Asexual propagation in plants is when you create {genetically identical} daughter plants using the vegetative parts of the plant (stems, leaves, roots) instead of the reproductive parts. It's growing a plant without a little seed. And one of the most popular (& successful) ways to do this is through stem cuttings.
Some benefits of stem cuttings are:
- Utilize plants you already have & love to create more.
- Get genetically identical plants to the parent plant you choose, so you know what to expect & can avoid disease or unfavorable traits.
- Skip the juvenile stages of plant growth & get a more mature daughter plant from the start.
Winter can be an especially good time to take stem cuttings, but you'll have to make sure they're protected from the weather. I built a miniature hoop house using a plastic tray, wire, and plastic to house my plants. You can build something even simpler, like putting a plastic bag over a flower pot or re-using soda bottles. The important thing is to create a warm, humid environment for the stem cuttings to take root. Make sure you make it easy to open up your closed, warm system every so often to allow ventilation & prevent your plants from getting any fungal diseases. You can see below that I'm using clothes pins to hold the plastic on the sides, so that I can undo them and let the flaps open for an hour or two a day to prevent poor ventilation.
Another essential to stem cuttings is using rooting hormone. Auxin is the hormone that enables plants to form adventitious roots. You can find rooting hormone at your local hardware store, usually in a powder form. Be sure to dip your cutting into the rooting hormone before placing it into your medium.
It's important that you choose a sterile medium that has good drainage. I recommend a 1:1 ratio of peat moss & perlite, based on what I've learned so far in my classes at NC State. Don't just go grabbing soil from the backyard, as this increases the chance for disease and, depending on the type of soil in your yard, may not give you optimal drainage that is determined by particle size.
Take cuttings 3-6" in length and minimize the amount of leaf area by removing the lower leaves and cutting some of the larger leaves in half. You want the plant to be photosynthesizing / respirating, but you don't want all the plant's energy being used up in the shoots of the plant. The important thing for these cuttings is that they use their energy to form roots. For this same reason, remove any flowers from the cutting, as these will suck up lots of energy.
Reference your local co-op resources for choosing the type of plant and timing for taking the stem cutting. And, of course, utilize literature from NC State's & Clemson's horticulture departments if you're a Carolina native. They are simply the best resources in our region.
Below you can see that I took stem cuttings of a Knock Out Rose and Jade plant. The jade plant I have is a cutting from my great-grandmother's original plant. I'm hoping to have a few successful cuttings that I can give to my mom, sister, aunt & cousin as a small, living family heirloom.
I'll keep you posted on how they turn out. Let me know any questions & reference this link below if you're interested in taking some stem cuttings at home. It's a great winter project to bring a little life indoors, and especially a fun activity for kids.
NC State Co-op Extension: Stem Cuttings
Plants are sexy.
