Vegetative propagation of plants by timing. Vegetative propagation of plants

Methods of vegetative propagation of plants

Vegetative propagation of plants is carried out by various methods: rhizomes, cuttings, mustaches or bulbs. The cutting option is the most common when it comes to house plants.

What does the concept of vegetative reproduction mean?

Vegetative propagation is one of the methods of propagation, which involves growing a new plant using its mother part. The second name for this technique is asexual reproduction. It has a number of advantages, the main of which is the complete preservation of all generic characteristics of the mother plant.

Source: Depositphotos

Vegetative propagation of plants is possible in several ways.

The most popular methods of vegetative propagation:

  • Seeds.
  • The division of the bush.

Scheme 1 Reproduction using air layering. 1 - Maternal branch; 2 - Formation of roots at the site of removal of the bark;
3 - The transplant process itself.

  • Air layers (see diagram 1.) To carry out this type of reproduction, an incision is made on a branch 1.5 cm long. Lubricate the place of removal of the bark with phytohormone. The plastic film is well fixed on the stem of the plant and sphagnum moss or other substrate is poured. Tie the second end of the film and wait for the formation of roots.

  • Vaccination (see diagram 2)

  • Offspring (see diagram 3).

Scheme 4. Reproduction by mustaches or ground stolons contributes to the rapid rooting of a young plant

  • Whiskers or ground stolons (see Diagram 4)
  • Leaves.

Since the simplest method is to divide the bush, let's talk about this method in more detail.

Bush division as a method of vegetative propagation

Scheme 5. The division of the bush is a simple way of vegetative propagation. 1 - main plant; 2 - the process of division of the plant bush.

The division of the bush is the most primitive, simple and cheap method of reproduction. Division is very easy:

  1. Carefully remove the plant from the pot and shake off the potting mix.
  2. Divide the plant into 2 equal parts. Please note that young buds must be present on each of the parts.
  3. Transplant both parts into different pots with pre-prepared soil.

Nothing more is needed for the successful division of the bush. With the right approach to reproduction, both plants will take root well in new pots, and you will only have to regularly care for them.

Vegetative propagation by cuttings-leaves

There is nothing difficult in this breeding technique either. It is suitable for adult healthy plants with developed fleshy leaves. Reproduction is done like this:

  1. Lightly press a healthy, dense leaf into the wet sand.
  2. When the leaf takes root, plant it in the previously prepared soil.
  3. Until the leaf gets stronger, water it with a sprayer twice a day. Cover the cutting with a plastic cup, creating greenhouse conditions.

When the plant becomes noticeably stronger, remove the cup and start caring for it as usual.

Reproduction by cuttings

Most often in nature, plants reproduce precisely by cuttings - when the wind breaks the shoots, the roots remaining in the soil are tied into new young stems. Cutting propagation is carried out as follows:

  1. Separate a branch with several buds from the mother shoot.
  2. Place the sprig in clean water at room temperature.
  3. When adventitious roots form on the branch, transplant it into a plastic cup with a moist substrate.
  4. When the plant gets stronger, transplant it to a permanent place.

Vegetative or asexual reproduction is practiced for both indoor plants and outdoor trees, flowers, and shrubs. This is a universal technique that allows you to experiment with the characteristics of varieties, create hybrid varieties or breed new plants previously unknown to science. It is also the safest breeding option - the risk of accidentally harming the plant is minimal.

With vegetative reproduction, an increase in the number of individuals occurs as a result of one or another division of the body of one parent organism. Thus, vegetative reproduction is one of the types of asexual reproduction, when the daughter organism is an exact genetic copy of the mother.

In the case of angiosperms, vegetative reproduction is carried out by shoots, roots and leaves, i.e., vegetative organs. Most often, reproduction occurs precisely by shoots.

In angiosperms herbaceous plants vegetative propagation is often carried out by underground shoots (rhizomes, bulbs, tubers). These organs serve not only to accumulate a supply of nutrients for the development of green parts of plants in the next growing season. They can also be considered as organs of vegetative reproduction.

The buds of underground shoots give rise to above-ground green shoots. Such new shoots may be separated from the parent plant, i.e. give rise to a new plant.

