PLANT
PROPAGATION
Student Learning Objectives. Instruction in this lesson should result
in students achieving the following objectives:
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1 Define plant propagation.
2 Describe seed germination and the proper
conditions for it.
3 Describe three types of plant cuttings.
OBJECTIVE 1: Define plant propagation.
The horticulture industry relies on plant
propagation to produce the plants they
need.
Plant propagation- the reproduction of new
plants from seeds and vegetative parts like
leaves, stems, or roots
OBJECTIVE 1 continued
Plant propagation allows producers
to:
 create more plants from old ones
 keep a plant variety going
OBJECTIVE 2: Describe seed germination and
the proper conditions for it.
Plants can also be grown from seeds.
 Some plants grow best when they are
started from seeds.
Dormant- a resting state. This describes the
seed before it grows into a plant
Germination- the process
by which a seed starts to
grow.
How it works
 Begins with the
breaking of the seed
coat and the growth of
a root into the soil.
 Complete when the stem
& leaves have emerged
from the ground. The
plant can then support
itself.
OBJECTIVE 2 continued
Seeds are designed to wait for favorable
conditions to begin growth.
 When the water, oxygen, temperature,
and light requirements are met, the seed
should begin to grow.
 Not all seeds need the same amount of
each condition..
OBJECTIVE 3: Describe three types of plant cuttings.
Plants can be reproduced by cuttings.
Plant cutting- a part of an existing plant that is
used to make new plants.
 Usually taken from a stem, leaf, or root.
 Sometimes a cutting is dipped in a growth
hormone to help it begin to root.
Stem cuttings
 taken by removing a section of
a stem with at least two nodes
from an existing plant.
Node- place on the stem where a
leaf begins
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The stem can then be planted
in the soil.
Ficus and geranium plants can
be started from stem cuttings.
Leaf cuttings
 taken by removing a
leaf from an existing
plant and cutting it into
smaller sections.
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The sections are then
planted in the soil.
African violets and
begonias can be
started from leaf
cuttings.
Root cuttings
 taken by removing a section
of the root of the existing
plant and cutting it into
three or four sections.
 The sections are then
planted in the soil. Root
cuttings are not as common
as stem and leaf cuttings.
 Examples: Carrot and
blackberry plants can be
started from root cuttings.