If you’ve ever eaten raspberries or apples, or seen white tufts of dandelions on the lawn, you’ve seen seeds. Both the raspberry and apple have lots of little brown, hard seeds inside. Those little white tufts that are so fun to blow off the dandelion head are seeds, too.
Seeds are a very important part of a plant’s life, because producing seeds is one way they reproduce (that is, make more new plants): usually if you put plant seeds into some good soil and water them regularly, another plant like the one the seeds came from will begin to grow.
While nearly all plants can reproduce by producing seeds, many can also reproduce themselves in another way, through vegetative propagation (VEG-eh-tay-tive prop-uh-GAY-shun). This is when the plant uses a part of its body, like a stem or a root, to produce a whole new plant! Just think, this would be like a whole new you appearing by growing out of your leg!
While nearly all plants can reproduce by producing seeds, many can also reproduce themselves in another way, through vegetative propagation (VEG-eh-tay-tive prop-uh-GAY-shun). This is when the plant uses a part of its body, like a stem or a root, to produce a whole new plant! Just think, this would be like a whole new you appearing by growing out of your leg!
There are several different ways a plant might naturally do this:
Runners and Stolons: Stems that grow along the top of the ground, or just under the soil. As they grow away from the original plant, a new plant will form at the end of this stem, or from nodes which appear in the middle of the stem. Strawberries and spider plants are both plants which use stolons to reproduce.
Runners and Stolons: Stems that grow along the top of the ground, or just under the soil. As they grow away from the original plant, a new plant will form at the end of this stem, or from nodes which appear in the middle of the stem. Strawberries and spider plants are both plants which use stolons to reproduce.
Rhizomes: Root-like stems which grow mostly underground away from the original plant. New plants form from nodes on this stem as it grows. Ginger is an example of a plant that reproduces using rhizomes.
Tubers: Fleshy roots or stems which also act as food storage for the plant. New plants are formed from buds or eyes on the tuber. Potatoes, including sweet potatoes, are a good example of a plant that reproduces using tubers. Interestingly, potatoes also use stolons, at the ends of which are the new tubers.
Corms: Swollen underground plant stems that also serve as food storage for the plant. New corms, or cormels, form at the end of short stolons to replace the original corm as its food stores are depleted by the plant. Gladiolus is an example of a plant that grows from corms.
Bulbs: Underground vertical shoots with thick leaves that are used as food storage for the plant. Generally a single plant will grow from a bulb each year, using the food stores during the life of the plant. As the plant matures, food stores are again built up and stored in the bulb for another plant to grow from it the next year. Onions are examples of plants that grow from bulbs.
Besides these natural ways the plant might reproduce without seeds, humans can get some plants to reproduce this way by using a few easy techniques:
Cuttings: A part of the plant cut off the parent plant, and placed in fresh soil, sometimes with extra additives that help promote growth. Usually the cutting has leaves attached. New roots and leaves will begin to grow from the cutting, forming a new plant.
Cuttings: A part of the plant cut off the parent plant, and placed in fresh soil, sometimes with extra additives that help promote growth. Usually the cutting has leaves attached. New roots and leaves will begin to grow from the cutting, forming a new plant.
Division: A mature plant (usually from a bulb or a rhizome) is divided into multiple parts. The root and crown (at the base of the plant, but still above ground) are kept intact for each divided part.
Probably the most familiar plant that reproduces vegetatively is the potato—you probably have some in your kitchen right now (or if not, you can find them in any grocery store). As mentioned above, a potato is a tuber, a fleshy stem that stores food for the plant (and for people when we eat them!), and can also sprout to form a new plant.
Take a close look at a potato. You will see small, bud-like indentations all over the outside. These are called “eyes”, and are the places where new potato plants will sprout. In fact, if you leave a potato in your cupboard long enough, it will start to sprout without any help! At this point the potato is not good to eat, but you could plant it in your garden and get new a potato plant!
Take a close look at a potato. You will see small, bud-like indentations all over the outside. These are called “eyes”, and are the places where new potato plants will sprout. In fact, if you leave a potato in your cupboard long enough, it will start to sprout without any help! At this point the potato is not good to eat, but you could plant it in your garden and get new a potato plant!
