Vegetative propagation represents the development of new plants from various vegetative organs (stems, rhizomes, bulbs, leaves) or their parts.
Vegetative propagation is very widespread among all groups of ornamental plants, with the exception of annuals and true biennials (plants with a biennial development cycle), which do not reproduce vegetatively under natural conditions. All the diversity of vegetative propagation can be divided into natural and artificial.
Natural vegetative propagation formed during the long evolution of plant species and is a hereditary trait. This type of reproduction, both in natural conditions and in culture, is carried out using the following vegetative organs:
- rhizomes (cannas, irises, lilies of the valley, peony); mustache (strawberry, chlorophytum);
- bulbs (tulip, narcissus, hyacinth) and bulbs (bulbs that form in the axil of a leaf or inflorescence - white, bulbous, tiger lilies); corms (gladioli, montbretia);
- tuberous root (dahlia, daylily, chistyak);
- stem tuber (gloxinia, cyclamen);
- brood bud (bryophyllum and in such open ground plants as bulbous bluegrass, hairy sedum, snowy saxifrage).
Artificial vegetative Reproduction can be divided into several main techniques:
- division,
- cuttings
- layering,
- vaccinations.
Reproduction of flower plants by corms.
Corm It is an underground thickened stem that serves to store nutrients. Corms are formed in gladioli, montbretia, and acidanthera.
Every year, at the base of each stem, a new daughter corm. The reproduction rate is thus directly dependent on the number of stems. Under natural conditions, plants that form corms reproduce in this way, but if it is necessary to increase the number of newly formed organs, they resort to special methods (planting upside down or dividing the corm into parts). When propagating corms, it is very important to ensure that the source material is not contaminated. Usually, between the new corm and the collapsing old one, secondary shoots– small daughter corms. Their number depends on the type of plant; gladiolus, for example, produces up to 50 of them.
Corms are dug up 40-45 days after flowering. During autumn digging, the corms are collected, dried (drying time - 3 weeks) and stored until planting in boxes or gauze bags at a temperature of 4...10 ° C and an air humidity of 60
Bulb is a modified, usually underground shoot of plants with a short flat stem (bottom) and fleshy colorless leaves (scales) adapted for storing nutrients. There are two types of bulbs: filmy and tiled, which differ in the way scales are formed.
Membranous bulbs, such as those of narcissus and tulip, have succulent, thickened scales, which are filmy leaf sheaths that cover each other and form almost closed concentric circles around the growing point. Each scale-like leaf produces axillary bud.
Squamate the leaves of the filmy bulbs are very large and cover almost the entire bulb; they are not as easily separated from the base as the scales of imbricated bulbs. Therefore, until new plants are formed, the cut scale-like leaves of the filmy bulbs should be left unseparated from the bottom. This principle is used in two methods of reproduction:
- cutting out,
- cutting the bottom.
Cutting out the bottom. A recess is made at the base of the onion (the bottom is cut out), the rest of the onion remains untouched.
After about two to three months, young bulbs form on the cut scales. Now the mother bulb (again upside down) is planted in a pot so that the children are barely covered with substrate. In the spring, the bulbs will begin to grow and form leaves, and the old bulb will gradually collapse. At the end of the season, young bulbs are dug up and planted. The bulbs will reach the size at which plants can bloom in 3-4 years.
Cutting the bottom of the filmy bulbs. The difference from the previous method is that instead of cutting out the bottom on the bottom of the onion, only a few are made; cuts up to 0.6 cm deep. On a large onion, usually make 4 cuts at right angles to each other; on smaller ones, it is enough to make 2 cuts. Place the cut onions in a dry, warm place (21°C) for a day.
This is an easy way to reproduce. Typically, this is how rhizomatous plants are propagated, especially those that are very bushy and form a large number of above-ground shoots coming from the roots or rhizomes (phlox, spirea, perennial chrysanthemums, some varieties of lilac, mock orange, and from plants in protected soil - aspidistra, asparagus) With a sharp shovel, pruning shears or use a knife to divide a dug up bush into equal parts so that each of them (division) has roots and at least two or three shoots or buds. If necessary, roots, shoots, and annual branches are shortened.
The formation of root suckers is sometimes caused artificially. On this day in the spring, the bush is pruned on two opposite sides, and by autumn, dense growth forms in the pruning areas, which can be used for dividing, cuttings, etc.
Dividing the root shoots. The natural formation of root shoots is characteristic of lilac, cherry, and rose hips. From dormant buds of plant roots, young shoots are formed, which later form their own root system.
