Propagation
/ˌprɑːpəˈɡeɪʃən/
Definition
Propagation is the process of producing new plants from seeds, spores, or vegetative parts such as stem cuttings, leaves, roots, bulbs, or division. It includes sexual propagation, which combines genetic material through seed, and asexual propagation, which makes genetically similar plants from existing tissue. In gardening and horticulture, the term refers both to natural reproduction and to the techniques used by growers to start additional plants.
Use in Gardening
- Cloning by cuttings: With stem, leaf, or root cuttings, propagation can produce plants genetically identical to the parent. That matters for cultivars with specific traits, such as flower color, leaf pattern, or compact growth.
- Seed-grown variation: When propagation is done from seed, offspring may differ from the parent because genes recombine. This is useful for breeding and diversity, but less reliable when a plant needs to stay true to type.
- Timing and plant stage: Success often depends on using the right plant part at the right stage, such as soft new growth versus mature wood. Temperature, moisture, light, and sanitation also strongly affect rooting and seedling survival.
- Renewing and multiplying stock: In horticulture, propagation helps replace aging plants, preserve favorites, and increase numbers at lower cost. It is also a common way to share houseplants, start edible crops, and maintain rare plants in cultivation.
Related Terms
Vegetative reproduction
Vegetative reproduction refers to a form of asexual plant reproduction in which new plants grow from roots, stems…
Layering
Layering is a vegetative propagation technique in which a stem forms roots while still attached to the parent plant…
Grafting
Grafting is a horticultural technique in which tissues from two plants are joined so they grow as one. The upper piece…
Micropropagation
Micropropagation is a plant propagation technique that produces many new plants from a small piece of parent tissue…