Propagating
your own plants has significant benefits for the organic grower giving you more
control over their quality and where they are sourced. It is also more cost
effective and rewarding than buying commercially grown plants, especially if
you have saved your own seed. See our article on
Seeds and Seed saving.
You can also divide plants that have outgrown
their space, take cuttings off the tips of plants and pin stems down to do layering, as well as adding bits of one plant onto another in grafting.
Unlike
us, plants have all they need distributed throughout their bodies so can
regenerate from really small bits!
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Seeds can either be sown outside or
undercover in a greenhouse or potting shed. Sowing times will vary depending on
the seed and your climate. Check seed packets and other reference sources.
Experience will help you establish what works for your location.
The benefit of sowing outside is that the plants grow where they are sown so are
not disturbed by being transplanted - essential for root crops like carrots
and parsnips. It is also less work and particularly with larger seeds saves on
potting compost. Non hardy seeds may suffer in the cold if sown too early in the
growing season . They may also be exposed to more pests - young
seedlings being particularly vulnerable to slugs and pigeons.
Sowing
undercover gives you
greater control, allowing you to nurture your seeds in their early stages.
Small seeds such as lettuce are generally sown in
seed trays using
peat free seed
compost. Sieve the compost and mix in some Vermiculite or similar, as drainage
is crucial. As a rule of thumb the size of seed is the depth of planting so small seeds should be scattered on the surface and only lightly dusted with sieved compost. Water
from a tray below to avoid disturbing the seeds, cover to help keep in moisture and put it in a warm place to encourage
germination. This could be a heated propagator or indoors - as light is not
important. Once germination occurs remove the cover and move somewhere warm, with
plenty of daylight. When large enough, prick out seedlings into small pots or module trays. Continue
growing in a greenhouse or similar and once they are large enough, plant out in
their final growing spot.
Moderate sized seeds can be sown directly into module trays
or pots. Sow a number in each cell and either thin them out as they grow or for
some plants, allow a number to grow on together - termed multisown. They will still benefit from heat to aid germination and
so consider starting them off indoors, or use a propagator. Alternatively if
you have the space construct a hot bed.
Big seeds such as beans or squash will need to be
sown into larger pots or modules and it’s a good idea to sow 2 or 3 in each pot
in the hope that at least one will germinate.
Other methods of propagation include:
Division is used to increase perennial plants
and is mostly done in Autumn. Simply cut back the old stems, lift the root
clump with a fork and divide in half. Separate the younger outer shoots and
replant in their new spot. The older and less vigorous centre of the clump can
be composted. The same technique applies to bulbs although these will be easier
to separate.
Layering is a simple method of propagating where
a stem is encouraged to produce roots whilst still attached to its parent
plant. Many plants do this naturally including shrubs, climbers, raspberries
and blackberries. There are two basic methods - simple layering which
involves burying part of a stem, leaving the end exposed to continue growing. The
buried part of the stem should be pegged down and encouraged to root by cutting
or wounding. Tip layering is particularly suitable for briar fruits like
blackberries which will root and sprout again from their tips. In late summer
pull down a stem, peg its tip in a hole and bury it with soil.
Grafting and budding are similar techniques used to propagate
a new plant variety onto another. Typically this is used for fruit trees but is
also suitable for shrubs and other plants. Most often the aim is to combine the
growth and disease resistance characteristics of the rootstock with the
fruiting (or other characteristics) of a specific variety. Grafting uses a stem
from the new variety whereas budding uses a single bud and there are various
ways in which each is encouraged to combine with the host tree.
Cuttings of new growth can be taken from most
plants and these will propagate successfully.
Softwood cuttings are taken in spring/early summer and are suitable
for shrubs and perennials. The fleshy new growth will root easily, and after
trimming, the cuttings are planted in potting compost. However as they are
still in leaf they will rapidly lose moisture unless humidity is maintained by
sealing in a plastic bag or similar.
Semi-ripe
cuttings are taken from late summer into autumn and are suitable for hardy
climbers, herbs, groundcover, shrubs and trees. They include the more mature
stem as well as the soft growing tip and are treated in a similar way to
softwood cuttings although they are less tender.
Hardwood cuttings are taken from autumn through to winter and are
suitable for climbers, shrubs and trees, including fruit bushes. As the cutting
is from the mature stem and dormant it is more robust. It can be planted
outside after trimming where it will develop roots the following spring.
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