Wonder Wednesday 2: Propagation
Propa- what?
Propagation is a big word for making new plants from cuttings of an original plant. Depending on the variety, many plants can be propagated simply in water or a common medium such as perlite or gravel. Propagation is a great way to introduce children to the joys of plant sharing and giving living gifts, as well as ways to grow plants other than by seed.
I recommend varieties like pothos, basil, and mint for this lesson because each are easy to find in garden centers, at garden clubs, or at community garden plant sales and can be propagated in either water or medium.
Seeds are tough!
Sometimes sprouting seeds can be difficult or too time consuming for a project, especially in school gardening. Propagation is a much quicker, and often more successful, way to get plants growing. Although not all plants are easily propagated from cuttings, so many are that you will be growing and sharing herbs, ornamentals, and more in no time! You get a lot of bang for your buck with cutting propagation.
What is "medium" and "rooting hormone"?
First let me say you don't "need" either of these for basic cutting propagation. All the plants I listed will grow roots in water or moist soil without adding special mediums or rooting hormone.
Medium is a basically what you grow the plant cutting in. Medium includes: potting soil, perlite, vermiculite, sand, sphagnum moss, or gravel. It can be fun to experiment and test different techniques/mediums to see which work best for various cuttings. (It boils down to how wet the plant likes its environment.)
Rooting hormone is a plant hormone powder that will help the cutting shoot out strong roots more quickly.
Wonder Wednesday 2 - revisited - Propagation!
Materials
Plastic cups and/or Small pots for each cutting - each child/participant should make 2 cuttings for each variety to ensure one successfully grows for them.
Fresh water
Perlite or other medium such as potting soil
A variety of the plants mentioned above for cuttings including: geranium (rose geranium smells so good!), coleus, begonia, pothos, basil, and mint. The size, health, and quantity of the number of original plants will depend on the number of cuttings you want to make from each plant. (These original plants and the new propagated plants will regenerate and can later be cut re-propagated.)
Scissors
Optional: powdered rooting hormone, large plastic bag, glass bell, or gardening cloche if you live in a very dry environment
Preparation
Discuss with the children/participants that there are 3 ways & strategies plants have to grow and reproduce. Seeds and propagation are the two most common ways plants reproduce. (Spores are the 3rd way - like in ferns, for example.)
Explain that today they will be learning a method of propagation where you actually cut parts off one plant which then grow roots and create a new plant.
Show the original plants they will use to make cuttings. Sensorially explore these plants, observing visual characteristics and/or scents they may have. There are some amazing textured and patterned plants out there that are pretty easy to propagate - like this geranium variety!
Optional:
Draw the plants in a nature journal with written descriptions of their observations.
Research the plants to be propagated.
If exploring growing in both medium and water - Explain how they will be experimenting with propagating these plants in both water and medium to see which roots better/faster.
Procedure
Prepare the cups of water and/or pots of medium for sprouting.
Demonstrate how to make cuttings by cutting each stalk with the scissors about 6 inches long or having approximately 3 leaves and enough stem to immerse in the water or medium.
Each participant should make 2 cuttings of each plant. Use sharp clean scissors to cut and remove the lower leaves.
**If using rooting hormone, dip the cut tip of the stem into a little cup of rooting hormone powder. Follow all instructions and precautions on the bottle. **
Place one cutting stem into a cup of water.
Make a hole with a pencil or finger and place one cutting stem in a pot of medium.
Press the soil or medium around the cuttings so they are secure in the pot. Add a little water.
Set the cuttings to root in a bright window or outdoors in warm weather. If you live somewhere very dry and or cold, and are using medium, place the cutting pots under a plastic bag (or glass bell or garden cloche) to preserve humidity until the plant gets roots.
Check the cups each day for root growth and to be sure the cups do not dry out or water level get below the cuttings stem.
Once the plants have grown a sturdy looking roots a couple inches long, plant them into the small pots with soil and water.
After new growth is witnessed on the potted plants they can be transplanted into larger more decorative pots, out into a garden, or given as gifts.
The rate at which each cutting will sprout new roots will depend on temperature and the particular variety, but generally they should have roots in a couple weeks at most.
Extension
Expand the experiment and use 4 cups for each cutting- 1 for water, 1 for medium, 1 for water + rooting hormone, 1 for medium + rooting hormone.
Go even further and do the same with various mediums too!
Observe and document which grows roots more quickly or vigorously. Then research the plant and discover why.
**Disclaimer - Always follow all manufacturer instructions and warnings on the rooting hormone bottle (as well as various mediums) and remind children/participants that live when using any gardening additive, it is important to wash their hands well after use and not to touch their faces until their hands are washed.
Or
Repot the cuttings into hand painted/decorated terra cotta pots & give these new plants as gifts to keep the plant love going!
Seeds to Sprout
Kitchen Propagation
Have the fever for propagation? Try Kitchen scrap propagation with this Wonder Wednesday 70 Live demonstration video and project!
Herbs in Jars
Try your hand at more easy herb propagation with this Wonder Wednesday 51 Glass Jar Garden project!
More kitchen Gardening!
Put those lost to the back of the pantry potatoes and slippery avocado pits to good gardening use with this easy and fun kitchen Wonder Wednesday 10 propagation lesson!
I love the word propagation. And love propagation too – it's lovely and fills my windows with tiny greenery! 🙂