HOME AND GARDEN HORTICULTURE EXAM WITH
VERIFIED SOLUTIONS #13
Cuttage Definition - correct answer The process of propagating plants from separate
vegetative parts.
Cuttage: Types of cuttings - correct answer Herbaceous, Softwood, Hardwood
Cutting length - correct answer 3-5" for herbaceous
6-8" for softwood/hardwood.
Cuttage: Nodes - correct answer Minimum of 2 nodes needed
-Can cut leaves in half to reduce the amount of water going out.
-Remove any attached flowers
Cuttage: Factors Affecting Rooting - correct answer •Age of stock plant (cone of
juvenility)
•Application of auxins
-Auxin is a naturally occurring plant chemical that causes roots to form.
•Carbohydrates
•Mineral nutrients in stock plant
•Flowers buds present/absent
•Proper moisture/aeration
-In rooting medium and in surrounding atmosphere
•Light
•Temperature (top of cutting vs. Bottom)
-Keep bottom warmer (stimulate mitosis) and top cooler (slow down transpiration and
respiration from burning off sugars).
•Wounding - Making a cut at the bottom of a plant (to clean off outside bark layer) to
expose the cambium (growing point) which will create adventitious roots.
•Time of year when cutting is taken
-Deciduous = fall/winter when dormant
-Narrowleaf evergreens = fall/winter when dormant (like yew bush)
-Herbaceous - in spring when there is new growth
-Broadleaf evergreens = summer when active (like holly)
Age of stock plant (cone of juvenility) - correct answer The chronologically oldest part of
the plant retains its juvenile characteristics.
Auxins - correct answer Stimulate stem elongation, root growth, branching, and cell
differentiation
Rooting: Time of year - correct answer •Woody plants
-Deciduous best in fall/winter when dormant
-Narrow-leaved evergreens - best in fall/winter
, -Pine
-Broadleaved evergreens - best in summer
-Rhododendron
•Herbaceous
-Take during spring with new growth
-Best to cut with a knife, not scissors
Type of Cuttings - correct answer Herbaceous
-Tip Cutting (cutting top of plant (apical meristem))
-Leaf-bud cutting (had a node, bud, and leaf)
-Leaf cutting (limited to only a few plants
Like begonia and African violet)
-Leaf dipped in rooting powder will not grow
Woody
-Tip Cutting
Importance of sanitary conditions when taking cuttings - correct answer Sterile/clean
containers
-Clean tray with a 10% - 20% bleach solution
-Darker the container, the better the root will grow.
Importance of labeling when taking cuttings - correct answer You might think you know
what the plants are when you're preparing them, but if the cuttings take a few months to
grow roots, and you prepare cuttings of other plants, what are the chances of telling
them apart?
Importance of rooting medium (drainage and aeration) when rooting cuttings - correct
answer •Vermiculite and Perlite or sand or water
-Propagating medium needs to be well-draining to provide sufficient aeration to grow
roots. If it is anaerobic (no air), the roots will rot
-Only a few plants will grow roots if the cuttings are placed in a container of water.
Importance of auxin application - correct answer Powders such as Rootone or
Hormodin or liquids such as Dip 'n Gro
-Talc-based products have the advantage of being less toxic, more sanitary than the
liquid formulations and quicker and easier to apply. These factors may ultimately make
powders more cost effective
Layerage - correct answer Process of forming roots on a stem that is still attached to a
plant
Layerage: Pros and Cons - correct answer Pros: Renew an existing plant. Direct energy
from "mother" plant
Cons: Results in limited numbers of plants. Disease transmitted to new plant
, Layerage Types - correct answer Tip-layering
Simple layering
Mound layering
Air layering
Tip-layering - correct answer -Tip of shoot inserted into ground upside down
-Often done with raspberries and other brambles).
Simple layering - correct answer -6" of tip is exposed. Wired and staked.
-Done in spring.
-Used on narrow-leaved evergreens
Mound layering - correct answer AKA Stooling
-Used on low-branching shrubs
-Mound up dirt over existing base. Creates new rooted shoots.
-Ex. Dogwood shrub
Air layering - correct answer -To rejuvenate a "leggy" woody shrub or houseplant.
•Girdle stem (cut phloem and cambium) - ONLY POSSIBLE WITH DICOT!
•Treat wound with rooting power - can use a paint brush
•Wrap in moist sphagnum moss (from peat bogs in Canada)
-Soak in lukewarm water over night
•Wrap in plastic
•Wrap in aluminum foil - to keep light out!
Division - correct answer Mostly of herbaceous perennials with a crown ( = a cluster of
stems like Hosta),
Or that spread by rhizomes or stolons (like grasses, etc.)
Division of bulbs - correct answer To maintain vigor of mother bulb and avoid
competition
•Amaryllis are easy to grow - flowers 2-3 months after planted with watering
-After 1st year, daughter bulbs grow and compete with mother bulb. Eventually no
flowers will grow if daughter bulbs are not removed.
•Tunicate bulb = solid layers of fleshy leaves surrounding a stem plate
Bulblet - correct answer small bulb or bulb-shaped growth arising from the leaf axil or in
the place of flowers
Graftage - correct answer Inserting a part of one plant into or on another so that they
can unite and continue growth as a single plant
Scion - correct answer The upper part of a graft.
