Stem Cuttings

Question 1

New tissue arising spontaneously in areas where it normally wouldn’t

Answer 1

Adventitious growth

Question 2

Wrapping the base of a shoot in a dark material to prepare the shoot for rooting as a cutting

Answer 2

Banding

Question 3

Growing a plant in full light exposure, then banding the base of new shoots to prepare them for rooting as cuttings

Answer 3

Blanching

Question 4

A somewhat hardened, irregular mass of parenchyma cells that forms as a result of wounding

Answer 4

Callus

Question 5

Ability of cells, even in mature tissues, to return to meristematic condition and produce a new root, shoot, or both

Answer 5

Dedifferentiation

Question 6

A developmental process by which a relatively unspecialized cell undergoes a progressive change to a more specialized cell

Answer 6

Differentiation

Question 7

End of organ furthest from the crown of plant

Answer 7

Distal end

Question 8

Growing an entire plant or part of a plant in the dark before gradually exposing it to light again

Answer 8

Etiolation

Question 9

Removing one inch of bark on a shoot at the base of what will eventually be a cutting to enhance rooting of species that are difficult to root

Answer 9

Girdling

Question 10

Hardened woody cutting taken during the dormant season for deciduous plants and during the winter for evergreen plants

Answer 10

Hardwood cutting

Characteristics:

• not flexible at all;
• taken during late winter or early spring;
• don’t dry out as quickly as other woody cuttings b/c in dormant stage (not transpiring as much as other times of year);
• don’t need to propagate them inside (they can go in a cold frame or cloche)
• recommended that you bury them up to 2/3 of their length to keep them warmer

Question 11

A type of cutting with a small piece of two-year old wood at the base

Answer 11

Heeled cutting (or mallet cutting)

Question 12

Succulent, non-woody cutting that roots quickly and can be used to propagate many annuals and perennials

Answer 12

Herbaceous cutting

Characteristics:

• soft;
• dries out quickly (so place in media as quickly as possible);
• takes rooting hormones well

Question 13

Oriented in a vertical position

Answer 13

Orthotropic

Question 14

Oriented in a horizontal position

Answer 14

Plagiotropic

Question 15

The quality inherent in a cutting such that different responses are exhibited in different parts of the cutting based on original orientation on the parent plant

Answer 15

Polarity

Question 16

End of organ nearest the crown of plant

Answer 16

Proximal end

Question 17

Partially hardened cutting taken from a woody plant in mid to late summer

Answer 17

Semi-hardwood cutting

Characteristics:
- has produced a resting bud(!!) which is a terminal bud (if - no resting bud, it’s still a softwood);
takes us rooting hormones moderately well;
- somewhat flexible but will snap cleanly

Question 18

Soft, succulent cutting from the new growth of a woody plant that is flexible and roots quickly

Answer 18

Softwood cutting

Characteristics: taken during late spring-early summer; require lots of attention to moisture and temperature; respond well to rooting hormone

Question 19

A plant used as a source of cuttings

Answer 19

Stock plant

Question 20

Severely cutting back a plant to its base to eliminate reproductive shoots on a stock plant before taking cuttings

Answer 20

Stooling

Question 21

Effect of the position of the cutting on the stock plant on subsequent growth orientation following rooting

Answer 21

Topophysis

Question 22

Firm and swollen due to water uptake

Answer 22

Turgid

Question 23

How many nodes are needed for a stem cutting?

Answer 23

Depends on plant but typically 2-3

Question 24

Type of stem cutting where the terminal bud is included

Answer 24

Terminal cutting

Question 25

Type of stem cutting where the terminal bud is not included

Answer 25

Axillary cutting (a.k.a. sub-terminal cutting)

Question 26

When taking a stem cutting from a hardwood, how old should the cutting be? Why is the age important?

Answer 26

Depends on the plant, but generally it is recommended that you don’t take a cutting that is more than 1 year old.

The age is important because it is harder for an older stem to dedifferentiate and form adventitious roots.

Question 27

Why would you take a heeled or mallet cutting?

Answer 27

Some types of hardwood have pre-formed root initials - you would keep a portion of 2-year old wood to keep the root initials intact.

Question 28

How can you tell the age of hardwood?

Answer 28

The color; newer growth will typically be a lighter color than older wood

Question 29

Why is it recommended to not root cuttings in water?

Answer 29

The plant will experience water stress once transferred to a soil-like media b/c water suddenly becomes harder to take up through the roots

Question 30

Why is it so important to remember correct polarity when taking cuttings?

Answer 30

The plant will retain polarity regardless of how you plant it. If the plant is stuck upside down, it will try to produce shoots in the media and rot.

Question 31

What is the recommended length of a stem cutting?

Answer 31

3-6 inches

Question 32

What are the reasons for removing flowers/fruits from a cutting?

Answer 32

Flowers/fruits tend to rot in the high humidity; want cutting to focus on producing new roots and not on forming the fruit/flower

Question 33

Why do you cut large leaves on a cutting in half?

Answer 33

Helps avoid overcrowding in the potting space (helps airflow and reduces fungal problems); helps reduce amount of stomata and therefore transpiration (important so the cutting doesn’t dry out)

Question 34

Why is rooting hormone used?

Answer 34

Increases the percentage of successful cuttings; speeds up rooting; improves the quality of roots

Question 35

What are the types of Auxin?

Answer 35

IAA - naturally produced in abundance but highly unstable so it is not used commercially
IBA - naturally produced in low quantities but typically synthetic
NAA- synthetic