So plants with underground rhizomes are very tenacious. If the parent plant is pulled out, new green shoots will develop from the buds of the rhizome residues in the soil.

In the bulbs from the kidneys, baby bulbs are often formed. Separated from each other, each of them gives rise to a new plant.

The tubers also have buds (eyes), which, under favorable conditions, germinate and develop into a separate plant. If a potato tuber is cut into several parts, each of which will contain eyes, then several separate plants can be obtained.

Also, many angiosperms plants are able to reproduce vegetatively by above-ground shoots. For example, strawberries form mustaches, which are creeping green stems. In their nodes, shoots with leaves and adventitious roots develop. Each such child shoot can be separated from the parent plant.

Woody plants can reproduce vegetatively by rooting above-ground shoots, usually twigs. Branches pressed to the ground can take root and develop into a separate bush or tree.

A number of angiospermscan be propagated by root cuttings or root offspring. The root cutting is a separated part of the root with adnexal buds. Shoots develop from these buds, which then take root. Reproduction by root cuttings is typical for dandelion, raspberry, wild rose, etc.

However, in the same raspberries, reproduction by root offspring is more common. Offspring from cuttings differ in that they are not separated from the parent plant. The root offspring creeps into the surface layers of the soil. Adventitious buds grow on it, which give rise to above-ground shoots, each of which can be separated from the parent plant. It is the root offspring that give dense young shoots near trees or stumps.

Some angiosperms can propagate vegetatively from leaf cuttings. Once in favorable conditions, the separated leaf can take adventitious roots, adventitious buds also develop on it, from which shoots grow.

Vegetative propagation of plants is widespread not only in nature. Man actively uses this ability of plants in agriculture. Vegetative reproduction allows you to get a crop faster, preserve valuable traits of the variety. In agriculture, the following types of vegetative propagation are used: stem cuttings, layering, rhizomes, bulbs, tubers, grafting, etc.

Vegetative propagation It is a method of reproduction of plants as a result of the development of roots, stems and leaves. Angiosperms, or flowering plants, reproduce both sexually and vegetatively. Vegetative reproduction of flowering plants is widespread in nature, but even more often it is used by humans in the reproduction of agricultural and ornamental plants.

Vegetative propagation of plants by shoots

Reproduction by cuttings

Most plants reproduce vegetatively. cuttings. When the wind breaks the plant, the roots remaining in the soil give adventitious roots and take root. So poplar, willow, or another plant grows in a new place.

The ability of many plants to easily form adventitious roots on shoots is widely used in horticulture and floriculture. stem cuttings(a piece of shoot with several buds) propagate currants, roses, poplars, willows and many other trees and shrubs. To do this, in the spring, before bud break, annual lignified cuttings 25-30 cm long are planted in well-prepared soil. By autumn, adventitious roots will grow on the cuttings. Then the cuttings are dug up and planted in a permanent place. Stem cuttings are also used to propagate perennial ornamental plants, such as phlox, many indoor plants: balsam, coleus, pelargonium, etc.

In agriculture, plants are used to propagate root cuttings. The root cutting is a segment of the root 15-25 cm long.

Root cuttings propagate only those plants in which adnexal buds can form on the roots.

On a root cutting planted in the soil, adventitious shoots develop from adventitious buds, from the bases of which adventitious roots grow. A new, independently existing plant develops. Root cuttings propagate garden raspberries, rose hips, some varieties of apple trees and ornamental plants.

Reproduction by layering

Potato tuber ( Solanum tuberosum) with young lateral shoots developing from axillary buds.

There are different ways to propagate plants layering. The easiest way is to bend the young shoot so that its middle part touches the ground, and the top is pointing up. Then cut the bark on the lower part of the shoot under the kidney. In the place of the incision, attach the shoot to the soil, water and spud. The top of the shoot should stand vertically, for this you can stick a stick into the ground and tie the shoot to it. In autumn, adventitious roots grow at the incision site. Now the shoot should be cut off from the bush and planted in a separate place.

