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Plant Propagation SD1 Learner Instructions

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Collecting Helianthus Annuus for seed 24/10/20

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Collecting Helianthus Annuus for seed 24/10/20

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These we’re dried for a day on a windowsill on a paper plate to harden the shell and reduce the chance of mould.

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I vacuum packed them to keep them dry and dated them 26/10/20

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I vacuum packed them to keep them dry and dated them 26/10/20

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We used the cullinear hoe to cut the heads of any small annual weeds. The tops were just left in situ to feed the soil.

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Hopper full of Scale cereale seeds to be sown in our market garden beds

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Here were using Scale cereale as our cover

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What’s left in the hopper

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Climate netting covering to protect from Birds 

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Climate netting covering to protect from Birds 

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Pigeons seem to be a bit of a problem in this site hence the need for our climate netting

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These  Escallonia ‘apple blossom’ semi ripe cuttings were dipped into rooting hormone powder then put into a mix of 70/30 compost/perlite then watered in and left in our table top mist propagator. I think.

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Taking Semi ripe cuttings from penstemon 

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Taking Semi ripe cuttings from penstemon 

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Were looking for nice long straight stems with lots of nodes and preferable not in flower. 6inch long straight cuttings work best, Nip out the top leaving at least 2 nodes on each cutting. Use an angle cut and dip into rooting power then pot into liners with a 70/30 compost/perlite mix

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Digging up daffodils in a rose bed to thin them out.

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Digging up daffodils in a rose bed to thin them out.

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Lady was complaining her daffodils were blind last season.

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A few hundred bulbs from one bed. As we can see in this picture compaction seems to be the cause of this lady’s blindness problems

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The daffodils were eased up and replanted in bunches of 3 with a few tulips thrown in the mix. The bed was then top dressed with a layer of compost and mulch was put back over the top, it will be mulched again in spring with new wood chip.

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The purple one is Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple, the green one is Hypericum addingtonii
They were potted in these liners with a 50/50 mix of compost/perlite, watered in and placed on the bottom shelf of our heated propagator bench in the tunnel. The propagator bench is set at 22’c

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Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple’ cuttings 2/11/20

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Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple’ cuttings 2/11/20

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These cuttings were approx 6 inches long, they we’re straight cut just below a node then the top was cut out at an angle so that water doesn’t sit on top causing rotting, the bottom leaves were nipped out leaving two sets of leaves at the top which were trimmed in half so the cutting put its energy into rooting. Here we used Rhizopon rooting powder.

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Iv sprouted this mango seed from a store bought mango I think the cultivar is Kent but im mot 100%sure on that.
It was germinated by opening the husk taking out the seed and wrapping it in damp kitchen towel then sealed in a zip lock bag, it was then stored in the hot cupboard until the tap root was as long as the seed, it was then potted in multipurpose compost and perlite mix then covered with a plastic container and wrapped in cling film to keep the it warm and humid. This is my second attempt and I’m happy with the results so far.

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Persea americano’hass’

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My Fragaria ananassa baskets sat on this lawn for couple of weeks and rooted it’s stolons into the lawn, I’m not sure if the Cultivar on these but I plan on taking cuttings from it

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This mango seedling is growing so fast I’m going to keep a measurement to see how much it grows each day, the first true leaves are just about to open up

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This seedling has grown over an inch since the last picture taken only a few days ago

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Laurus nobilis. It’s hard to take a cutting from the Bay tree but it is a method that can be done, luckily this one is a shoot that came from the root of a well established tree so it has a little bit of the roots with it. Iv taken some of the soil it was growing in an made a 60/30/10 mix of compost/perlite/soil, I trimmed the end of the roots and dipped them in rooting powder then planted it into a 20ltr bucket of substrate which iv watered well in iv nipped off the top of the plant since and clipped the leaves

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Since the last picture the Mango has almost grown another inch, growth slowed a bit since I removed the cloche a couple of days ago but I’m sure once the leaves open up and it gets more light it will grow fast

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This Lithops olivacea plant rapidly multiplies,
1 became 2, 2 became 4 etc, each time its about to propagate itself I stop watering it as the plant uses the water in the leaf, if you feed it when it’s in this state the leaves will swell and smother the new pair inside.

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Germinating fast this one. The seed has cracked open and the taproot is swelling it won’t be too long till it’s sticking out the bottom

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Ficus lyrata I took this cutting from this tree as I want the vigour to stay in the main stem as I want a tall plant that hits the ceiling and bends back down

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Here we have a selection of plants that have been bread and treated with radiation to produce desirable traits in the plants such as colour and form.

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My Mangifera indica ‘Kent’ is going strong it’s over 8in tall now and the leaves are really starting to get big, it’s got beautiful lime green leaves that are elongated and curled inward with pinnate reticulate veins with a tinge of red through them. I love it

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The taproot is now growing at a fast rate since it reached the bottom of the seed.

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Persea americana is found in the Order Laurales This seed I have going here, the root has really started growing but the shoot hasn’t really yet, I’m sure it will happen in the next week or two, perfect timing for this seedling to start growing in spring and get a good first year.

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Here I am cleaning the tools we were using to do some weeding in garden beds today. It is important to keep our tools clean before storing in the correct place in the tool shed at the end of the day. This helps to stop cross contamination, and spreading pests. It is also important to keep them well maintained and sharp and is also a health and safety requirement for employers.

