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Creating
New Plant Life
In the beginning, there
was nothing. And gardeners looked at this and said, "Well,
that's drab . . . let's grow something!" Before we can begin
worrying about mulching and pests, we've got to figure out how to
get the plants going, and this is where propagation comes in.
There are two general
categories: sexual and asexual. Sexual refers to the starting of
plants from seeds; asexual refers to other methods, such as taking
cuttings, layering, or grafting.
There are advantages
and disadvantages to each method. Seeds are cheap and easy, but
they take a while and you can never really be sure what quality
you'll get. Cuttings and layering will give you an exact copy of
the "mother" and takes less time, but you're confined
to plants you already have access to. Grafting gives you exact control
over quality but is difficult to do.
The soil, light, and
moisture requirements vary somewhat for each method, and substances
such as rooting hormone (available at gardening centers) can help
greatly in the production of roots. Review each method to see which
one is right for you and your plants.
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