Why Should I Propagate My Plants?

What is propagation... and why should I care? 

Propagation is the broad term used to describe breeding plants in general. There are two main forms of propagation: sexual and asexual.

Sexual propagation 

Sexual propagation is what you’re used to. A plant grows a flower, the flower produces pollen, bees spread pollen from one flower to another, and when their genes mix, they grow seeds that have the genetics required to form a whole new plant. You then plant the seed and water it until it grows. 

Asexual propagation 

Asexual propagation works quite differently to sexual propagation. By cutting part of an existing plant and putting it in the right conditions, you can create an exact genetic replica of that original plant. For some plants this is the best way to grow – for example, apples are all grown through grafting – a process where a cutting from one apple tree is embedded into the trunk of a different apple tree. In this way each apple tree grows to produce the exact same fruit. If you were to take a seed from an apple and plant it in the ground, the fruit from that tree might end up tasting completely different to the original fruit. 

The main types of propagation are: 

• Cuttings 
• Layering 
• Division 
• Separation 
• Grafting 
• Budding 
• Runners 
• Micropropagation 

That’s about it for why you should propagate! If you’re looking for a new hobby our propagation kits come with everything you need to get going and are a great place to start! 

 Also if you have more questions check out the rest of our propagation series:

• How To Propagate
• You are here -> Why Should I Propagate?
• How To Transplant Propagations Into Soil
• What Plants Can I Propagate?