Propagation is the term used to describe the process of plant reproduction. There are two categories of propagation, i.e. seminal and vegetative. Seminal propagation results from sowing seeds. Plants grown from seed are entirely unique and may differ from each other and from the parent plant. Vegetative propagation embraces all other techniques of reproduction such as cutting, grafting and layering and plants propagated in this manner are identical to their parents i.e. they are clones.
Cuttings
The terms softwood, semi-ripe and hardwood are to plant life the equivalent to the stages of infant, teenager and adult life in humans.
Softwood – is taken very early in the growing season, before there is any sign of hardening of the new shoots. They are green, both at the tip and base.
Semi-ripe – is taken at the end of the growing season when the tip of the stem is soft and…
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Solutions to the world’s food insecurity and environmental problems are numerous. Some suggest it is the not the lack of a solution that hampers progress in addressing hunger, climate change and natural resource scarcity but rather the difficulty in choosing the most
appropriate
solution.
The International Food Policy Research Institute recently launched the results of a new research project (Food Security in a World of Growing Natural Resource Scarcity: The Role of Agricultral Technologies), which assesses the likely impacts of agricultural technologies on global crop productivity, hunger and economic development. Showcasing the project, is an infographic, produced by IFPRI, which outlines:
The eleven agricultural innovations investigated
The data used
Global crop land was divided into cells, and data on physical characteristics such…
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Pigs’ Ears, “plakkies” (Afrikaans) Cotyledon orbiculata, fast-growing succulent is well known to gardeners, forms a low shrub and adds colour to the winter garden. Forms with handsome grey leaves provide year-round interest in the garden.
These are photographs of ones I planted in a garden 2 years ago. What a beautiful display they make. The brightly coloured flowers attract bees and birds, which feed on the nectar of the plant. The silver-grey leaves of some forms owe much of their attractive colouring to a powdery white coating which may assist in reflecting much of the sun’s heat to prevent excessive water loss from the thick succulent leaves.
Uses and cultural aspects
This is a well-known medicinal plant. The fleshy part of the leaf is applied by many South Africans to soften and remove hard corns and warts. The Southern Sotho use a dried leaf as a protective charm for an orphan…
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Nigel Boldero aka 'Old School Gardener'
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