Reproduction by tubers

Plants can be propagated tubers. To grow potatoes, it is enough to plant one tuber (preferably weighing about 80 grams) in the soil in the spring, and in the fall, a dozen new tubers can be harvested from each tuber. Eyebuds, sprouts and tops are also suitable for propagation, and this is also considered vegetative propagation by shoots. To propagate potatoes with eyes, you need to cut out the kidneys with a small part of the pulp of the tuber and plant it in a box with fertile soil. Sprouts will develop from the buds, adventitious roots will grow in their lower parts. This is a seedling that can be planted in the field. In a similar way, tubers can be propagated by the tops, that is, the upper parts of the tubers where the buds are located.

To get sprouts, tubers should be germinated in the light. Break off the grown sprouts. Long ones must be cut into several parts - cuttings - so that each has a kidney. Then planted in boxes or greenhouses. After the cuttings take root, they should be transplanted to a permanent place.

Kidney grafting: 1 - the scion bud is removed along with the underlying tissues; 2-4 - the kidney is inserted into the T-shaped incision on the stem of the rootstock and is fixed there, 5 - the kidney forms an escape

Reproduction by vaccinations

Vaccinations commonly propagated by fruit trees. To do this, the stalk (or bud-eye) of a cultivated plant must be fused with the wild stem. Wildflower is a young plant grown from the seed of a fruit tree. The root system of a wild game has more power, unpretentiousness to the soil, frost resistance and some other qualities that the grafted cultivated plant does not have. A grafted eye or cutting of a cultivated plant is called scion, and the wild (to which they are grafted) - rootstock.

It is done like this. An annual shoot is cut from a cultivated fruit tree. Leaves should be removed from it, leaving only petioles. This is a wild-rootstock. At its base with a sharp knife, an incision in the form of the letter T should be made. In the incision, the bark of the game must be separated from the wood. Now we need a graft. A well-developed bud with a thin layer of wood 2–2.5 cm long should be cut from the shoot of a cultivated variety. The bud of the scion should be inserted under the wild bark into an incision. The vaccination site should be tightly tied. The kidney itself should remain free from the strapping.

Most indoor plants reproduce successfully vegetatively. Vegetative propagation of plants can be performed at any time of the year. It is based on the ability to form new stems and root system from all parts of the plant.

The advantage of vegetative propagation over other methods is that the purity of the variety bred by breeders over the years is maintained. It is possible to transfer the color and shape of the flower, doubleness, appearance and color of the leaves to the new plant. Plants grown in this way take root well and bloom earlier.

Flower growers use the aerial part (cuttings, leaves, mustaches, layering), the root (bush and offspring) and the underground part in a modified form (bulbs and tubers) for vegetative cultivation of plants. Depending on the part used, vegetative propagation is performed by different methods.

Vegetative propagation is of the following types:

  • Cutting stems and leaves
  • Rooting cuttings
  • Reproduction with whiskers
  • bulbous propagation
  • Reproduction by offspring

Stem cuttings

The stem cutting or the upper part of the stem is taken from a healthy bush to be propagated. In the presence of a thin bark, the stiffened part is used. Cuttings with juicy leaves dry a little. Cuttings of plants with milky juice are lowered into warm water until the sap flow stops.

It is enough to use a stem with 2-3 leaves 10-15 cm long. It is cut with a sharp knife, placing the blade at 45 °, retreating 1 cm up from the leaf axil. The lower leaves are removed. The cut is treated with charcoal. For rooting use water or a light soil mixture. It is prepared from equal parts of sand and peat.

When rooted in water, roots form quickly. However, the roots are very tender and do not take root well in the soil. After planting in the ground, the cuttings often die.

How to root in the soil substrate:

  1. A dark-colored container with a drainage hole should be filled with a layer of expanded clay. Pour a light potting mix on top.
  2. Moisten the mixture and place the cutting, deepening it by 2 cm
  3. When rooting several shoots, they are placed at a distance of 6 cm
  4. Compact the ground to eliminate air pockets
  5. Top with a transparent bag with a small hole for ventilation
  6. Set up in a warm, lit area
  7. The shoot needs regular airing, watering and spraying

It will take from several days to 2-4 weeks for the formation of roots. After rooting, a young plant with a clod of earth is planted in a separate pot.