At the end of the growing season, the root system of the shoots is separated from the mother one. After several weeks, when the young shoots grow completely independently, they are dug up and replanted.
Many ornamental plants (royal begonia, iris, canna, lily of the valley, mint, rosemary, peony, sansevieria, etc.) are propagated by dividing the rhizomes.
Rhizomes can grow in two ways. For example, in the garden iris, the apical bud develops into a peduncle, and growth in the horizontal plane is carried out due to lateral bud. In the next season, this resulting lateral shoot forms its own apical bud, forming a peduncle, and the plant continues to grow horizontally, laying new lateral buds. In a different; In case, for example, in mint, the growth of the rhizome is carried out due to the prolonged functioning of the apical and sometimes lateral buds, which usually produce flowering shoots. The rhizomes of different plants may differ in other ways: the rhizome of asparagus, for example, gives very little annual growth, and the rhizome of mint is characterized by rapid and prolonged growth, due to which the shoots spread over a large area in a relatively short time.
Cuttings- a method of vegetative propagation by rooting certain parts of the plant. Cutting- this is a section of a stem with leaves and buds (less often a root or leaf) separated from the mother plant. Cuttings can be:
- stem,
- root,
- leafy.
The survival rate of cuttings is also influenced by cut quality: it should be very even and smooth. Therefore, cuttings are cut with a sharp instrument to avoid roughness and lacerations, which contribute to the development of various diseases. Then the cuttings are rooted in a sandy substrate, which is poured in a layer of 4-5 cm on top of the nutrient mixture in greenhouses or pick boxes in greenhouses. The cuttings are planted obliquely so that the lower cut is in the sand and does not touch the ground, and the upper bud is located at the level of the sand surface. When planting cuttings in greenhouses, the distance in rows should be 3-5 cm, and between rows 5-8 cm. Up to 100 cuttings will be placed in one picking box.
The rooting time of cuttings from different plants varies. Cuttings of geranium, carnation, lupine, delphinium, mallow, sedum, phlox take root quickly (on 6-3 days). Shrubs - roses, lilac, viburnum - take root on 20-24 days, and most conifers - spruce, cryptomeria fir, araucaria - 3-4 months after planting and even 6 months.
Leaf cuttings Gloxinia, violet, ficus, primrose, etc. are propagated. In these plants, when the leaves are rooted, adventitious roots and a bud are formed, from which the stem develops.
Layerings Unlike stem cuttings, they are shoots that take root without separating them from the mother plant. Therefore, the rooting process is not difficult.
When propagating beautifully flowering shrubs (rose, lilac, hydrangea, clematis, spirea, etc.), horizontal, vertical, arched, and air layering are used.
Horizontal layers. Young shoots are placed in shallow grooves, pinned, and as the shoots grow, they are spudded 2-4 times per season.
Arc-shaped layers. After preliminary pinning, part of the shoot is added dropwise.
Vertical layers. If you cut a young tree, a vigorous growth of stumps appears. When the shoots reach 8-10 cm in height, the first hilling is carried out (necessarily with nutritious soil for 2/3-3/4 of their length), the second - when the length of the shoots is 15-18 cm, the third, when their length reaches 45-50 cm. At the end of September, the soil is removed, rooted shoots are cut off and planted in a nursery or in a permanent place.
Air layering. This method is used to propagate yucca, aralia, rhododendron, dracaena, agave, and echeveria. This method is used in cases where the plant is very elongated and its height needs to be reduced. At a certain height, the leaves are removed and the stem is covered with moss. Then, below the formed root system, the stem is cut off and the plant is transplanted into a new pot.
Graft consists in transferring parts of one plant to another and merging them, which allows preserving the varietal characteristics of the grafted plant. Roses, lilacs, azaleas, and cacti are propagated by grafting.
The plant or part of it that is grafted onto is called rootstock, and the grafted part is scion. The scion can be a bud with a small piece of bark and wood (an eye or a shield or a cutting. There are many methods of grafting (budding, butt grafting, split grafting, etc.). Grafting is one of the methods of vegetative propagation of plants. It consists of transplanting buds or cuttings - scion - from one plant to another, called rootstock. Grafting in floriculture is applied to roses, azaleas, cacti, Camellias, rhododendrons, citrus fruits and some other plants.
Reproduction by lashes or whiskers. Indian strawberry, saxifrage (saxifraga), tradescantia, chlorophytum, nephrolepis and some other plants produce more or less thin creeping or hanging stems ending in new small plants. The latter take root easily, developing into independent plants.
