Learn how to grow new and free plants with propagation!
Plant propagation is the process of multiplying the numbers of a species, perpetuating a species, or maintaining the youthfulness of a plant. There are two types of propagation, sexual and asexual. Sexual reproduction is the union of the pollen and egg, drawing from the genes of two parents to create a new, third individual. Sexual propagation involves the floral parts of a plant. Asexual propagation involves taking a part of one parent plant and causing it to regenerate itself into a new plant. Genetically it is identical to its one parent. Asexual propagation involves the vegetative parts of a plant: stems, roots, or leaves.
The advantages of sexual propagation are that it may be cheaper and quicker than other methods; it may be the only way to obtain new varieties and hybrid vigor; in certain species, it is the only viable method for propagation; and it is a way to avoid transmission of certain diseases. Asexual propagation has advantages, too. It may be easier and faster in some species; it may be the only way to perpetuate some cultivars; and it bypasses the juvenile characteristics of certain species.
