Plant Propagation

Overview

Plant propagation is the process of creating new plants from a variety of sources: seeds, cuttings, bulbs and other plant parts. There are several methods of plant propagation used in com-mercial horticulture besides planting seeds. This lesson will introduce the industry skills of plant propagation, such as graft-ing, budding, rooting cuttings, seed scarification, air layering and tissue culture. Students will also research on the internet about several types of plant industries, and gain an appreciation for how economically important they are.

Objectives

Students will:

1. Be introduced to the different methods of plant propagation.
2. Understand the importance of plant propagation in agribusiness.
3. Explore plant propagation techniques through teacher demonstration and hands-on trials.

Duration

Introduction: 30 to 60 minutes

Activity 1: 60 to 90 minutes (depending on how much at-home time)

Activity 2: One to two hours to demonstrate methods (One hour to create a manual and multiple class periods depending on how many propagation methods are attempted).