Vegetative propagation is of great practical importance, as it guarantees the production of offspring that fully retain the properties and characteristics of the mother plant; Flowering in a number of species occurs earlier than during seed propagation; Some plants here do not produce seeds (Japanese anemone, etc.).
Methods of vegetative propagation .
1) Reproduction by rhizomes. This method is used to propagate rhizomatous plants - irises, larkspur, chrysanthemums, lilies of the valley, goldenrod, etc. The rhizome is an underground stem; it has dormant buds that give rise to new shoots. Rhizomatous plants therefore grow very quickly, take root well after transplantation and develop well. The dug up bush is cut into pieces with a shovel or knife, or you can break it with your hands, trying to cause as little injury to the plant as possible. Each part of the bush should have 3-4 buds and its own roots. Plants that bloom in spring are best divided in autumn, those that bloom in summer and those that bloom in autumn are best divided into spring.
2) Reproduction by tubers. Tubers are of stem origin (modified stems) and root origin - modified roots. A distinctive feature of stem tubers from root ones is the presence of dormant buds on them, which allows them to be propagated by division (artichoke - tubers die off after a year; tuberous begonia, cyclamen - tubers live for several years). Root tubers that do not bear buds are separated from the part of the root collar where dormant buds (dahlias) are located.
3) Reproduction by bulbs and corms. Bulb plants are divided into 2 groups based on the structure of the bulbs: the first has scaly bulbs (lilies), the second has filmy bulbs (tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, etc.). In filmy and scaly bulbs, baby bulbs are formed from the axillary buds, with which plants reproduce. Lilies can also be propagated by bulb scales, and some species form aerial bulbs in the leaf axils.
Gladioli and crocuses reproduce by corms; they can be divided into parts, each of which should have 1-2 buds.
4) Reproduction by mustache(stem shoots growing horizontally and forming new rooting plants at the nodes) is typical for Indian strawberry, periwinkle, tenacious, fragrant violet, etc. Rooted specimens in spring or autumn are separated from the mother ones and planted in a new place.
5) Root suckers propagated by plants on the roots of which there are adventitious buds capable of developing into above-ground shoots (bindweed, dracaena, hops, etc.). The offspring are separated from the mother plant and planted.
6)Cuttings- one of the most common methods of plant propagation. Any part separated from a plant intended for vegetative propagation is called a cutting. Cuttings are divided into stem, root and leaf. Stem cuttings, in turn, are: green, harvested with immature wood and unformed leaves, intended for propagation of biennials, perennials, potted crops and certain types of shrubs; semi-lignified, characterized by formed leaves and incompletely ripened wood (roses, lilacs, indoor jasmine, fuchsia, etc.); lignified, characterized by durable, well-formed wood without leaves (willow, jasmine, spirea, etc.).
Most rhizomatous plants (peonies, phlox, irises, oriental poppy, etc.) are propagated by root and rhizomatous cuttings. In most cases, greenhouse plants (Rex begonia, gloxinia, sanseveria, echeveria, etc.) are propagated by leaf cuttings.
It is better to carry out cuttings in greenhouses, greenhouses or in a specially protected area with well-fertilized and treated soil. Planting is carried out in autumn or spring. The cuttings are covered for the winter. In the first year of plant life, flowers and inflorescences are plucked out, giving the opportunity to better develop vegetative organs.
7) Reproduction by grafting– transplanting a cutting or eye from one plant (scion) to another (rootstock). This method is used to propagate roses, azaleas, lemons, cacti, etc. For grafting to be successful, it is necessary to combine living cells capable of dividing, i.e. at least in some areas, the cambium (tissue between the phloem and the wood) of the scion should coincide with the cambium of the rootstock.
Vaccination should be carried out during the period when the scion buds are dormant. There are several methods of vaccination. They are quite widely described in the horticultural literature. The most commonly used method is budding (by eye). It is performed in the spring (with the germinating eye) and in the summer (July - August) with the dormant eye.
Ornamental plants reproduce by seed and vegetative methods. All annuals and biennials, as well as some perennials, reproduce by seeds. At the same time, the plants retain their varietal characteristics. However, among perennials there are many species that do not pass on their decorative characteristics to seed offspring. In addition, in some of them, when propagated by seed, flowering occurs after 5–7 years. Therefore, such perennials must be propagated vegetatively.
