Vegetative Plant Propagation

Vegetative/Asexual/Cloning Propagation

Ways to make new plants which are exactly like the mother plant. To give you a description of how to do all these methods would be essentially repeating what is already done in any of the excellent resources listed below. But feel free to email me if you have any questions. wblseedlib@gmail.com

Divisions: Separating big plant into smaller plants including roots, stems and leaves.

When: usually late spring or early fall

e.g. Peace lily, most perennials, grasses, raspberries

Offsets/Plantlets: Small plants growing on mother plant at base or on leaf margins

When: spring

e.g. strawberries, orchids, succulents, spider plant, aloe, mother of thousands

Bulbs, Pseudo bulbs, Bulbils: pod-like structures or bulbs which grow at leaf axils or next to mother bulb underground. Plant scales or cut bottom of bulb.

When: fall

e.g. tulips, daffodils, lilies, amaryllis, onions, garlic, Egyptian walking onion

Rhizomes: cut into pieces but must have stem and root

When: late summer

e.g. iris, lily of the valley, rhubarb

Ground or air layering: Shrubs, tropical plants with thick not flexible stems.

Cuttings:

Using a piece of the plant that is not complete. For example a piece of stem without roots or a piece of root without stem, just a leaf, etc. You need to be diligent in keeping the plant piece and the media it roots in clean, including the tool used to cut the plant and the rooting hormone.

You are in a race between rooting and rotting! You are rooting for the rooting team ;)

The sooner the plant piece roots, the less likely it will succumb to rot/disease/bacteria.

            Leaf and petiole: cut leaf and ~ 1” of petiole. Root in water or media

                        e.g. African violets, begonias

            Stem/stem tip: cut 3-5” stem/stem tip. Root in water or media.

                        e.g. coleus, pothos, ivy, geraniums, succulents

            Whole leaf: use whole leaf

                        e.g. succulents, begonias

            Softwood: pieces of new growth from woody plants. Late spring/early summer

                        e.g. shrubs, trees

            Hardwood: pieces of woody plants while dormant. Late fall thru winter

                        e.g. shrubs, trees

            Root: pieces of root. Keep correct orientation. Early spring

Basics:

1. Disinfect snips/pruners/knife using alcohol or 10% bleach solution

2. Cut away offset/leaf/stem

3. Dip into rooting hormone if using

4. Allow succulents to callus for several days before potting

5. Set in water or rooting media to root. Keep moist. Cover for added humidity. Use a heat mat to encourage rooting. Usually needs source of light.

Can take a couple weeks to several months. Be patient.

Media:  Use a non-soil media that is porous.

Example: 1 part coir or peat, 1 part perlite, 1 part vermiculite or

1 part sterile sand and 1 part perlite

Rooting hormone:  Auxins that speed up rooting. Available in powder, liquid or gel. Apply to base of cutting.

Usually can be found at garden centers such as Gertens or Bachmans and of course, the Great Supplier: Amazon. Do NOT dip your plant piece directly in the container of rooting hormone as you may contaminate it. Pour a little bit of the rooting hormone in a small dish.

There are also websites that show you how to make your own rooting hormone. I cannot vouch for these methods as I have not tried them.

Plant Patents: Illegal to give away or sell propagated patented or patent pending plants. You can propagate for your own personal use.

Resources:

Secrets of Plant Propagation: Starting Your Own Flowers, Vegetables, Fruits, Berries, Shrubs, Trees, and Houseplants, Lewis Hill, 1985

Includes both seed starting and vegetative propagation techniques including grafting.

Sold on Amazon: Secrets of Plant propagation.

Plant Parenting: Easy Ways to Make More Houseplants, Vegetables, and Flowers, Leslie Halleck, 2019

Includes both seed starting and vegetative propagation techniques, not including grafting.

Sold on Amazon: Plant Parenting

Also in Ramsey County libraries

American Horticultural Society Plant Propagation: The Fully Illustrated Plant-by-Plant Manual of Practical Techniques, Alan Toogood, 1999

Includes both seed starting and vegetative propagation techniques including grafting.

Sold on Amazon by other sellers: AHS Plant propagation

 There are other fine books on the subject, but I have used these three.

©Pam Larson Frink 2020