1. REPRODUCTION

2. PROPAGATION: reproducing plants
Sexual Reproduction: through pollen and egg, combines the DNA of two organisms
Asexual Reproduction: produces exact duplicates of the parent plant
Layering
Some Seeds
Budding
Cuttings

3. Self Pollination—pollen fertilizes the eggs from the same flower (complete flowers)
Cross Pollination—pollen fertilizes eggs from a different flower (complete or incomplete flowers)

4. Heirloom seeds: “true to seed” always produce the same plant, commonly accepted as 50+ years old in lineage
Hybrid seeds: produce
plants that have a combination
of the traits possessed by the
plants that originally created
the hybrid.
GMO seeds: Genetically Modified Organism through artificial selection OR by inserting the genes of one organism into the nucleus of another.
ARE GMO’S BAD?

5. Endosperm: Food storage
Seed Composition
Seed Coat: outside covering of seed, protects the embryo and makes it possible for seeds to be transported or stored for long periods of time.
Endosperm: Food storage
tissue containing the
Biomolecules necessary to
begin plant growth.
Embryo: the new plant
developed as a result of
fertilization.
Seed coat
Cotyledons
Endosperm
Embryo

6. Cotyledon: the first leaves of a newly germinated plant
Seed Composition
Germination: when the embryo begins to extend roots and leaves to form a new plant
Cotyledon: the first leaves of a newly germinated plant
Dormant
seed
Germination

7. Cotyledons can help with plant identification

8. Remember our potting soil ingredients?
The best media for germination includes a favorable pH (lime), adequate nutrients (compost and manure), porous (perlite), uniform texture (peat moss), free of weeds, insects and disease.

9. Sowing
Indirect seeding: planting in flats separately from where they will grow to maturity
Direct seeding: some seedlings do not like to be disturbed once they begin growing, so benefit from being sown directly in the soil.

10. Seed Preparation
Seed Coat: some seeds have a hard seed coat which must have special treatment in order to germinate
Soaking—in water before sowing (nasturtiums)
Scratching—coats must be damaged in order to allow water to enter the
seed. (Red bud or clover)
Acid Bath—seeds travel
through an animal’s
digestive tract, dissolving
seed coat. Upon
defecation, the seeds are
able to germinate.

11. Cold, dormant period—often last 8 weeks or longer below 37°F (fruit and maple trees)
Alternate wetting and drying—native MO prairie plants do best laying on
top of dirt and cycling
the winter through
periods of freezing,
thawing, drying, wet
Light or darkness
Specific requirements are always listed on the seed packets and should be followed.

12. Germination
Temperature: seed flats like humid environments with temperatures of 65-70°F.
Watering: Indirect watering using capillary action by setting the flat in a tub of water is best so as not to disturb seedlings.
Seed Coats need to be softened before germination can occur. This usually occurs by being exposed to water. Soaking seeds before sowing can sometimes speed up the process.

13. Hardening off process: the
Transplanting
True leaves: the first full set of leaves after the cotyledons—when these are developed, it’s generally safe to transplant
Hardening off process: the
modest reduction of temperature
and water to prepare seedlings for
the shock of transplanting
Transplant process: use a
spoon to scoop underneath the
roots. Plant in new soil slightly
deeper than in the soil flat

14. Seed Distribution
Seeds that are clustered together or fall very near a parent plant, must compete for light and nutrients and usually don’t do well.
Gravity: Large seeds fall from the parent plant and roll away to germinate
Soft skinned fruit may break open and then have seeds scattered.

15. Animals: Through diet, travel, or behavior, seeds are moved around.
Seed Distribution
Animals: Through diet, travel, or behavior, seeds are moved around.
Eaten and then
excreted as waste
Buried and forgotten
Carried on fur

16. Check out this explosion
Seed Distribution
Force: On hot, sunny days, evaporation occurs, causing seed pods to explode and shoot seeds flying through the air.
Check out this explosion

17. Seed Distribution
Wind: the most common method of seed dispersal. It is dependent on the type of seed and where it grows.
These pods tip over and the seeds fall out and disperse

18. Seed Distribution
Water: Fluffy, light seeds, and those with waterproof coverings can be carried by water.

19. Asexual Reproduction
Cuttings: commercially, the most commonly used method of reproduction where stems, roots, or leaves are used to reproduce a plant.
This process creates a genetically identical organism
Root cuttings can
be made from any
plant that will
sprout from a root
only (raspberry,
wisteria, etc)

20. Cuttings
Root formation is stimulated through cuttings because the carbohydrates and other materials cannot travel past the point where the cut has occurred.
Some stems can be placed
in water and will root
Some leaves need to be
dipped in a rooting hormone
in order to sprout.

21. Rooting hormones: Chemicals which help cuttings grow roots more quickly and grow a larger number of roots
Dipping in a fungicide can also be beneficial if the rooting hormone doesn’t already contain it.
Cuttings should be taken with sharp, sterilized scissors or knife
Cut should be slanted to
provide more surface area
for plants to grow
Wood near the tip of the
cutting should be removed
horizontally if the wood is
very soft.

22. Separation and Division of Geophytes
Bulbs: a plant structure which is composed of leaf scales, roots and a flower bud. True bulbs are composed of multiple layers, like an onion.
Tulip
Daffodil
Hyacinth

23. Separation and Division as a means of Propagation
As the adult plant grows, offset bulbs are produced. After several growing seasons, these offset bulbs can be broken apart from the “mother” bulb and then used for propagation.

24. Other Geophytes
Corms: a plant structure which is composed of a short specialized stem and food storage. Corms are a solid structure (no layers here!)
Crocus
Lily
Gladiolus

25. Other Geophytes
Rhizomes: underground stems which grow horizontally and produce roots on the bottom and stems on top.
Usually grow very near the soil surface
Iris, Canna, Lily of the valley, Ginger

26. Other Geophytes
Tubers: a swollen end of an underground side shoot or stem. Tubers are distinguished by having EYES.
Plants may be divided after the above ground stem has died off by dividing the root cluster.
Roots must be washed and stored in a dry area
Potatoes
Dahlia
Begonias
DayLily

27. Asexual Reproduction continued
Grafting: a process in which two different plants are united so that they grow as one.
Used to give plants stronger, more disease-resistant roots, later blooms, and greater pest resistance.

28. Asexual Reproduction continued
Budding: similar to grafting in that one plant is grafted onto another plant, but a bud is used rather than a scion (new shoot or top of the plant)
This process is faster than regular grafting
Budding and grafting are beneficial to reproducing hybrid plants whose seeds will not produce an exact replica of the parent plant

29. Asexual Reproduction continued
Layering: roots are formed on a stem or root while it is still attached to the parent plant.
The layer is cut free from the parent plant AFTER rooting has taken place.
The process takes longer than other asexual methods, but is usually more successful.
Natural layering occurs in many vine flora.