Propagation of Ornamental Plants

By

Dr. (Miss) C.O Owolabi

&
Prof. O.M. Olosunde

Department of Horticulture,
Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta
• What is Ornamental Plants?
• What is Propagation ?

Ornamental Plants

• Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for their beauty rather than their
practical use.

• There are many different types of ornamental plants, and they can be classified
in many different ways.

• Some common ways to classify ornamental plants are by their type of flower, the
way they grow, or the color of their leaves.

• Ornamental plants can be used to add beauty to any garden or landscape.

 Propagation
• Propagation is the process of multiplying or regenerating a plant
(mother plant).

• Propagation of ornamental plants is the process of increasing

(multiplication or reproduction) the number of plants for use
through seeds or vegetative part of the plant.

• Propagation is the increase in number of individual of a specie

usually accomplished by their spread over a given period.
• Propagation of plant is the involvement of science and art in a skillful

way.

• Basic knowledge and skill of it can be a better source of income

through commercial nurseries.

• It helps in maintaining the plant stock and preserving endangered

(extinct) species.
 Methods of Propagation

• Plant propagation can be done by Sexual method or Asexual/ Vegetative

method

Sexual propagation
• This is propagation of plants through mature seed.

• A seed is a ripened ovule developed after fertilization.

• It consists of an ‘embryo’ and stored food material, both of which are enclosed in a special
covering known as ‘seed coat’.

• Plants germinate from seeds when they are provided with favourable growing conditions.
• It is an old and easy method and is widely used for the propagation of crops like
ornamental annuals, vegetables, medicinal and fruit plants, such as papaya.
• Examples of ornamental that can be propagated by seeds are:
i. Murraya japonica
ii. Terminalia mentalis
iii. Polyanthia longifolia
iv. Cassia fistula
v. Tagetes spp
vi. Araucaria heterophylla
vii. Casuarina equisetifolia,
viii. Catharantus roseus
ix. Balsam impatients
x. Delonix regia
 Merits of sexual propagation
• It is an easy, simple and convenient method of plant propagation.

• Plants propagated by seeds live longer, are vigorous and more resistant to biotic
(insect-pests and diseases) and abiotic stresses (environmental conditions).

• It is the only means of creating genetic diversity of plants.

• New varieties and cultivars of ornamental and vegetable crops can be

developed only by this method.

• A large number of rootstocks for budding and grafting purpose is also raised by
this method.

• Seeds can be transported easily and stored for a longer time using this method.
 Demerits of sexual propagation
• Sexually propagated plants show variations and are not genetically true-to-type to the
mother plants.

• Plants that are propagated through seeds have long gestation period, which results in
delayed flowering and fruiting.

• Plants grow vigorously and cause obstruction in intercultural practices like harvesting
and spraying.

• Advantages offered by rootstocks and scion as in asexual propagation cannot be

exploited through sexual method.

• Crop species, which do not produce seeds like strawberry, fig, jasmine, hibiscus,
bougainvillea, etc., cannot multiply by this method.
 Asexual Propagation Method
• It is also called ‘vegetative propagation’.

• Asexual propagation is based on the utilisation of vegetative parts of plants for raising
new ones.

• The vegetative parts of a plant like leaf, stem, root shoot, buds or their modified forms
and underground parts are used in different ways for reproducing new plants.

• Most of the horticultural crops are commercially propagated by vegetative or asexual

method of propagation.

• The most common asexual propagation methods include cutting, layering, grafting and
budding, which need specialised skill and are done differently in different plants.
• Examples of ornamental that can be propagated by asexual methods are:
i. Duranta erecta
ii. Duranta repens
iii. Acalypha wikiesiana
iv. Turnera subulata
v. Turnera ulitifolia
vi. Thuja occidentalis
vii. Boungainvillae glabra
viii. Ficus retusa
ix. Ficus elastic
x. Ficus benjamina
xi. Plumeria rubra
xii. Allamanda cathartica
 Merits of Asexual propagation
• Plants propagated by asexual propagation are true-to-type genetically.

• Maturity is uniform and the plant gives quality yield.

• This method enables noble plant production, e.g., different colours of flowers in a
single rose plant

• Advantages offered by rootstocks and scion can be exploited through asexual

method.

• Specific genotypes are desired.

 Demerits of asexual propagation

• By vegetative propagation, new varieties cannot be developed.

• It requires specialized skills, so it is an expensive method of
propagation.
• Reduced genetic diversity.
• The life span of asexually propagated plants is short as compared to
sexually propagated ones.
• Disease can be easily transfer to the new plant from the mother plant
• These plants are more prone to biotic and abiotic stresses.
• Asexual propagation can be done by making cuttings from the stem/

shoot, leaf and root of the desired plant.

• The most common mode of asexual propagation in ornamental

industry is stem cutting, root and rhizome division.

• Cutting is a detached vegetative part of a plant, which on separation

and planting is able to regenerate the missing parts and develop itself

into a new plant.

• It is an inexpensive and quick method of propagation.

• A large number of uniform plants can be produced using few parent

plants. It does not involve specialised skills.

• The method is named after the part of plant used for cutting, e.g.,

stem, root and leaf.

 Stem cutting
• Based on the age and maturity of shoots detached for vegetative
propagation, stem cuttings is of four types:

i. Herbaceous cutting

ii. Softwood cutting

iii. Semi-hardwood cutting

iv. Hardwood cutting

Types of Asexual Propagation
 Herbaceous cuttings

• Herbaceous cuttings are made from tender succulents, especially the

leafy part of the stems of herbaceous plants.

• Examples are chrysanthemum, carnation, marigold

Softwood cuttings

• Softwood cuttings are prepared from tender but mature branches.

• The length of these cuttings varies from 10–12 cm.

• Tender shoots do not have sufficient food material.

Herbaceous cuttings
Softwood cuttings
• Hence, all leaves present on the shoots are retained for

photosynthesis.

• The cutting material are gathered early in the morning and must be

kept moist by keeping them in a wet cloth or wrap in transparent white

nylon

• Examples are Alternanthera, Coleus, Duranta, Clerodendrum, etc.

 Example of plant to be
propagated by Semi-hard
wood are: Croton,
Acalyphas, Ficus, Nerium,
etc.,

Semi-hardwood cuttings
 Semi-hardwood cuttings
• Semi-hardwood cuttings are prepared from branches having pencil
thickness.

• The length of these cuttings varies from 7.5 to 15 cm.

• The cuttings must have at least 4–5 dormant vegetative buds.

• Some leaves are retained as they help in preparing food by

photosynthesis.

• Large leaves are reduced in size by cutting.

Hardwood cuttings
 Hardwood cuttings
• Such a cutting is taken from woody plants.

• Mostly, deciduous plants are propagated by this method.

• One-year old mature branch is cut into pieces of suitable sizes and
planted in the rooting medium,

• Examples of plant that falls into this propagation type are : Rose, Fig,
Pomegranate, Bougainvillea, Lagerstroemia,Jasminum, Hibiscus,
Plumeria, Thuja etc.
 Leaf cuttings
• Plants with thick fleshy leaves having buds are propagated by leaf
cutting.
• Vegetative buds are present in the notches of leaf margin
(Bryophyllum) or on the vein (Begonia rex).
• Leaf blade or pieces of it with bud are put on the rooting medium
under favourable conditions
• Plants examples are:Sansevieria, blackberry, Rhododendron,
Bryophyllum, Begonia rex e.t.c