When propagating by seed, the seeds are sown either directly into the ground or into boxes for seedlings. What is a seed, what does it consist of? In a seed there are: an embryo, which is the rudiment of a future plant; reserve nutrients that make it possible for the embryo to survive during the dormant period and supply the necessary substances during germination; peel, which plays a protective role. The embryo consists of a root, which is the rudiment of the future root system, and a stalk bearing cotyledon leaves. The first to emerge from the seed is the embryonic root, and only then the cotyledonous leaves straighten and emerge from the ground.
Vegetative propagation is the development of new plants from various vegetative organs (stems, rhizomes, bulbs, leaves) or their parts. The essence of such propagation is based on the ability of plants to regenerate, i.e. restoration by individual organs or their parts of missing organs (kidneys or roots). Consequently, we are talking about the restoration of an entire plant organism.
The entire variety of vegetative propagation can be divided into natural and artificial.
Natural vegetative propagation was formed in the process of long-term evolution of species and is a hereditary trait. Both in nature and in culture, it is carried out with the help of the following vegetative organs:
rhizome - underground shoots with scale-like leaves and buds in their axils and at the end of the shoot (canna, astilbe, iris, lily of the valley, solidago, peony, bergenia, rudbeckia);
mustaches are thin creeping shoots that take root at the nodes and form rosettes, then these shoots die and lose contact with the mother plant (strawberry, chlorophytum, saxifrage, cinquefoil, ivy bud);
bulb - a modified, usually underground shoot of a plant with a modified short flat stem (bottom) and fleshy, colorless leaves (scales), adapted for storing nutrients. There are two types of bulbs: membranous (narcissus, tulip) have succulent, thickened scales, which are membranous leaf bases that cover each other and form closed concentric circles around the growing point. Each scale-like leaf forms an axillary bud. The outer scales are dry, so they protect the bulb from damage and drying out. The roots of such bulbs grow at the very beginning, immediately after planting, they appear on the stem-bottom at the base of the lower scales: petiolate (hazel grouse, lily) have juicy, but often too narrow scales that do not cover each other and do not form a common cover, from - why they dry out much faster than filmy ones. Roots form in mid-summer or later and persist until the following year. In some types of lilies, small aerial bulbs (bulbs) form in the axils of the leaves on the stem;
corm is an underground thickened stem that serves to create a supply of nutrients. Leaves that have turned into thin dry films are placed on it, covering it and protecting it from damage and drying out. In the axil of each leaf there is a bud; the tip of the stem develops into a flowering shoot. The roots, often arched, grow from the base of the corm. Some plants develop several flower buds at the top of the corm. Every year, a new daughter corm is formed at the base of each stem, and secondary shoots - small daughter corms (tuber buds) - are formed between the new and old ones. Their number depends on the type of plant. The most famous plants that form corms are gladiolus, ixia, montbretia, acidanthera, crocus;
tuber - an annual underground shoot of a plant with a thickened stem, often spherical in shape, and rudimentary leaves, from the axillary buds of which new shoots grow the following year. Not many plants form a true tuber. The most famous and beloved is potatoes. The well-known “eyes” are a collection of buds in the axil of a leaf scar. They correspond to the nodes of a regular stem and are arranged in a spiral sequentially or one against the other, starting with the apical bud, which is located in that part of the tuber that is opposite to the place of its attachment to the mother plant. In addition to potatoes, tubers form: artichoke, sweet potato, water lily, stachys, yam, tuberous nasturtium;
root tuber - a root that has grown in thickness, on which renewal buds are located. The root tubers themselves serve to store nutrients, which serve as the basis for bud growth. There are two types of root tubers: annual ones, developing anew every year, like dahlias, and growing annually, like begonias. One-year root tubers are formed when lateral roots grow at the root collar. During the growing season, some of them develop as a reservoir for reserve nutrients. Every year, due to these reserves, the plants develop a new above-ground part, and the root tuber then dies. The development of perennial root tubers is simpler - usually the young root of a plant turns into a storage organ from the very beginning, increasing in size as nutrients are supplied.
Artificial vegetative propagation can be divided into several basic techniques.
