Sowing directly in Greenplugs is becoming more and more popular. This method makes it easier to grade seedlings according to size at an early stage and to remove any plugs in which the seed hasn’t germinated. This may optimise the propagation process and the use of space. Transplanting or repotting seedlings grown in plugs moreover often takes less time than transplanting seedlings grown in trays, and it involves less risk of losses.
Paper pots and glued plugs are very suitable for rooting and raising plants from cuttings. Plugs with pre-dibbled or pre-drilled plant holes are clearly winning ground. And that’s not surprising: they save time and labour. Ever more cuttings are being produced and rooted in areas with a favourable climate and low wages, such as Africa. To minimise the costs of air transport, the plants are loaded into the planes as small as possible, and in as many as possible per tray. The very tender, lightly rooted...
Companies specialising in tissue culture multiply large numbers of plants in a short space of time by propagating plant parts and plant cells in artificial culture media. This is done in vitro under sterile conditions. Unlike with cuttings, the primary rooting often takes place in vitro too. Tissue-culture or in-vitro plants are nowadays used by thousands of growers. For some species, such as Lisianthus, orchids, lilies and various perennials, this is the most common form of propagation. A steadily increasing...