Vegetative propagation

vegetative propagation

making more plants without sexual reproduction CLONING

Ortet

original plant you take cutting from

Ramets

small cuttings of ortet

Advantage of vegetative propagation

limit genetic diversity (you don’t have to worry about what you’ll get cause the DNA is the same)

Disadvantage of vegetative propagation

limited genetic diversity (less biodiversity)

Propagation techniques

cuttings, layerage, division, grafting

Cuttings, what is needed to successfully root plants?

getting plants to produce roots before it runs out of water. Media, light (not full sun), warmth, high relative humidity (you want a slow transpiration rate so there is less water loss)

Bryce’s recommended potting soil to perlite ratio

50/50

Perlite

heated up volcanic rock used to create air space in soil media. Increases oxygen and improves drainage, which decreases roots from rotting

High relative humidity importance

decreases transpiration (keeping more water in the plant than moving into the air), prevents cuttings from drying out from what little water they hold

High relative humidity methods

enclosure bins (cell packs), plastic bag with holes

Why take smaller cuttings?

Smaller cuttings will transpire less than larger cuttings, allowing more water to stay in the cutting and preventing it from drying up

“The health of the mother plant”

the healthier the mother plant (ortet) the healthier the cutting is (ramet)

Best time of day to take cutting

in the morning when there is a high water content

Rooting hormone

stable form of auxin that stimulates adventitious rooting, in a form of white powder to put on cutting

Auxin

naturally occuring chemical that contributes to apical dominance and used in root hormone to improve the growth of cuttings

Why would people soak twigs in willow water

weeping willows contain high content of auxin

How to insert a cutting

fill pot with media and stick cutting in

“Direct stick”

direct stick cutting into container that is used to grow later in

Types of cutting propagation

herbaceous, softwood, semi-hardwood, hardwood

Herbaceous cutting

soft/succulent, most concern: moisture loss, 

Softwood cutting

soft, succulent growth of woody plant, SNAPS when bent, taken in early spring

Semi-Hardwood

partially mature wood of current seasons growth, taken in july-sept late spring, many broadleaf evergreens

Hardwood

dormant, mature woody, late fall/winter/early spring, you want it to be dormant when you take cutting, protected shady location,

Propagating hydrangeas from cuttings

take cutting mid may early june, cut just below node, cut 1/3-1/2 of each leaf, two nodes, wound nodes, stick cutting in soil

How to take a cutting

include a node that will be in the media, slightly wounding the node will help adventitious roots form, around three leaves (cut the leaves in half so new growth is promoted and transpiration slows)

Why avoid cuttings with flowers and buds

flowers, buds demands a lot of sugar, takes away from the vegetative growth

Why not use water to root a cutting

adventitious roots grown in water are weak and brittle. Root in media instead!

How to tell if a cutting has rooted

tug a bit and see if there is resistance, new leaf growth

Layerage

useful with plants who have trouble propagating by cuttings. It stimulates rooting on a stem BEFORE the piece is cut from ortet

Ground layering

using a brick or heavy object to lay on a stem. separates a part you wish to take a future cutting from.

air layering

done may/june, wrap a stem with a plastic with spagnum moss or moist media, then wrap in plastic, then aluminum

What is air layering good for

often used for house plants because they are in a pot

How do succulents survive little rainfall environments?

storing a lot of water in their leaves when its does rain. Turgid leaves! Jade plant sprouted new growth from a single leaf by using all the stored water and nutrients. The single leaf shrivels up

Division form of propagation

down with plants with multiple CROWNS. Dig up a large clump and separate clumps with knife, pot or plant immediately. done in late fall

How to harvest an air layering propagation

Cut BELOW the roots. If you cut above you are simply taking a cutting with no roots

Grafting

natural or deliberate fusion of plants parts so that vascular continuity is established between them and the resulting genetically composite organism functions as a single plant

What does it mean when a grafting “took”

the two stems grafted and fused together and now you can cut back the rootstock

Parts of a graft

rootstock and scion

Rootstock/stock

the plant that receives/fuses with the scion and functions as the ROOT system of the graft plant

Scion

shoot piece/bud cut from a donor plant that will grow into the upper portion of the grafted plant

What happens to genetic information during a graft

genetics DO NOT transfer and they will remain genetically different,

the keys to grafting

ensure stock and scion are compatible (intraspecific), vascular cambium alignment and contact (pressure), choosing correct stage of growth, correct materials

Intraspecific

plants that are the same species, important when grafting

Budding

one single bud grafted on a stock, successful when bud breaks

Phenotype

outward genes that are expressed

Genotype

compound genetics within plants

Why use grafting

desired cultivar, change a cultivar, create unusual forms, size control, biotic/abiotic stress resistance, breeding priorities (roses)

Genotypes during grafting

using two or more genotypes, containing its own genetic identity, that it maintains that same genetic identity throughout the life of the plant

Why cut stems growing from rootstock

the rootstock serves as a root system, and any appearance of unwanted stems from that will take growth away from the scion that is growing upwards. cut the wild hairs

If you were a rose breeder

you may have to sacrifice things and ignore root vigor to be able to have desirable traits, such as size, color, absence thorns, fragrance, number, disease and insect resistance

What is soil

bryce’s defintion: soil = stuff + space

stuff: mineral/rock/organic material

space: water/air

What is soil comprised of

mineral derived from rock, dead organic material (from living things), living organic material (organisms/roots), space (water & air)

Physical Soil properties

color, particle size, porosity, water relations

chemical soil properties

nutrient holding ability, soil acidity (pH)

Biological soil properties

soil microfolia, macrofauna, partnerships

What should good soil do

provide anchorage, water, nutrients, oxygen, improve water infiltration up to 20%, reduce and slows runoff (sedimentation)

Darker color soils

have higher organic/decomposed material, generally better