments after transplantation – we’ve had it for years to come.
The magic has stuck to this day. The experience of plant propagation has probably made me the plant person I am today.
Many people like simply like how plants look. However, if you’re a true plant lover and enthusiast, you will not stop at just there standing in awe. At some point, you will surely attempt to propagate your favorite plants.
Let me take you to the world of successful plant propagation, where you will learn about the seeds, sprouts, water roots, air roots, and all the means to create lovely plant progeny successfully. I’m sure you’re rooting for it as much as I am!
Plant Propagation Explained!
According to David Trinklein, a plant scientist at the University of Missouri, “plant propagation is the process of increasing the number of plants of a particular species or cultivar.”
So, unlike the good old childhood experiment when you take the mud off your boots, put it in the plant pot, and water it to see what grows, plant propagation is the act of reproducing a particular plant and is done to multiply the species or the hybrid you’re interested in.
However, not all plants can be propagated the same way. What works for some will not work for others, especially if you’re looking to reproduce a specific cultivar.
Types Of Plant Propagation
We see plants as static, passive creatures. Some even call them ‘boring.’
All those people might be surprised to learn that plants have a fascinating array of reproductive strategies, including a weirdly wonderful sex life!
Plants reproduce in two main ways:
- Sexual (via spores or seeds)
- Asexual (vegetative reproduction via plant parts)
Propagation guides by plant species
How to Propagate Calathea Ornata
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How to Propagate Calathea Medallion
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How to Propagate ZZ Plants?
ZZ plants, botanically named Zamioculcas Zamiifolia, are great indoor plants, but they can be pretty expensive. If you’d love to multiply this plant or give some to your friends, knowing…
Plant Propagation by Spores
Some primitive plants, like ferns and mosses, use spores to reproduce, making their lifecycle very complex.
Although it is certainly interesting, the elaborateness of the process usually makes gardeners reach for other, easier means of vegetative propagation (see below). Thus, spore propagation will remain out of the scope of this article (sorry, cute little gametophytes!).
If you are still curious, you’ll be happy to know that propagating house ferns by spores is complicated by doable.
Plant Propagation By Seed
Plant reproduction from seed is certainly the most economical way to reproduce plants. You usually have many seeds and care for multiple seedlings the same way, so you can produce a considerable number of plants with the same amount of effort and energy.
Reproduction by seed is called sexual because two individual plants exchange their genetic material. The pollen from the male plant, or its male flower parts, reaches the ovule of the female flower or hermaphroditic flower, triggering fertilization and fruiting. A brand new, genetically district offspring springs from the seeds once they mature.
Unless the plant species are self-pollinating, the sexual reproduction of plants usually leads to the creation of “plant children” that are different from their parents. This helps plants adapt to changes in their natural environment.
How To Propagate Plants From Seeds
Seed germination is the most common method of plant propagation. From turfgrass to daisies to ornamental trees – all these plants are usually propagated by seed germination.
Seeds germination begins by planting viable seeds in a suitable growing medium. You can simply sow many garden plant seeds directly into the ground when the temperatures are correct, and provide regular watering until the new plants become strong.
However, many plant enthusiasts want more control of the process and opt for germinating the seeds indoors – in controlled, artificial conditions. This also goes for plants from exotic climates.
For indoor seed germination, you’ll need growing pots, a growing medium, and in many cases, lighting and heating.
You can buy a growing medium for seed as a pre-made mix or create your own.
The most common growing mediums are:
- Coconut coir
- Peat moss
- Vermiculite
- Stone wool cubes
What is common to these mediums is that they have good water retention properties and are sterile. The sterile medium is important since seedlings easily catch plant diseases – especially the notorious damping off.
The conditions you’ll provide for seeds to germinate and develop into new plants vary on the species, but some standard rules apply.
- Successful germination requires a temperature within a specific range.
- Proper humidity also helps germination.
- Seedlings require direct light to develop properly.
- The time required for germination depends on the plant type.
Of course, there are many unique traits to be taken into account. Some seeds require frost exposure to germinate. Others with a hard seed coat need to be mechanically damaged so the seedling can get through.
The crucial thing for success is to do your homework on the type of plant you want to propagate the seeds to and ensure the right conditions.
The Downside of Seed Propagation for Horticulturists
As you’ve learned, plant propagation from seed is the most straightforward and cheapest way to get new plants. Besides that, you get to witness the magic of plant development from the very start.
However, unless when they’re experimenting with creating something novel, gardeners usually want to propagate a specific plant type, a cultivar.
Plant cultivar is short for ‘cultivated variety.’ It is a specific type within a particular plant species that looks, smells, and grows in its own unique way.
The trouble is that many cultivars will not “breed true” from seeds, meaning that the offspring will likely lose the desired look and traits through cross-pollination. This is especially true for woody species. Plant a seed from a Granny Smith apple – and you will get a wild-like offspring, probably nothing like a tree with the juicy green hybrid fruits you were hoping for.
That is why plant enthusiasts have to find a way to clone a cultivar – and do that by artificial asexual or vegetative plant reproduction.
Vegetative Plant Propagation
Vegetative plant propagation happens when a vegetative part of the parent plant – be it a stem, leaf, or root – is initiated into becoming a new plant.