Detached shoot with more then one bud.
VERIFIED SOLUTIONS #13
Cuttage Definition - correct answer The process of propagating plants from separate
vegetative parts.
Cuttage: Types of cuttings - correct answer Herbaceous, Softwood, Hardwood
Cutting length - correct answer 3-5" for herbaceous
6-8" for softwood/hardwood.
Cuttage: Nodes - correct answer Minimum of 2 nodes needed
-Can cut leaves in half to reduce the amount of water going out.
-Remove any attached flowers
Cuttage: Factors Affecting Rooting - correct answer •Age of stock plant (cone of
juvenility)
•Application of auxins
-Auxin is a naturally occurring plant chemical that causes roots to form.
•Carbohydrates
•Mineral nutrients in stock plant
•Flowers buds present/absent
•Proper moisture/aeration
-In rooting medium and in surrounding atmosphere
•Light
•Temperature (top of cutting vs. Bottom)
-Keep bottom warmer (stimulate mitosis) and top cooler (slow down transpiration and
respiration from burning off sugars).
•Wounding - Making a cut at the bottom of a plant (to clean off outside bark layer) to
expose the cambium (growing point) which will create adventitious roots.
•Time of year when cutting is taken
-Deciduous = fall/winter when dormant
-Narrowleaf evergreens = fall/winter when dormant (like yew bush)
-Herbaceous - in spring when there is new growth
-Broadleaf evergreens = summer when active (like holly)
Age of stock plant (cone of juvenility) - correct answer The chronologically oldest part of
the plant retains its juvenile characteristics.
Auxins - correct answer Stimulate stem elongation, root growth, branching, and cell
differentiation
Rooting: Time of year - correct answer •Woody plants
-Deciduous best in fall/winter when dormant
-Narrow-leaved evergreens - best in fall/winter
, -Pine
-Broadleaved evergreens - best in summer
-Rhododendron
•Herbaceous
-Take during spring with new growth
-Best to cut with a knife, not scissors
Type of Cuttings - correct answer Herbaceous
-Tip Cutting (cutting top of plant (apical meristem))
-Leaf-bud cutting (had a node, bud, and leaf)
-Leaf cutting (limited to only a few plants
Like begonia and African violet)
-Leaf dipped in rooting powder will not grow
Woody
-Tip Cutting
Importance of sanitary conditions when taking cuttings - correct answer Sterile/clean
containers
-Clean tray with a 10% - 20% bleach solution
-Darker the container, the better the root will grow.
Importance of labeling when taking cuttings - correct answer You might think you know
what the plants are when you're preparing them, but if the cuttings take a few months to
grow roots, and you prepare cuttings of other plants, what are the chances of telling
them apart?
Importance of rooting medium (drainage and aeration) when rooting cuttings - correct
answer •Vermiculite and Perlite or sand or water
-Propagating medium needs to be well-draining to provide sufficient aeration to grow
roots. If it is anaerobic (no air), the roots will rot
-Only a few plants will grow roots if the cuttings are placed in a container of water.
Importance of auxin application - correct answer Powders such as Rootone or
Hormodin or liquids such as Dip 'n Gro
-Talc-based products have the advantage of being less toxic, more sanitary than the
liquid formulations and quicker and easier to apply. These factors may ultimately make
powders more cost effective
Layerage - correct answer Process of forming roots on a stem that is still attached to a
plant
Layerage: Pros and Cons - correct answer Pros: Renew an existing plant. Direct energy
from "mother" plant
Cons: Results in limited numbers of plants. Disease transmitted to new plant
, Layerage Types - correct answer Tip-layering
Simple layering
Mound layering
Air layering
Tip-layering - correct answer -Tip of shoot inserted into ground upside down
-Often done with raspberries and other brambles).
Simple layering - correct answer -6" of tip is exposed. Wired and staked.
-Done in spring.
-Used on narrow-leaved evergreens
Mound layering - correct answer AKA Stooling
-Used on low-branching shrubs
-Mound up dirt over existing base. Creates new rooted shoots.
-Ex. Dogwood shrub
Air layering - correct answer -To rejuvenate a "leggy" woody shrub or houseplant.
•Girdle stem (cut phloem and cambium) - ONLY POSSIBLE WITH DICOT!
•Treat wound with rooting power - can use a paint brush
•Wrap in moist sphagnum moss (from peat bogs in Canada)
-Soak in lukewarm water over night
•Wrap in plastic
•Wrap in aluminum foil - to keep light out!
Division - correct answer Mostly of herbaceous perennials with a crown ( = a cluster of
stems like Hosta),
Or that spread by rhizomes or stolons (like grasses, etc.)
Division of bulbs - correct answer To maintain vigor of mother bulb and avoid
competition
•Amaryllis are easy to grow - flowers 2-3 months after planted with watering
-After 1st year, daughter bulbs grow and compete with mother bulb. Eventually no
flowers will grow if daughter bulbs are not removed.
•Tunicate bulb = solid layers of fleshy leaves surrounding a stem plate
Bulblet - correct answer small bulb or bulb-shaped growth arising from the leaf axil or in
the place of flowers
Graftage - correct answer Inserting a part of one plant into or on another so that they
can unite and continue growth as a single plant
Scion - correct answer The upper part of a graft.
Detached shoot with more then one bud.
