Plant Propagation for Master Gardeners

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Plant Propagation for Master Gardeners

• Mike Maddox
• Horticulture Educator
• Rock County UW-Extension

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Plant Propagation

• The process of increasing the numbers of a
  species, maintaining a species, or preserving the
  vigor of a plant.

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Successful Plant Propagation

• Knowledge of technical skills
• The art of plant propagation
• Knowledge of plant biology
• Morphology, anatomy, physiology, etc.
• Knowledge of plants
• Selected method related to conditions and
  techniques to propagate an individual plant

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Plant Propagation

• Sexual Propagation
• Recombination of genetic materials to form
  uniquely genetic individual
• Asexual Propagation
• Use of vegetative organs to create plantlets
  genetically identical to parent plant

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Sexual Propagation
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Propagation by Seed

• Biology
• Pollination
• Anatomy
• Germination

• Applied
• Purchasing
• Starting
• Transplanting
• Collecting
• Storing

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Pollination

• Pollination transfer of pollen from anther (male
  part) to stigma (female part) in a flower.
• Exchange of genetic material

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Pollination

• Self pollination
• Transfer on same flower
• From different flowers on the same plant o
• From flowers on different plants of the same
  cultivar
• Examples Beans, peas, lettuce, eggplant,
  peppers, and tomatoes

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Pollination

• Cross pollination
• Transfer of pollen on plants of different
  cultivars of the same species
• Examples Onions, cucumbers, corn, pumpkins,
  squash, broccoli, beets, carrots, cabbage,
  cauliflower, melons, radishes, spinach, Swiss
  chard and turnips

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Pollination

• Fertilization
• the union of a male reproductive cell and a
  female reproductive cell that is capable of
  developing into an new individual

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Anatomy

• Embryo miniature plant in arrested development
• Endosperm (Cotyledons) built-in food storage
• Seed Coat hard out covering for protection,
  prevents water from entering and initiating
  germination before proper time.

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Anatomy
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Endosperm
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Germination

• The process of seed growth and development

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Germination

• Dormancy
• Viable seed that will not germinate when in
  proper environment
• Due to internal or external cause

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Germination

• Quiescent
• Ripened seed, ready to germinate, waiting for the
  proper environmental conditions for germinations
• Allows seed to survive over periods of time

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Germination

• Scarification
• Physically altering the seed coat to allow
  moisture penetration
• Natural scarification processes passing seed
  through GI tract of animals, weathering of coat
• Artificial scarification processes hot water
  bath, sandpaper, etc.
• Breaks seed coat allowing moisture to enter!

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Germination

• Stratification
• Exposing a seed to moisture and specific
  temperatures (cold) in order to encourage
  germination
• Degrades chemical inhibitors causing dormancy

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Germination

• Factors affecting germination
• Water (moisture)
• Light (or dark)
• Oxygen
• Heat

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Germination

• Water (moisture)
• Penetrates seed coat
• Endosperm to swell- seed coat splits
• Dissolves nutrients to initiate germination

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Germination

• Light (or dark)
• Can stimulate or inhibit germination
• Check seed package for planting instructions

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Germination

• Oxygen
• Required for respiration
• Facilitated with light, well aerated soil mix

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Germination

• Heat
• Optimum range for germination
• Many seeds have wide range
• Check catalog or seed package for instructions
• Drives metabolic process

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Propagation by Seed

• Biology
• Pollination
• Anatomy
• Germination

• Applied
• Purchasing
• Starting
• Transplanting
• Collecting
• Storing

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Purchasing Seed

• Choose superior cultivars
• High quality seed
• Disease resistant cultivars when available

• Garden centers
• Mail order
• Obtain by mid-February

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Purchasing Seed

• Germination rates
• Expected percentage of seed to germinate
• Generally, 65-80 will germinate
• 60-75 will grow into useful seedlings
• May affect density of planting

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Starting

• Indoors
• Small seeds
• Long season plants
• Supplies needed
• Grow lights
• Clean containers (with drainage)
• Sterile seed starting medium
• Location with proper ventilation and temperature

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Starting

• Growing media
• Loose, uniform, fine texture
• Mixes labeled for seed starting
• Pasteurized (sterile)
• May be low in fertility

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Starting

• Containers
• Any container will do
• Disinfested
• Good drainage
• Adequate root space

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Starting

• Containers
• Compressed peat pellets
• Peat pots
• Paper pots
• Plastic cell packs
• Flats

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Starting

• Sowing
• Account for seed germination in timing factor and
  growing time
• 2 weeks to germinate, 6 weeks to transplant date
  - 8 weeks for full development time.
• Sow in mid-March or April depending on plant
  species and growing conditions

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Starting

• Fill container to within ¼ inch of the top of the
  rim with moistened seed-starting medium

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Starting

• Large seeds directly in pots or cell packs
• Squash, cucumber, watermelon 2 per pot
• Use pencil or dibble to make hole for seeds
• Cover with media related to seed size

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Starting

• Small seeds scatter on surface of large cell
  packs or other containers for later transplant
• Sprinkle more potting media over seeds or
  sphagnum moss (sphagnum moss helps prevent
  damping off)
• Mix small seeds with sugar or extremely fine sand
  to help with equal distribution

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Starting

• Watering
• Water from below in tray before seeds germinate
  and when seedlings are very small
• Allow drying between waterings
• Helps prevent damping-off
• Standing water in flats leads to disease problems
• Dont allow seedlings to wilt
• Cell damage can occur that is permanent

