Plant Propagation

The process of creating new plants from a variety of sources such as seeds, cuttings, bulbs, and other plant parts is called plant
propagation. It refers to the artificial or natural dispersal of plants.

Methods of Plant Propagation

There are two methods of plant propagation- Sexual and Asexual.

Sexual propagation- is a method of reproducing and multiplying plants using seeds and spores. This is the most common and
economical method of propagating plants. Some of the fruit trees that are propagated with seeds are santol, tamarind, guava,
mango, and jackfruit. However, some plants like fruit-bearing trees that are produced from seeds may not have the same
characteristics as the mother plants.

Asexual propagation – is a method of producing plants by natural or by artificial means without using seeds.

1. Natural method – Plants multiply naturally in different ways as follows.

a. By underground runner – In this method, a single parent plant can grow many new plants in one season.
Example: pineapple and sugarcane
b. By rhizomes or creeping stem ( a thick woody underground stem, also known as creeping stem) I this method, the
individual palnt grows as the older part of the rhizomes dies.
(Examples: ginger family, cattails, other grasses)
c. By stucker ( a stem or shoot from springs) In this method, a single parent plant can grow many new plants on the
lower part of the stem or on the shoots from the roots of the plant.
(Example: Banana)
d. By bulb (a short underground stem with thick fleshy leaves) – In this method, a new plant develops from the bulb.
The fleshy leaves of the bulb contain stored food which supply food for the growing bulb.
(Example: onion)
e. By tuber ( a fleshy portion of the underground stem that has buds) – In this method, new plants grow from the
buds – the eyelike structures on tubers,
(Example: potato)
2. Artificial plant propagation method – Plants are multiplied by cutting, layering, marcotting, grafting, budding, and
inarching
a.) Cutting- This is the simplest and easiest methods. By this, new plants are produced and multiplied. Vegetative
parts such as leaves, stems, and roots are removed from a plant. The lower part of the cut portion is buried in the
soil. A number of plants including the rose are easily propagated by this method. Cuttings may be divided into four
classes.
 Tuber cutting – tubers are thickened portions of either a leaf or stem. In making tuber cuttings, one eye or
bud is left on each piece. (Examples: camote, ube and carrot)
 Root cutting – The roots are cut into pieces and planted horizontally in the soil. When the shoots grow,
they are transferred to the permanent plots. Example: guava, jackfruit, and citrus
 Stem cutting – It is divided into two classes.
 Hardwood cutting - It is made from matured twigs of the plants intended to be produced as in
the case of bougainvillea
 Softwood cutting – It may either be made from young and immature parts of the plants as in
the case of gumamela and San Francisco. The legth of the cuttings should be from 15 – 25
centimeters.

• Leaf cutting – The underside part of the leaves is pinned down on the sand in the propagating bed which
then develops roots. Begonia is an example of plant propagated by leaf cutting. The leaves may also be cut into
small triangular sections, each with a good-sized vein or nerve and then, inserted in the sandy soil-like
softwood cutting.

b.) Layering – This is a method by which a plant grows from the buried portion of the parent plant. This is done by
bending a ranch until it reaches the soil. The part touching the soil is partly covered. As soon as the new plant is
established, it is cut from the parent plant and transferred to e new place. (Example: rose)
c.) Marcotting – In this method, a strip of bark from around the plant is removed. The stripped part is wrapped with
soil and secured with a piece of cloth. When roots start to grow, the branch is cut off and planted in the soil.
Marcotted plants bear fruit much earlier than the trees planted from seeds.
Steps in Marcotting:
1. Remove a ring-like layer around the desired branch.
2. After the bark is completely peeled off, scrape off the slippery lining that covers the branch.
3. Place the moist sawdust around the area where the bark has been peeled off.
4. After placing the rooting medium around the cut area, hold it with coconut husk or a transparent plastic sheet. Tie this
firmly in place.
5. Water the marcotted area for 2-12 weeks.
6. After it has developed a good root system, remove the cover. Separate the branch from the mother plant, and transfer
it in the garden.

d. Grafting – In this method, a cut stem from one plant is inserted into the other plant’s stem so that the grafted stem will
grow there permanently. The cut branch is called scion.

Types of Grafting
1. Whip grafting – it is usually employed when both the scion and the stock
are about the same size or about two years old. Cut scion diagonally from
1- 1 ½ inches according to the size. Make a vertical splice on the scion and
the stock and join the two together by inserting the tongue of the scion
to the cleft of the stock

2. Cleft grafting – This is the most common and easiest method of plant propagation.
The stock, about a pencil size or more, is cut off squarely and a wedge-shaped
scion is inserted in it.

e. Budding – This is a method of transferring the lateral bud to grow the scion to the
stock of the same species. It is used for young plants or small branches. There are two
Common methods of budding operation.

1. Shield or T-budding – It is an easy form of grafting (propagating),

where a bud, rather than shoot, is attached to a rootstock to make a new plant.

2. Patch budding – This method is used for thick-barked trees like

santol, citrus, caimito, rambutan, and others.

f. Inarching – It is a method of propagating plant in which the scion

is made to unite with the rootstock as they grow independently.