A plant propagator, whether a home gardener or a professional working in a plant nursery or greenhouse, is someone who directs the reproduction of plants. Plants are propagated most easily through sexual reproduction, which involves sowing seeds or spores. Most plant propagators, on the other hand, prefer to use asexual reproductive methods to multiply plant populations. Asexual plant reproduction can be accomplished in a variety of ways, and it is up to the plant propagator to determine which method is best for which plant type. Taking stem, root, or leaf cuttings, using plant storage organs like bulbs or tubers, and air or ground layering are some of the most common asexual plant reproduction methods.
Cutting, also known as cloning or striking, is the process of taking a small piece of a parent plant and allowing it to take root and grow into a new, separate plant. Woody shrubs and trees are commonly used for stem cuttings. A softwood stem cutting comes from a branch that is still green and hasn’t fully hardened, whereas a hardwood stem cutting comes from a fully developed branch. Leaf cuttings from herbaceous plants, such as leafy houseplants, are usually taken by removing a leaf with its stem intact and allowing the leaf to sprout a new plant. Cuttings taken from the roots are typically obtained from dormant plants.
Plant propagators may use plant storage organs such as bulbs, rhizomes, corms, or tubers to store water or energy for the plant. Only plants with these storage organs can be propagated using this method. Bulblets are small pieces taken from a parent bulb in the case of bulbs. After that, the bulblets are planted in soil and allowed to grow for two or three years.
Layering is another method a plant propagator might use to multiply plant populations. Ground layering is a technique for bending a branch, vine, or protruding root so that it touches the ground. It is most commonly used on woody plants or vines. The branch is planted in the ground, where it takes root and grows into its own plant. With ornamental woody plants like holly, roses, or gardenias, air layering works well. It entails cutting an upper branch to promote root growth, using materials like moss and plastic film to separate the wounded plant part from the parent plant, and then cutting the new plant with its root system free of the parent plant.