TRY SPROUTING YOUR OWN POTATO PLANT!
NOTE: This experiment will take at least a few days, but it gets better if you allow one month!
Here’s what you’ll need:
1. One fresh potato that has not sprouted yet
2. One drinking glass or a glass jar wide enough to fit your potato inside
3. Four toothpicks
4. Enough water to fill your glass about two-thirds full
5. A journal to record your observations
Here’s what to do:
1. Push the four toothpicks into the potato around the middle. About half of each toothpick should still be sticking out of the potato.
NOTE: This experiment will take at least a few days, but it gets better if you allow one month!
Here’s what you’ll need:
1. One fresh potato that has not sprouted yet
2. One drinking glass or a glass jar wide enough to fit your potato inside
3. Four toothpicks
4. Enough water to fill your glass about two-thirds full
5. A journal to record your observations
Here’s what to do:
1. Push the four toothpicks into the potato around the middle. About half of each toothpick should still be sticking out of the potato.
2. Lower the potato into the drinking glass or jar that is two-thirds full of water. The tip of the potato should be submerged in the water, and the toothpicks resting on the mouth of the jar.
3. Place the jar in a sunny spot, like a window sill.
4. Watch the potato jar closely; add water if it becomes too low for the potato to reach, and dump the water out if it gets cloudy and add fresh water.
5. After a few days to a week you will see roots forming in the water! In your journal, write down how long the roots took to appear, what they look like, and how much they grow each day . REMEMBER TO CHECK THE WATER EVERY DAY, TOO!
6. After two or three weeks, shoots and leaves will appear at the top of the potato. In your journal, write down how long it took to form shoots and then leaves, as well as how much the shoots grow each day.
7. After one month you can remove your potato from the water and plant it in a pot with soil to let it keep growing!
MAKE UP YOUR OWN EXPERIMENT!
· Try taking cuttings from another plant, like a potted plant in your house (be sure to ask your parents first!). Be sure to cut the stem so there are some leaves on the cutting. Place it in some rich potting soil, and see if it takes root!
· Try the jar and water experiment with a different tuber or rhizome, such as ginger.
References for further research:
1. “Vegetative Propagation Techniques”. Perennial Crop Support Series, Jalalabad, Afghanistan. Roots of Peace International Agriculture Programs. (http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~dailey/VegetativePropagationTechniques.pdf)
2. Vegetative Plant Propagation. Science Learning Hub. 2013, September 24. Retrieved May 13, 2014. (http://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/Innovation/Innovation-Stories/Zealong-Tea/Articles/Vegetative-plant-propagation)
Licenses:
GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:GNU_Free_Documentation_License_1.2
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/legalcode
4. Watch the potato jar closely; add water if it becomes too low for the potato to reach, and dump the water out if it gets cloudy and add fresh water.
5. After a few days to a week you will see roots forming in the water! In your journal, write down how long the roots took to appear, what they look like, and how much they grow each day . REMEMBER TO CHECK THE WATER EVERY DAY, TOO!
6. After two or three weeks, shoots and leaves will appear at the top of the potato. In your journal, write down how long it took to form shoots and then leaves, as well as how much the shoots grow each day.
7. After one month you can remove your potato from the water and plant it in a pot with soil to let it keep growing!
MAKE UP YOUR OWN EXPERIMENT!
· Try taking cuttings from another plant, like a potted plant in your house (be sure to ask your parents first!). Be sure to cut the stem so there are some leaves on the cutting. Place it in some rich potting soil, and see if it takes root!
· Try the jar and water experiment with a different tuber or rhizome, such as ginger.
References for further research:
1. “Vegetative Propagation Techniques”. Perennial Crop Support Series, Jalalabad, Afghanistan. Roots of Peace International Agriculture Programs. (http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~dailey/VegetativePropagationTechniques.pdf)
2. Vegetative Plant Propagation. Science Learning Hub. 2013, September 24. Retrieved May 13, 2014. (http://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/Innovation/Innovation-Stories/Zealong-Tea/Articles/Vegetative-plant-propagation)
Licenses:
GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:GNU_Free_Documentation_License_1.2
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/legalcode