Since no mixing of genetic material is involved, the new plant will be a genetic double of its parent – practically, a clone.
Asexual, vegetative reproduction can be natural or artificial.
Natural Vegetative Plant Propagation
In the case of natural vegetative propagation, an entirely new plant grows out of the mother plant’s organ – a stolon, a rhizome, a bulb, or a tuber.
In these cases, an axillary bud becomes a sideway shoot, grows its roots, and becomes a miniature clone of the mother plant. Strawberries and spider plants, for example, grow long stolons (long reproductive stems) and baby plants on them.
Artificial Vegetative Plant Propagation
Artificial vegetative propagation uses mechanisms of plant regeneration. The viable plant piece is practically trying to grow its missing organs so it can go on living. If given the right conditions, it will succeed! And that’s precisely the grower’s job.
Remember my Euphorbia childhood story from the introduction? That was a classic example of artificial reproduction via cutting.
Some plants will “regenerate” spontaneously with no human intervention if conditions are right – e.g., if their segment falls onto moist soil and the soil remains moist for long enough for the segment to take root.
There are several means of human-assisted vegetative plant reproduction.
- Cuttings
- Division
- Grafting and budding
Now, I’ll give you a short introduction to each!
How To Propagate Plants Via Cuttings
Rooting cuttings is probably the most favored plant propagation plant technique for houseplants.
Here are several steps to propagate your favorite plants through rooting cuttings successfully
- Take a cutting from an existing plant. You should pick the cutting from a healthy and mature plant; it should include a section of stem with leaves or buds.
- Place the cutting in a suitable rooting medium or water.
- Using sterile mediums such as coconut coir, vermiculite, stone wool, or mixed germination substrates is best.
- Not all plants can root in water, but for others, this is easy; however, water roots are different from regular roots, and the cutting will need to adjust once transplanted into soil.
- Although it’s a viable strategy in the absence of these ideal substrates, using common potting soil and sand includes the risk of plant diseases.
- For plants that are difficult to root, you can dip the tip of the cutting in the rooting hormone. This pricey but helpful product can be found in specialized stores.
- Once the cutting has been placed in the growing medium or water, keep it moist and protected from direct sunlight.
- Over time (depending on the species), the cutting should develop roots and grow into a new plant. Take care of it the same way as you do with the mother plant, although note that the cuttings are a bit more sensitive in their first months.
How To Propagate Plants By Division
By doing plant division, you are artificially creating new plants by dividing the mother plant into several smaller ones.
This simple method works for most plants that have a clumping growth habit. Clumping is a natural type of vegetative reproduction via rhizomes or other structures – in nature, these plants spread by forming thickets.
In some cases, you will have to do a division to keep the plant healthy. For example, Hostas can spread in the garden all they want, and the quality of their growth will not be affected. However, if you have a clumping potted plant such as Calathea, you should divide it every couple of years to ensure it stays in good shape. Otherwise, the middle part of the plant will become stunted and eventually die.
Doing plant division is easy. Still, there are a few details that demand attention.
- Carefully take the mother plant out of the pot (or dig it up).
- Using your fingertips, carefully work your way into the root ball and separate the clump into smaller sections.
- The number of sections depends on your needs and wants, but make sure to leave a good root system in each section.
- Replant the divided plants into new pots, and keep them out of excessive light or a couple of weeks until they settle.
Grafting and Budding
Grafting and budding are techniques for the vegetative propagation of woody plant cultivars. A graft (a piece of the stem) or a bud of the desired plant is grafted or budded onto another related plant with roots. In the grafting science (and trust me, it is a scientific branch of its own, no pun intended), the graft or bud is called a scion, and the “host” plant is called the rootstock.
After the successful grafting procedure that looks pretty much like a plant surgery and involves cutting, disinfection, and “bandaging” (fixing the scion in place), the scion will continue growing on the rootstock, producing its unique fruits of flowers powered by the rootstock circulatory system.
The rootstock plant will not express its properties in any visible way unless you let the suckers grow – these are the descendants of the rootstock plant.
Grafting and budding are default techniques to propagate fruit and flowering shrub cultivars (e.g., roses) and let us reproduce clones of a specific cultivar (essentially, a plant mutant). Remember what we learned before? Woody cultivars don’t breed true from seeds.
As I said before, grafting and budding are very complex techniques that require special tools, techniques, knowledge, and experience that are beyond the scope of this article. However, there are plenty of free and knowledgeable resources, both short and elaborate ones. The more you know about the plant physiology behind the process, the higher your chances of success.
To Sum It Up
Regardless of the method you choose, a few rules apply to all the listed types of plant propagation.
- Choose healthy, disease-free plant material, whether it’s seeds, cuttings, or division stock.
- Make sure to use a well-draining and sterile growing medium
- Pay attention to the special needs of the plant you are propagating, such as temperature, moisture, light levels, and nutrient needs, to ensure optimal growth and, finally – success.
By arming yourself with a little patience and a lot of knowledge, you can expand your plant collection in the most rewarding and cost-effective way – by propagating them yourself.
It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner plant enthusiast or a seasoned gardener – I promise that plant propagation always gives thrills to all true plant lovers.
