| The Magic of Cloning |
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by Michelle Moore
Scientists in Scotland rocked the world in 1997 when they unveiled Dolly, the cloned sheep. Dolly captured headlines and magazine covers across the globe and cloning became a highly discussed and debated topic. Dolly was the first cloned mammal, but people have been cloning plants for thousands of years.
Make an exact genetic copy of your favorite plant How cloning works Plants have the most amazing ability to recreate missing parts because each cell contains the information needed to create any part of the plant. Given favorable conditions, plants can grow missing parts. We see this after pruning during the growth cycle. Trees produce a flurry of new growth after pruning triggered by a hormone response. For propagation, stems can grow new roots. Leaves can grow stems and roots, and roots can grow stems and leaves. This article will only address three types of cloning that apply to soft wood cuttings: tissue culture, cuttings and hydroponic cloning. Tissue Culture Tissue culture, also called micro propagation, is a relatively complex process. Plant material is chopped into a pulp then placed in a sterile medium where the plant forms. Tissue culture is an economical way for breeders to make thousands of copies of a single plant. Plant breeders and commercial nurseries use this technique extensively because they can replicate the exact traits and quality of a plant that shows the characteristics they desire. Tissue culture typically takes place in a lab and requires specialized equipment. Recently, some home tissue culture kits became available; however, they are still quite expensive. Cuttings Most gardeners are familiar with cuttings. New plants are created by cutting a small portion of stems and leaves from a host plant. The stem is then placed in rooting hormone and soil. The soil is kept warm and moist while roots form. The greatest challenge in growing cuttings is keeping the plant alive while the roots grow. Maintaining the correct soil moisture is part of the challenge. Warmth added to the soil to stimulate root growth dries the soil quickly. Plastic bags placed over the cuttings help maintain moisture, but must be monitored carefully. Lack of air circulation and ventilation can add to excess moisture which may cause damping off. Some cuttings perform well placed in water. Roots grow quickly; however, water roots do not generally perform in soil requiring a transitional planting. Coco fiber is a very good transitional medium because it holds moisture allowing the plant to slowly adjust. Hydropoinic Cloning Hydroponic cloning is much easier to do than tissue culture and more effective than traditional cuttings. New equipment allows customers to clone as few as four cuttings and as many as several hundred at a time. The success rate is extremely high, with rooting in generally 10 days or less. There are several methods used for cloning, but the easiest is a basket method. A small neoprene insert fits snugly around the stems of cuttings and suspends the stem in a small basket. The basket is then suspended over a reservoir. The nutrient water sprayed on the cuttings causes the cuttings to root. Hydroponic methods work well because the stem does not dry out. The water supplies nutrients to the roots while they develop, and the plant is fully supported during the process. The plant’s roots are not suspended in water, so they do not develop water roots and can be planted directly once roots form. Tips for cloning success Most of the tips below will work for traditional cuttings as well as hydronic cloning. Select the plant you plan to clone. Select only plants that are in good health and are at least two months old. New growth is best if it’s available, however, any healthy stem with at least two or three healthy sets of leaves will work. Only take cuttings from well hydrated plants. Plants that are dry will not perform as well as cuttings. Hygiene cannot be stressed enough. Disease, fungus and viruses spread quickly and are a primary cause of failure. Luckily, a few easy steps will ensure healthy cuttings. It may be tempting to skip the cleaning steps, but you will be rewarded with quick healthy cuttings by spending a few extra seconds.
Check your cuttings frequently. In a few days you will start to see nodes forming just prior to root development. Change the water once a week or per the manufacturer’s instructions. Once roots are formed, transplant into 4” pots. Placing them in a cool greenhouse with bottom heat will encourage healthy root growth while keeping top growth compact and healthy. If you are interested in trying a cloning machine, the Daisy Cloner is an excellent place to start. The Daisy Cloner will root eight cuttings at once and takes up less than a square foot of space, and costs less than $70.00. Larger units like the Cloner-25 and the Power Cloner will clone 25 and 45 plants at a time. Much larger units are also available.By following these easy steps, you are well on your way to an abundant and healthy garden. Cloning is not only easy and practical, it’s rewarding and fun! GG
Michelle Moore is the General Manager of the Greenhouse Catalog where she has worked with greenhouses for 20 years. Michelle writes and lectures about greenhouse gardening as an Oregon State University Master Gardener and member of Garden Writers Association. Michelle is a Fulbright Scholar and earned an International MBA from Thunderbird, School of Global Management. Michelle and her husband live in Oregon, but they enjoy hints of summer all year in their greenhouse! You can contact Michelle at: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . You can visit their website at www.GreenhouseCatalog.com/garden. The two types of plant reproduction include sexual and asexual. Plants grown from seed are produced sexually and contain genetic material from several plants. Plants produced asexually contain only the genetic material from the host. |
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