THE REPRODUCTION
A large part of our popular houseplants, knows z. B. Cyclamen, cinerarien, Pantoffelblumen, primroses etc., are raised by sowing germinable seeds. The sowing is called generative (sexual) propagation.
In addition, the vegetative aspect also plays a role in the cultivation of indoor plants (asexual) proliferation plays an important role. This procedure is generally used for all species, for which seeds are difficult or impossible to obtain or whose development from sowing to flowering pot flowers or decorative foliage plants takes a long time. Furthermore, all varieties or varieties are propagated vegetatively, that do not really come back from seeds, Glutos. h., in the case of generative propagation, the parents in their desired
properties would not be the same. In flowering plants, who have lost the ability, produce viable seeds, like this e.g. B. is the case with a number of the double flowering varieties, we are completely dependent on vegetative propagation. But many cultivars could, which in the past had to be reproduced asexually, since they are not uniform, produced progeny similar to the mother plants, can be improved by breeding for seed authenticity. This is e.g. B. in hybrids of the colored nettle (Coleus blümei Benth.) and the name varieties of the Kalanchoe (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana v. Poelln.) or the African violet (Saintpäfilia ionantha Wendl.) the case.
Are both (vegetative and generative) opportunities for reproduction, then you choose the propagation method, with which a specific cultural goal can be achieved faster and more reliably. In nurseries, business considerations often determine the decision to choose one method or the other. In general, only vegetative propagation can be considered for growing plants indoors. So you can use underground plants, branching trunk parts – like her e.g. B. Bogenhanf (SanseVieria), Schildblume (Have fun) and many other beautiful sheets- and flowering plants - propagate by division when repotting. A number of our indoor plants form so-called Kindel (with. B. the side shoots of cacti and side rosettes of bromeliads), daughter onions (with. B. knight star) or breeding plants (with. B. Brutblatt) and aerial runners (with. B. sword fern), the – separated from the mother plant – quickly to new ones, grow independent plants.
In horticulture, vegetative propagation is most commonly done by cuttings (often wrongly called offshoots) performed. These are specific, separated parts, the, planted in moist substrate, form roots. Depending on the part of the plant used, we differentiate between top cuttings when propagating cuttings, stem cuttings, Leaf cuttings and eye cuttings. Head cuttings are shoot tips, which one at least 2 leaves trained leaves. Stem cuttings are gained, by the tribes (rung) be broken down into finger-length pieces, where each piece only 1 sheet must have. Leaf cuttings are mature leaves, which are cut and pinned with a piece of stick. After all, eye cuttings consist of a well-developed, sleeping eye (a leaf axillary bud that has not emerged), which you cut out with a piece of bark and stuck into the substrate. By leaf cuttings z. B. Usambaraveilchen, Blattbegonia, Bow hemp and many succulents propagated, where at single bow hemp- and begonia species even only parts of a leaf can be used.
However, the latter types of propagation are not possible indoors, and with a number of plants propagation by head and stem cuttings outside the greenhouse should also cause difficulties. More detailed information on the possible propagation methods and their use in the room can be found under the heading "Cultivation" for the plant species described.