How to Propagate Australian Plants

Propagation from seed
Germinating seed
Collecting seeds
The latest research - use of smoke in stimulating germination of seed
Propagation from cuttings
Safe use of plant growth hormones
Growing plants - Glossary
Propagation methods for selected native plants
References

Plant Propagation - Successfully Growing Plants

The two most common methods of plant propagation are:

• from seed (sexual)
  

• from cuttings (asexual or vegatative)

Most plants can be propogated by one or both of these methods. Each method has advantages and disadvantages.

Propagation from seed

• Advantages

Some seed can be collected and stored for long periods of time and still be capable of germinating. Many plants can be produced from seed.

• Disadvantages

Plants propogated from seed are not genetically the same as the parent plant. Therefore they can vary in appearance. For example, the plants can vary in overall size and shape and the leaves and flowers can vary in size, shape and colour from plant to plant.

Many species are difficult to grow from seed. For example, the seeds of many Boronia species do not germinate quickly, if at all. With some species (e.g. Acacia species) the seeds may need special treatment to help germination. There are a number of plants which we cannot germinate from seed. This is probably because we do not know the special conditions required to break dormancy or trigger a growth response.

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