Division involves dividing bushes, rhizomes, root shoots, tubers, root tubers, and corms. The separated part of a plant or organ contains roots, buds and stems, i.e. everything necessary for further development.
a) Dividing a bush is a simple and accessible method, used for the propagation of rooted beautiful flowering shrubs (mock orange, lilac, viburnum), rhizomatous herbaceous perennials (Helenium, phlox, dicentra, delphinium, astilbe, primrose, chamomile, goldenrod, etc.). For division, plants that are dormant are used - in spring or autumn. Spring flowering plants are divided into autumn, summer and autumn - spring and autumn. Each division should have 2–3 shoots and buds.
b) Dividing the rhizome. Before dividing, the rhizomes are germinated so that the swollen buds become visible and cut into pieces with pruners or a knife (2-3 buds on each). The cuttings are sprinkled with crushed coal or ash, and the cuttings are planted in pots.
c) Division of root tubers. Royal root tubers stored in winter are taken out of storage, sprayed generously or placed in damp sawdust, moss, humus, and allowed to germinate. Then they cut it with a sharp knife so that each section has a part of the root collar with 1-2 buds. The cut parts are sprinkled with coal.
d) Begonia, anemone, and gloxinia are propagated by dividing stem tubers. In the spring, the sprouted tubers are divided into several parts, each division must have at least one bud.
e) Dividing the corms into parts is carried out with a knife. Each part should have a piece of bottom and 1 kidney. Gladiolus, crocus, and montbretia are propagated using this method.
Cuttings are a method of propagation in which, under certain environmental conditions, the missing organs are formed in the cuttings. Stem plants form roots, while leaf plants produce roots and buds. Stem cuttings are woody (winter or summer) - rose, lilac, hydrangea, clematis and herbaceous green in perennial herbaceous flowering plants. Shoots for cuttings are harvested in warm sunny weather in the morning, the cuttings are cut with a sharp knife, 5–7 cm long. The cuts are made oblique: the upper one is above the bud, and the lower one is under the bud; the cutting should have 2–3 buds and the same number of leaves. The bottom sheet is removed, the upper large ones are cut by half or one third. Gloxinia, Uzambara violet, ficus, primrose, gerbera, rudbeckia, and funkia are propagated by leaf cuttings. Leaves with petioles are placed in water or sand, roots appear at the end of the petioles after 2–3 weeks, then a bud develops, and from it the stem of a new plant.
Layers are shoots that take root without being separated from the mother plant. It is enough that the rooted stems are in loose, moist soil. Layering can be horizontal, vertical, arcuate, or air. Roses, clematis, lilacs, hydrangeas, and spirea can be propagated by layering.
Grafting is the transfer of a part of one plant and its artificial merging with another plant similar in species or genus. This method allows you to preserve the decorative and biological characteristics of varieties and forms and is widely used in decorative floriculture when growing roses, lilacs, clematis, camellias, azaleas, cacti, and lemon.
Most flower growers sooner or later are faced with the desire to increase their collection of flowers, which makes them think about possible methods of implementation. Reproduction of indoor plants can be carried out in various ways, which are usually divided into seed and vegetative. However, the choice of the optimal method of reproduction depends on the species and the goals of reproduction.
Reproduction by seeds and spores
In the wild, most new plants arise precisely through seed propagation, which is the key to species diversity. Propagation by seeds is suitable for most indoor flowers and difficulties rarely arise. This method cannot always be called the simplest and most effective, although with its help it is quite possible to obtain a huge number of plants and source material for breeding new varieties.
However, what is good in natural conditions is not always suitable for closed ground. Most houseplants come to windowsills from warmer or humid regions, which means their seeds require special conditions to germinate. Propagation by seeds can be difficult or impossible for several reasons:
- The seeds are too small or even dusty and germinate only in symbiosis with fungi (orchids);
- Seeds quickly lose their viability, and it is not possible to collect fresh material from indoor plants (palm trees, hipperastrum, gardenias, coffee);
- Germination is difficult due to the dense seed coat or the presence of a large number of inhibitory substances. Such seed requires stratification, scarification or other methods of pre-sowing preparation (camellia, myrtle, tea, feijoa, abutilon).
Not all indoor plants produce seeds. Various types of ferns, which are among the oldest representatives of the flora, form spores. They mature in sporangia located on the underside of the fronds (leaves).
This method of reproduction is considered difficult, despite the huge number of spores formed. For their germination it is necessary to create special conditions, but young seedlings will require even more attention.
Methods of vegetative propagation
Most often, vegetative propagation of indoor plants is used in indoor floriculture, because it has a number of advantages over seed:
- All received specimens will be an exact copy of the mother, which is especially important when reproducing varieties;
- Decorative deciduous species grow leaf mass faster, and decorative flowering species form flowers earlier;
- If necessary, they can be used to rejuvenate adult plants that have lost their decorative properties.
One of the simplest methods, which is used for species that grow in breadth and have rhizomes or powerful fibrous roots (cyperus, arrowroot, chlorophytum, saintpaulia, tradescantia, cymbidium, cattleya, dendrobium).
