Propagating Plants for Spring Festival 2019

The Propagation Guild members are working hard to produce large numbers of plants for this years plant sale at the Spring Festival 2019.

Here is a peek behind the scenes of the propagators plant nurseries.

The beautiful plants at the plant sale all start out as a baby plant, conceived in one of the following ways:

  • grown from seeds collected from a mother plant
  • grown from pups of plants, growing at the base, or even on the leaves of the mother plant.
  • cuttings in the form of leaves, stems or branches cut off a plant
  • divisions of plant clumps.
  • underground plant parts cut into smaller sections; rhizomes, bulbs, roots, etc.
  • layering: bending a twig to the ground and securing it there with a staple until it grows new roots.

Here are some examples of the listed propagation techniques:

Cassia seed pods and seeds

Cassia seed pods and seeds

Aloe vera with pups

Aloe vera with pups

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seeds are planted in soil in pots or in the ground. Pups growing from a mother plant often have roots and can be cut loose and planted in pots.

Mother of Thousands with pups growing on the leaves

Mother of Thousands with pups growing on the leaves

Dracena Kiwi stem cuttings

Dracena Kiwi stem cuttings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pups growing on leaves will get roots before or after they fall off the mother plant. In either case they can be planted in soil. Stem cuttings can be put in a jar of water and grow roots and then be planted. Cuttings can also be planted right away in soil, where they will root with or without growing hormone powder.

Snake plant leaf cuttings

Snake plant leaf cuttings

Oregano division

Oregano division

 

Like their stem cutting colleagues Leaf cuttings can root in water or in soil. Crawling plants, such as ground covers make roots as they crawl over the earth. These plant mats, such as grass, can be cut into small patches and potted.

Iris rhizomes

Iris rhizomes

Ligustrum layering

Ligustrum layering

 

Plants spreading underground via rhizomes (iris, bamboo, ginger) and tubers (dahlia) can be propagated by cutting the underground portion in small pieces. Shrubs with their branches close to the ground can be multiplied by bending and fixing a twig to the ground at which point the twig will develop roots. After a few month the twig can be cut loose before entering in the ground and can be transplanted elsewhere.

Plant Production in Progress

Cuttings and Seedlings

Cuttings and Seedlings

Glass jars on the left and in the back contain cuttings that grow roots in water. After roots have grown 1 or 2 inches the cuttings are planted in soil. The colorful Coleus cuttings in the center also sit in water where they easily shoot roots.

Black pots contain multiple little plants that are grown from seed.

 

mixture of Seed and Leaf propagation

mixture of Seed and Leaf propagation

 

Leaf propagation of Cactus, Kalanchoe and Snake plant.

Multiple pots with germinating seeds

Seedlings planted in single pots

Seedlings planted in single pots

 

 

 

 

Seeds are planted in medium to large size pots. After germination the little plants  stay in their birth pot until 2 inches tall. Then they are individually planted in small pots.

 

 

Developed plants are transferred to bigger pots

Developed plants are transferred to bigger pots

 

When seedlings or cuttings outgrow their first pot, they are transplanted in larger pots where the root ball and plant can develop further.

Until now they have been nurtured in a protective environment, shielded from cold and wind.

 

Developing plants outside on a patio

Developing plants outside on a patio

 

 

 

When they get bigger and stronger, they move to the outside and grow further until ready for the sale.

 

 

 

more plants on the patio

more plants on the patio

and more.... and then there are even more

and more…. and then there are even more….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Based on the described techniques and processes many hundreds of plants are being produced by the Propagation Guild members. We all look forward to a great harvest and a record revenue for the Garden Club at the Spring Festival on April 13, 2019.

Article by Marinus Grootenboer
Photography by Marinus Grootenboer

 

This entry was posted in Events, Fundraiser, Garden Club, Member Articles, Propagation Guild. Bookmark the permalink.

8 Responses to Propagating Plants for Spring Festival 2019

  1. Janet Correia says:

    Great information Marinus. You are a great propagation guild member. I always like getting a tour of your production.

  2. Jane Villa-Lobos says:

    Great job, Marinus. Thanks for explaining all this to everyone. It is quite a long process from seeds or cuttings to have mature and rooted plants to sell. All PG members are doing a great job in providing plants for the Spring Festival.

  3. Nancy iandoli says:

    That is wonderful news to have and save! I did not know what a great talent you have for plants! Your article is awesome and with all the pictures and identifiers of the plants we can all benefit from your article to help us novice members!
    Great job Marinus…..I wish you were on my Committee of one. You are an awesome writer. Thank you so much!

  4. Tom McKean says:

    Marinus, thank you for this terrific article. Very educational and interesting. Thank you for this and all you do for the Propagation Guild and our Garden Club.

  5. Judith Davies says:

    Such an interesting and educational article, Marinus…Judith

  6. Cindy Balazik says:

    Marinus, what a wonderful article! You should send in to a
    gardening magazine! Very well written. Such talent!🎍

  7. Lucy says:

    Thanks for a really great article for propagating plants. I will make a copy for my garden club book.

  8. Melanie Bolling says:

    Very informative. It’s wonderful learning growing technics. Thank you fellow gardeners for sharing your plant knowledge with us, Look forward to learning much more.

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