Stem cuttings are effectively used in the propagation of ficuses, balsams, dwarf chrysanthemums, geraniums, tradescantia, philodendrons and other plant species.

Leaf cuttings

Leaf cuttings are suitable for plants that can take root in this way. For example, Kalanchoe, Begonia, Violet, Ceperomia, Crassula, Streptocarpus.

You need to take a healthy leaf of a plant with a cutting 3-5 cm. The cut on the cutting is placed at an angle. It is placed in a glass of water to a shallow depth of 4 cm. The root formation period will take about 2 weeks. After the roots appear, the shoot is transplanted into a prepared pot with soil mixture.


In addition to water, a light substrate or sphagnum moss is used for rooting. The technology in this case is similar to stem cuttings. The edge of the leaf should be above the ground and not in contact with it. Vegetative stimulants for rooting leaves are not recommended.

Plants with large leaves can be divided into parts and rooted. For example, begonia, aloe, sansivieria or streptocarpus. Select pieces with pronounced veins. The end is not used. Pieces of the sheet are laid vertically on a moist, loose substrate (sand can be used) and covered with a film to create a greenhouse effect. During leaf propagation, the pot is in a warm, lit place.

Division of a plant bush

Certain types of stemless plants with a strong root system successfully reproduce by dividing the bush. They quickly grow in width and are seated during spring transplantation.

How to perform division:

  • The plant should be removed from the pot and cleaned from the ground
  • Using a sharp knife, divide into several parts, preserving 1-2 growth points and an active root system in each

You can not tear, only cut!

  1. Treat slices with charcoal powder
  2. Plant parts in separate pots with a suitable substrate composition.
  3. In the first month after planting, the plant requires regular watering.

Indoor ferns, arrowroot, chlorophytum, aspedistra, cyperus, and others are suitable for dividing the bush.


During vegetative propagation of gloxinia, tuberous begonia species, tuber division is used.

An adult tuber is cut into pieces, each should have a kidney that will give a young sprout. An open cut is treated with a fungicide or fine charcoal. For a couple of days, the delenki are dried in a warm place. Landing is carried out in a wet peat-sand mixture.


On the adventitious roots of the main bush, lateral processes are formed that appear next to the main plant. This is an independent small plant, ready for planting.

In this way, succulents and cacti, aloe, echmea, vriesia, gusmania, clivia reproduce.

Young shoots are separated or cut with a thin blade, without touching the mother bush. Planted in small pots with soil. Before rooting, they are covered with a film or a jar and shaded in the first days.


Rooting cuttings

The method is ideal for propagating ampelous or climbing flowers with long shoots: hoya, tradescantia, ivy, cissus, philodendron.

The essence of the method is that the stem does not need to be separated from the uterus. It is better to use annual shoots, and rooting in the spring. For a guaranteed result, several stems are rooted at once.


A flexible shoot of sufficient length is pressed into the ground and fixed with a paper clip or wire. A small pot is placed at a convenient distance from the donor plant and regularly moisten the soil.

Rooting will take a lot of time, then to speed up the process, the stem is slightly incised in the right place.

The viability of the stem is maintained by its connection with the mother plant. After the formation of the roots, the stem is separated, and the new flower is transplanted into a full-fledged pot.

Reproduction with whiskers

Certain types of indoor plants form a mustache, with the help of which they successfully reproduce. In this vegetative way, the weaving saxifrage, nephrolepis, tolmia, crested chlorophytum reproduce. For rooting, you should do the same as when rooting layering. A small pot with light soil is placed next to the main plant and a mustache branch is added dropwise, fixed with a hairpin. After rooting, they are separated and placed in a separate pot.

bulbous propagation

Small baby bulbs grow near the adult bulb. They are planted in a separate pot to form a new flower. Bulbs are separated when transplanting the mother bush.

The method is suitable for clivia, room lily, krinum, amaryllis, hippeastrum.

Reproduction by offspring

Micro-plants with aerial roots grow on certain types of plants such as bryophyllum. Offspring are formed on the edges of the leaves or the central stem, like succulents.

They are carefully separated and planted in the soil.

See also video