Growing mulberry cuttings. Image credit wordpress.com

Growing mulberry cuttings. Image credit wordpress.com

ZIMSEC O Level Combined Science Notes: Reproduction in plants: Growing plants using the vegetative reproduction method

 

Materials; trays of soil/sand or prepared garden beds, plant cuttings of sugar cane, mulberry, sweet potato cuttings etc

Method

Plant the cuttings into the soil. Image credit mikesbackyardnursary.com

Plant the cuttings into the soil. Image credit mikesbackyardnursary.com

  1. Cut the pieces of plant into sections.
  2. Make sure each section has a bud/eye
  3. Remove most of the leaves
  4. Plant the sections into the soil/sand/ or place in a container of water
  5. Place the mulberry sections upright into the soil/Plant the sugar can or sweet potato plant horizontally
  6. Make sure the that the sweet potato cuttings/sugar cane is covered with soil and make sure at least half the mulberry section is in the soil
  7. Record the number of cuttings you have planted
  8. Keep the soil moist over a period of weeks

Results

Shoots start to grow after a couple of weeks. Image credit waldeneffect.org

Shoots start to grow after a couple of weeks. Image credit waldeneffect.org

  • The cuttings develop roots and start to grow after a couple of weeks
  • Removing the leaves reduces the amount of water lost by the cuttings via transpiration
  • Plants grow from the buds thus resulting in more plants growing than the cuttings planted

To access more topics go to the Combined Science Notes page.