In article <CKw386.HIw at massey.ac.nz> CChristi at massey.ac.nz (C.B. Christie) writes:
>From: CChristi at massey.ac.nz (C.B. Christie)
>Subject: Suggestions for nursery and plant propagation practical exercises?
>Keywords: Plant propagation Nursery production
>Date: Tue, 8 Feb 1994 05:00:06 GMT
>Hi I see other writers getting ideas from this group so why not myself.
>I am planning the practicals that might be associated with the teaching
>of undergraduate students about nursery production (particularly
>outdoor) and advanced plant propagation.
We conducted a new and very successful grafting laboratory in my plant
propagation class this year using Hibiscus rosa-sinensis. In the past,
grafting lab has been a difficult one to teach since success with many
species requires a fair amount of practice. This year we stuck hibiscus
cuttings in March and by October had approx. 1 meter tall whips for
each student. Since cuttings came from 3 cultivars
differing in flower color, students could intergraft various combinations of
pink, yellow and red flowering stocks and scions. A considerable variety of
techinques worked in the 80 to 90% success range, including top wedge
graft, whip and tongue graft, T-bud, chip bud, etc. In many cases students
took home multicolored flowering plants at Christmas break. I don't know
if this is "advanced" enough, but it works well, and gives a student the
positive reinforcement which only comes with success.
