Cutting and Pinching, part 1
roots. E.g. roots form at the previously dormant auxiliary buds further down the stem or at the callus which will have formed at the base of the wound.
Essence - if severed from its foundation, the plant is capable of re-generating roots.
The Horn of Plenty
When we as gardeners wish to propagate plants we can make use of these stress response mechanisms and make them work to our advantage.
A growing tip can be removed from a plant and induced to root thus creating another plant. The parent plant will respond to the stress of having the growing point removed by inducing dormant buds to grow into new growing points. These growing points can eventually be pinched out again creating more new plants and further stimulating the formation of yet more growing points.. How many plants do you need ?
Bedding plants may stretch indoors in low light conditions. Pinching back the long stems will produce compact well branched plants with many growing points and flowers which improve performance outdoors.
Commercial Use of Plant Hormones
The two hormones are also used commercially by growers to improve the quality of plant production. Cytokinins are used by the greenhouse industry to induce branching in conifers eliminating need for manual pinching. Auxins are used in rooting hormones which will facilitate rooting of "hard-to-root" cuttings.
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Sources used:
- "Control Systems in Plants", Robert Traux, course outline section 33.
- "Just A Pinch Can Work Wonders", Thomas T. Watson, Gardenguides.com article.
- "Understanding Pruning", Brent Walston, Evergreengardenworks.com article.
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