The Plant Propagator's Bible - Direct

by Quarto Publishing with Miranda Smith

• ISBN13: 9781594864490
• ISBN10: 1594864497
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2007-02-06
• Publisher: RODALE PRESS

Summary

The Plant Propagator's Bible Discover the easy way to propagate any plant that grows in your garden. This comprehensive guide describes techniques for creating a wide range of new plants from seed, from cuttings, by division, by layering, and by grafting. It explains the natural processes and conditions that stimulate plants to grow and reproduce and shows gardeners how to multiply plants successfully. Each method is demonstrated for different types of plants using step-by-step illustrations and photographs, with advice on creating the perfect growing conditions for your new plants, Includes information on the best tools and equipment to use as well as troubleshooting strategies in "What Can Go Wrong" features, An A to Z directory of species provides appropriate techniques for propagating aquatics, ornamental plants, houseplants, shrubs, trees, vegetables, and wildflowers. Book jacket.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 6
How to Use This Book	p. 8
Tools and Techniques	p. 10
The Propagator's Tool Kit	p. 12
Hand tools	p. 13
Equipment and supplies	p. 14
Soil mixes	p. 16
Propagation equipment	p. 18
Starting From Seed	p. 20
Seed characteristics	p. 21
Flowers and seeds	p. 22
Starting seeds	p. 24
Leaching	p. 26
Soaking	p. 28
Scarification	p. 30
Stratification	p. 32
Light	p. 34
Dark	p. 35
Relative humidity	p. 36
Temperatures	p. 38
Carbon dioxide (CO[subscript 2]) levels	p. 39
Life cycles and growth / characteristics	p. 40
Saving seeds	p. 42
Pollination	p. 44
Harvesting and cleaning	p. 46
Storing saved seeds	p. 48
Treating seeds to prevent disease	p. 50
Working with hybrids	p. 52
Dividing Established Plants	p. 54
Good digging	p. 55
Dividing plants with fibrous root systems	p. 56
Dividing plants with fleshy or woody crowns	p. 58
Dividing suckers	p. 60
Dividing plants with rhizomes	p. 62
Dividing plants with tubers	p. 64
Dividing plants with offsets	p. 66
Dividing plants with bulbs and corms	p. 68
Scoring, sectioning, scooping, and coring bulbs	p. 70
Scaling lily bulbs	p. 72
Cuttings	p. 74
Types of cuttings	p. 75
Greenwood cuttings	p. 76
Softwood cuttings	p. 78
Semiripe cuttings	p. 80
Hardwood cuttings	p. 82
Conifer cuttings	p. 84
Cane cuttings	p. 86
Leaf petiole cuttings	p. 88
Leaf vein cuttings	p. 90
Upright leaf cuttings	p. 92
Monocot leaf cuttings	p. 94
Root cuttings	p. 96
Layering	p. 98
Tip layering	p. 100
Simple and serpentine layering	p. 102
Air layering	p. 104
Stooling or mound layering	p. 106
French layering	p. 108
Dropping	p. 110
Grafting	p. 112
Grafting with rootstocks	p. 114
Whip-and-tongue grafting	p. 116
Apical-wedge grafting and saddle grafting	p. 118
Side-wedge grafting	p. 120
Approach grafting	p. 122
Four-flap grafting	p. 124
Side-veneer grafting	p. 126
T-budding	p. 128
Chip budding	p. 130
Grafting a cactus	p. 132
Plant Directory	p. 134
Glossary	p. 180
Hardiness Zones	p. 183
Plant List	p. 184
Index	p. 189
Credits	p. 192
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