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Starting

• Moisture
• Plastic covers are useful to trap moisture
• Retains moisture
• Remove to promote hardening of tissues

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Starting

• Supplemental lighting
• 3 4 from light source
• Cool white and warm white fluorescent lights
• Move lights as plants grow or move plants
• 14 16 hours a day
• Timers are inexpensive and very useful
• High intensity and quality light less leggy plants

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Starting

• Temperature
• Nights 60 68 F and 75 F
• Good rule of thumb-day temperatures 10 degrees
  warm than night.
• Cool season crops cooler day/night temps
• 55 degrees night 65 degrees day
• Warm season crops higher day/night temps
• 65 degrees night 75 degrees day
• Heating mats

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Starting

• Fertilization
• After germination
• Go ½ rate, avoid burn
• Two week intervals

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Starting

• Transplanting
• Move to larger container when first set of true
  leaves form
• Lift seedlings from containers with small flat
  tool
• Tease apart tangled plants/roots
• Handle by true leaves

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Starting

• Acclimation

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Starting

• Acclimation
• Plants must develop cuticle
• Gradual exposure to harsh climates
• Dry conditions, wind, light intensity, etc.

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Starting

• Direct sowing
• Avoids transplant shock
• Less work
• More risk with weather, pests, disease, erosion

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Starting

• Direct sowing
• Know conditions and requirements for seeds
• Warm- or cool-season crop
• Average last frost date

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Starting

• Direct sowing
• Sow or broadcast into a well-raked bed
• Free of stones or large debris
• Cover with a fine layer of soil
• Gently water to avoid erosion

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Storing / Collecting

• Storing
• Keep dry
• Place in airtight container
• Label and date
• Store in 40º F, low humidity

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Asexual Propagation
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Totipotency

• Totipotent each plant cell possess the necessary
  genetic information to produce a new plant organ.

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Types of Asexual Propagation

• Divisions
• Cuttings
• Layers
• Grafting
• Tissue Culture

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• Dividing Plants
• Division of a mass of plants
• Spring blooming plants, divide in fall
• Late summer blooming plants, divide in spring

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Separation

• Remove loose soil
• Remove dead leaves and stems
• Note root system of plant
• Spreading
• Clumping
• Rhizome
• Tuber

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Separation

• Spreading root systems
• Many slender roots from center of plant
• Plants can be invasive
• Cut with shears or pulled apart by hand
• Asters, bee balm, lambs ear, purple coneflower,
  many common perennials

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Separation

• Clumping root systems
• Many fleshy roots from crown of plant
• Can crowd own centers
• Keep one bud/eye with each division
• Astilbes, hostas, daylilies, orn. Grasses

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Separation

• Rhizome division
• Horizontal stems, Primarily bearded iris
• Divide after flowering through fall
• Cut and discard rhizome sections gt 1 year
• Inspect for disease and insect damage
• Cut back leaves to fans
• Replant with top of rhizome above soil level

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Separation

• Tuberous roots
• Enlarged roots for storage
• Divide with sharp knife
• Each root must contain stem tissue and bud
• Can be replanted or stored
• Dahlias

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Cuttings

• Vegetative plant part which is severed from the
  parent plant in order to regenerate itself,
  thereby forming a whole new plant
• Leaves, stems, roots

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Cuttings

• Herbaceous succulent, soft materials (green)
• Softwood soft, succulent growth of woody plants
• Semi-Hardwood partially mature wood of the
  current seasons growth
• Hardwood dormant, mature stems

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Cuttings Shoot
Terminal Bud
Axillary Bud
Stem
Leaf
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Cuttings
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• Cane/Shoot Cutting
• Leaves
• Stems
• Buds

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Cuttings Leaf
Terminal Bud
Axillary Bud
Stem
Leaf
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• Leaf Cutting
• Leaf only

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Cuttings Leaf
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Cuttings Hardwood
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Cuttings Hardwood
Cut end of branch
Cambium exposed
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Layering

• Stems still attached to their parent plant may
  form roots where they touch a rooting medium
• Severed from the parent plant, the rooted plant
  becomes a new plant

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Layering Methods
Tip Layer
Simple Layer
Compound Layer
Stolons
Stooling
Air Layer
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Air Layer

• Useful procedure on leggy plants
• Wound stem and cover with moist medium to induce
  rooting

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Grafting/Budding

• Method that joins plant parts so they will grow
  as one plant
• Used to propagate cultivars that will not root
  well as cuttings or whose own root systems are
  inadequate
• Induce growth form (dwarfing)

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Scion
Bud/Graft Union
Rootstock
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Grafting Techniques
Whip Tongue
Bark
Cleft
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Budding Techniques
T-Bud
Shield
Patch
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Tissue Culture

• Utilizing our knowledge of plant biology in order
  to propagate plant in vitro
• Able to produce large numbers of plants in small
  amount of space
• Use plant growth regulators to manipulate growth
• Sugar-rich semi-solid agar medium in sterilized
  container

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Amelenchier sp. 15 shoots per culture jar 1524
culture jars 4 week rotation 1 round 22,860
shoots 1 year 297,180 shoots
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Whitespire Senior Birch
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Plant Propagation for Master Gardeners

• March 17, 2007
• 830am to 400pm
• DC Smith Greenhouse, UW-Madison