Propagating Plants 101

Propagating Plants: Making More of What You Already Have affection Gardening has got to be the greatest hobby in the entire world. There is no other pastime where you can take the object of your affection and admiration, the very thing that makes your hobby possible, the plant, and increase its numbers as you see fit at little or no additional charge! If you plant a golf ball, no matter how hard you try, it will never grow another golf ball. If you cut off a piece of a golf club, it will never regenerate into a whole golf club. You cannot divide a golf club and expect that it will ever be a functional golf club again. The same holds true for all of the necessary equipment for most other hobbies. To be able to make one plant into many plants is one of the most enjoyable parts of being a gardener, not to mention one of the most cost effective. Propagating successfully will also make you very popular among your gardening friends! There are basically two types of propagation. Asexual propagation refers to multiplying the number of plants by using parts of the plant such as leaves, stems, and roots to regenerate into a new plant. Sexual propagation is the union of pollen (male) and egg (female) to produce a seed. Over the next Seven Days we will discuss the various ways you can "fool around" with Plant Propagation - so check back each day.