This method of reproduction allows you to obtain an adult specimen that can quickly restore its previous size. Dividing the bush is most often carried out during transplantation. Each division must have roots and several growing points.
Cuttings are the rooting of various parts of a plant. Propagation by cuttings can be carried out using sections of the stem, whole leaves or parts thereof, and peduncles.
Most indoor flowers propagate well from stem cuttings (crassula, tradescantia, ivy, monstera, ficus). Apical cuttings are used to rejuvenate plants with bare stems, and fragments from the middle and lower parts are used for mass propagation.
In some species, a young plant can be obtained from leaves (Sansevieria, Saintpaulia, Peperomia). The Saintpaulia leaf takes root equally well in the form or a special substrate, and Sansevieria can be propagated even by fragments of the leaf.
Particularly noteworthy is the ability of Saintpaulias to reproduce by rooting a peduncle, which is the only way to reproduce chimeras.
Propagation by cuttings allows you to obtain a large number of young plants and at the same time maintain varietal qualities, but the ability to form roots depends on the plant. Some species form roots within a few days in a glass of water, others require greenhouses and bottom heating.
Layerings are used for species in which propagation by cuttings is difficult. To do this, a young one-year-old shoot is pinned to the ground or tied with a bag filled with soil. After rooting, the shoot is separated from the mother specimen. Propagating indoor plants in this way allows you to get a well-formed, strong plant in a short time, without resorting to division.
Reproduction by root suckers
Some palms and dracaenas tend to produce young plants close to the main trunk. The rooted shoots can be separated and planted in a new pot.
Daughter plants (brood buds, tendrils, children)
A number of indoor flowers form different types of daughter plants. Chlorophytum forms long tendrils, at the ends of which young specimens form. In Kalanchoe, miniature daughter plants are formed along the perimeter of the leaves from brood buds. In some types of orchids, babies grow on peduncles or pseudobulbs. In bromeliads (Vriesia, Guzmania, Aechmea), numerous daughter shoots are formed at the base of the central rosette before dying.
Cuttings, layering and other common methods of propagating indoor plants are applicable only to species that have a pronounced stem and rhizome, but are not suitable for tuberous and bulbous plants.
Tuber division is suitable for propagating gloxinias and tuberous begonias. Despite the fact that other methods of propagation are known for these flowers, flower growers resort to dividing the tubers quite often. Propagating indoor plants in this way helps not only to obtain new specimens, but also to rejuvenate old, poorly flowering tubers.
The number of bulbous flowers that are grown at home is small, but they are often found on windowsills. Hipperastrums, hemanthuses, zephyranthes, clivias, and hymenocallis annually delight with lush flowers that grow from the center of the bulb. Reproduction of such plants is carried out by daughter bulbs. In species that have a clearly defined dormant period with the death of leaves, young bulbs are separated during this period. In evergreen species, daughter bulbs are separated during transplantation, which is recommended after flowering.
Most often, daughter bulbs form independently, but the propagation of indoor plants can be hampered by an insufficient number of formed bulbs or their complete absence. In this case, they resort to stimulation using various drugs or cutting the bottom.
Graft
Indoor grafting is most often used for various types of citrus fruits or cacti. This method allows you to preserve varietal characteristics, force it to begin bearing fruit earlier, or “plant” a plant that is too demanding in terms of maintenance conditions on the roots of a more unpretentious one.
Citrus fruits grown from seeds begin to bear fruit 10-15 years or later, and the quality of future fruits cannot be known in advance. Using fruit-bearing varietal lemons, kumquats, oranges and other varieties and species as a scion will allow you to produce the first flowers and fruits within a year.
Test tube plants
Many people know about the existence of plants from test tubes, but it is difficult to call this method simple and accessible. Microcloning can be classified as a vegetative propagation method, but using microscopic pieces of tissue. Microclonal propagation of plants at home is possible, but practically inaccessible. Vegetative propagation of indoor plants using this method requires not only knowledge and skills, but also special growing media and equipment. However, nothing is impossible, and there are a huge number of successful examples of home experiments.
Growing in sterile conditions on nutrient media allows us to solve the problem of orchid seed germination. Under such conditions, there is no need for symbiotic fungi, which supply the microscopic seed with everything it needs, and the seedlings are clearly visible after a few months.
Any of the selected propagation methods allows you to get a new copy of your favorite indoor plant, but good results can only be expected if you choose the optimal method and proper care. Before you begin propagation, it is worth studying the species characteristics of the plant.