Stem Cuttings
Rapid handling of cuttings after removal from the stock plants is important.
Cuttings should be taken in the early morning when stems are turgid and kept
in clean, moist conditions and out of the sun at all times until stuck.
Cuttings should be as uniform as possible so that all material will be
equally exposed in the propagating container. Soaking of cuttings in water to
keep them fresh is undesirable.
Make a cut 1/4 inch below a leaf node and pull off the leaves without stripping
the stem of the cambium layer that are at the nodes that will be below the
surface of the rooting medium.
Root Cuttings
Cultivation of root cuttings probably started after gardeners observed new
plants growing from pieces of root accidentally left behind in the soil.
Best results from root cuttings are likely
if cuttings are taken in late winter or early spring from 2 to 3 year old
stock plants. The period in the spring when plants are actively growing should be avoided.
Be sure that the roots collected are from the chosen plant and not neighboring plants.
Cuttings should be taken during the dormant season when roots have large carbohydrate supplies.
However, they also may be taken throughout the growing season. Cut straight
through the end of the root closest to the stem. Cut the other end on a slant.
This allows you to remember which end is the top (the straight cut) and which
is the bottom (the diagonal cut). Cut roots into short lengths 2 to 6 inches
long, lay horizontally in the rooting medium and cover with 1/2 inch of medium.
They may also be placed upright with the end of the root closest to the stem at the top.
Roots 1/4 to 1/2 inches in diameter give the best cuttings.
Store cuttings from dormant roots for 3 weeks in moist rooting medium at 40 degrees F. or transport immedatly to a nursery.
Softwood Cuttings
Softwood stem cuttings are taken from woody plants when growth is still relatively
soft and succulent before tissues have matured and lignified, or become woody,
usually 3 to 4 weeks after a new flush of growth.
Softwood cuttings usually root easier and faster than other types of stem cuttings,
taking 5 to 8 weeks. An important factor in making this type of cuttings is obtaining
wood of the proper age. Extremely fast growing, soft and tender shoots are not
desirable, because they often will deteriorate before rooting. On the other hand,
old woody stems are very slow to root. The best cutting material is flexible,
but mature enough to break when bent sharply. The snap or turgidity test is a
quick way to determine if the material possesses proper maturity for successful
rooting. Bend the stem between thumb and forefinger; if it snaps, tissues are
in prime condition for rooting. However, the break must be clean, and not merely a bending of the stem.
. Late spring and early summer are the best times for success with this method.
Take cuttings after it rains or water is applied in the cool morning.
Make a diagonal cut. The larger diagonal cut gives more area to develop roots.
Keep cuttings in water before moving them into rooting medium. Or transporting them to a nursery.
Willow cuttings can be planted directly into moist streambanks.
Hardwood cuttings
Deciduous hardwood cuttings are taken in the dormant season when tissues are
fully matured or lignified -become woody- through their entire length and when leaves have dropped.
Cuttings can be taken anytime from late fall after a killing frost until late winter.
Select only healthy wood that was produced the previous summer.
Several cuttings can be made from the same branch of some shrubs.
Cuttings of some plants can be taken during the dormant period and stored at
5 degrees C or 40 degrees F until spring or transported to a nursery.
Bulbs and Corms
Bulbs can be propagated by removing small bulblets or offsets that form at the base of the parent bulb.
These small bulbs take 2 or 3 years to mature into plants that flower.
Place offsets in rich, light soil for their development.
This same procedure should be followed for plants which form from corms.
Many lilies can be multiplied by removing scales from the mature bulb.
Dust the scale with a fungicide and place, base end down, in a moist growing medium in a warm, protected area.
Bulblets will form at the base of the scale. In 1 to 4 years these bulblets will grow and be ready to flower.
Tubers and Rhizomes
Tuberous plants can be dug up and the tubers separated. In separating the tubers,
each must have a segment of the crown that contains at least one eye or bud.
Rhizomes grow and develop buds along their length. The rhizomes can be dug and
cut into sections that each contain at least one eye or bud.
Bulbs AND corms, tubers and rhizomes can all be collected, tossed in a paper bag
or box -remember to label everything clearly keeping separate species separate, and transported to a nursery.
Exercises
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have the student divide and place in a bag for planting at home a native bulb, pointing out the scales.
References
- Basic
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Asexual Propagation of Plants, Ohio State University Master Gardener Training Manual
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http://www.hcs.ohio-state.edu/mg/manual/prop2.htm
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Sexual Propagation of Plants, Ohio State University Master Gardener Training Manual
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http://www.hcs.ohio-state.edu/mg/manual/prop.htm
- Advanced
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The content of the page was last modified
2008-05-06