With easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions, veteran horticulture teacher Miranda Smith provides a complete reference showing every step for cultivating new plants—whether from seed or cuttings or with techniques such as layering, grafting, and budding.
Propagating new plants from existing ones is not only sustainable but also rewarding for gardeners of all skill levels. The Plant Propagator’s Bible offers a solid and complete, go-to reference for expert gardeners but is also a perfect primer for the novice plant lover and horticulturalist.
Smith teaches readers, with the support of hundreds of 4-color photos and detailed illustrations, the natural process and conditions in which plants grow and reproduce, and shows gardeners how to use these systems to propagate any plant that grows in their garden or greenhouse—or even on their windowsill. The book features:
- An A to Z directory of more than 1,000 individual plant species—with appropriate propagation techniques for aquatics, ornamental plants, houseplants, shrubs, trees, vegetables, and wildflowers
- “What Can Go Wrong” advice for each type of plant, explaining potential problems and how to prevent or fix them
- Detailed, step-by-step illustrations and annotated photographs
Including information on essential tools and equipment, this is an indispensable addition to every gardener’s bookshelf.
Table of Contents:
INTRODUCTION ABOUT THIS BOOK
TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES
THE PROPAGATOR'S TOOL KIT
Hand tools
Equipment and supplies
Soil mixes
Propagation equipment
STARTING FROM SEED
Seed characteristics
Flowers and seeds
Starting seeds
Leaching
Soaking
Scarification
Stratification
Light
Dark
Relative humidity
Temperatures
Carbon dioxide (CO2) levels
Life cycles and growth characteristics
Saving seeds
Pollination
Harvesting and cleaning
Storing saved seeds
Treating seeds to prevent disease
Working with hybrids
DIVIDING ESTABLISHED PLANTS
Good digging
Dividing plants with fibrous root systems
Dividing plants with fleshy or woody crowns
Dividing suckers
Dividing plants with rhizomes
Dividing plants with tubers
Dividing plants with offsets
Dividing plants with bulbs and corms
Scoring, sectioning, scooping, and coring bulbs
Scaling lily bulbs
CUTTINGS
Types of cuttings
Greenwood cuttings
Softwood cuttings
Semiripe cuttings
Hardwood cuttings
Conifer cuttings
Cane cuttings
Leaf petiole cuttings
Leaf vein cuttings
Upright leaf cuttings
Monocot leaf cuttings
Root cuttings
LAYERING
Tip layering
Simple and serpentine layering
Air layering
Stooling or mound layering
French layering
Dropping
GRAFTING
Grafting with rootstocks
Whip-and-tongue grafting
Apical-wedge grafting and saddle grafting
Side-wedge grafting
Approach grafting
Four-flap grafting
Side-veneer grafting
T-budding
Chip budding
Grafting a cactus
PLANT DIRECTORY
GLOSSARY
HARDINESS ZONES
PLANT LIST
INDEX
CREDITS
Miranda Smith is a longtime teacher of organic and sustainable methods of growing herbs, vegetables, and fruits. She's had the luxury of gardening in most climatic zones in North America, allowing her to convey principles that work for each region. Smith is author or co-author of many books about horticulture, including Your Backyard Herb Garden and Rodale's Pest and Disease Problem Solver.
Cool Springs Press
Pub Date: June 29, 2021
0.6" H x 9.6" L x 7.4" W
192 pages
paperback