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Taking a basil cutting is a simple and quick way to propagate from a Dahila plant. Firstly make sure your knife is sharp, clean, and sanitised. Choose a shoot from the edge of the tuber that’s around 6 inches long with a couple of leaves. Slice down the inside of the shoot taking  the whole piece away from the tuber. Plant into 50/50 mix of compost/perlite spray with water and leave in a warm place away from direct sunlight.

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We have collected and potted up some small self seeded Primula vulgaris plants we potted them in a mix of MPC and perlite with some added controlled release fertiliser, we also added some horticulture grit to the tops of the pots to help in keeping them from drying out too quickly, we then watered them in and added some water inoculated with the nematode Steinernema kraussei to fight against Otiorhynchus sulcatus grubs which they are prone to.

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Flower heads are left to fully mature on the plant before being removed. The heads can then be sieved through a strainer over a piece of white paper to collect the seeds before being stored in a cool, dark, dry place in a sealed container

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For sowing these Primula vulgaris in the green, we collected the swollen seed heads from the spent flower heads of the plant, carried them back to our potting area in a covered plastic container, prepared a seed tray with multi purpose compost and topped with grit then watered well. The seeds were then spread evenly over the tray and left outside out of direct sunlight.

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When collecting Agapanthus seed the flowers heads are left to mature on the plant the heads are then picked and the seeds are hand removed from their casings, the seeds are then planted straight away as dried seed from Agapanthus will not germinate.

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Pea seeds are soaked to help overcome dormancy.

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Soaking Helianthus for microgreen production

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Soaking Helianthus for microgreen production

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Sunflower seeds have been soaked to help break dormancy, 1/100 solution of H2O2 to prevent mold growing on the seed casings when germinating

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we soaked these sweetcorn seeds to help overcome dormancy and because the seeds are generally hard to germinate as they are very dried out.

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Seeds are sown fresh in multi purpose compost, with horticultural grit added to the surface to help retain moisture and heat before being placed in a heated, light propagation unit for extra heat.

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Seed priming is a seed treatment that regulates the germination process by managing the temperature and seed moisture content

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Perlite is used in potting compost mixes to improves aeration, draining and insulation. Perlite can be used to open up the structure of ready-mixed loam or peat-based composts

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A compost specially formulated for making soil blocks with the aid of a blocker tool. Black peat is the main component due to its special properties. It is a dark heavy peat excellent at holding on to water and nutrients for long periods of time. Already heavily decomposed, it contains humus and wont break down further during the growing process making it very stable

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Mix soil, spread it into your tray, and make sure you create an even, flat surface without compressing the soil too much. Spread your seeds as evenly as possible, using around 1oz per tray. Check on your tray and mist daily

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Fill modules generously with seed compost and level off so they're filled to the brim, then sow one or two seeds in each – you can always pinch out surplus seedlings later

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Fill small pots or seed trays with compost. Use a watering can to thoroughly wet the compost, and leave to drain.
Sprinkle seeds evenly and thinly over the surface of the compost. Cover seeds with a thin layer of compost.

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We plant more than one microgreen tray, we usually stacked them on top of each other and place a weight of some sort on the stack

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A single seed is sown in each cell, after germination any double seedling is pricked out.

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Covering a seed tray with vermiculite helps to keep the compost moist and also helps to ward off the fungus that causes damping off. It also helps to insulate against temperature and humidity changes in the greenhouse

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A heated propagator produces a microclimate of steady warmth and humidity. This encourages seeds to germinate quickly and reliably, and cuttings to root very easily

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When we plant more than one microgreen tray, we usually stacked them on top of each other and place a weight of some sort on the stack. This produces a stronger and better-rooted plant. Plants can be sprayed with H2O2 when unstacking to prevent the build up of mould.

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Bench heat offers energy savings and healthier plants. Providing even warmth in the root zone has proven benefits, including quicker turns and reduced energy use.
Rotten seeds may need to be pricked out

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Lettuce will not germinate in temperatures above 25°C, so if the weather is warm you may need to move the trays outside to germinate

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If you are transplanting from seed-starting flats into bigger pots, label each pot individually.

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Each beet “seed” is actually a cluster of 2 to 4 seeds, so you will need to thin the young plants to 3 to 4 inches apart once the greens get to be about 4 inches tall. This allows their roots to grow to their proper size.

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Watering microgreens using capillary mats

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Watering microgreens using capillary mats

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Capillary mats are a surefire way of providing a steady, adequate supply of water to germinating seeds and seedlings

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The soft rain rose head has a extra fine spray that will not damage young seedlings or tender plants. But it still enables you to deliver a high volume of water

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First we used the broad fork to aerate the soil.

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Keelan showing his skills using the Jang seeder with the FJ30 seed plate in. We are sowing Brassica juncea var, mizuna

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Using the 4 row seeder we sowed 12 rows of  Eruca sativa, the bed was prepared by adding a layer of compost then it was footed in to compress it a little in order for the seeder to turn better, and the seeds were watered in.

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We water in our seeds to ensure germination takes place

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Their was 70ltrs of compost added to the bed to add to the OM layer, a rake was used to even the surface for sowing, correct posture was implimented

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Mycorrhizal fungi colonize roots forming a biological link between the root and the soil. The fungus grows into the root and out into the soil. ... The fungus in the soil absorbs water and nutrients from the soil and conducts them back to the root.

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Here we are pruning back congested branches in the crown of these Ribes rubrum shrubs. We cut off any dead, dying or diseased branches as well as anything crossing or low hanging. We do this to promote new growth, reduce the risk of disease and to make harvesting the berries easier come Summer

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This evergreen species of cherry Prunus makes a great, easily to grow and maintain, thick hedge suitable for planting in almost any aspect and tolerates any soil type