What Are Some Common Types of Young Plants?
What Are Some Common Types of Young Plants?
As you start to think about planning your garden with young children, it’s important to know the different types of plants that are available. Some are a great source of learning, such as sunflowers and lamb’s ears, while others offer a fun sensory experience for kids.
The main characteristic that will distinguish a baby plant from an adult plant is size. They will be much smaller, like miniature versions of the adult plant.
Herbaceous Cuttings
Propagating young plants by cuttings is a quick and easy way to make new plants for your garden. Taking cuttings of your favorite flowering shrub or tree, or even a few leaves from an annual plant you’ve grown for years is as simple as using clean hand pruners, sterile potting soil and a pot with drainage holes.
Herbaceous Cuttings: Many popular houseplants, perennials and annuals are propagated by herbaceous cuttings. These include philodendron, Christmas and Thanksgiving cactus, jade, coleus, impatiens and geranium, ground covers like pachysandra and English ivy, and woody ornamentals such as magnolia and maple.
For these plants, prepare cuttings from the current season’s growth in the late spring to early summer. Select a softwood shoot that is at least 4 to 6 inches long and has several leaves. Bend the stem down to expose the roots, and select one or more roots that are about the thickness of a pencil.
Then, slice a small “wound” at the end of the cutting that will help it root at the sides instead of just down. Dip the base of the cutting in hormone rooting powder, shake off any excess and insert into a container filled with sterile potting soil. Place in an area where the temperature is warm and the humidity is high.
Water the cuttings as needed to keep the potting medium moist. Don’t let the cuttings get too dry, as that will cause them to rot.
Often, you’ll be able to tell the difference between plants that were grown from cuttings and those that were grown from seeds, because they have different genetic characteristics. For example, if the parent plant has variegated (multi-colored) foliage, the plants you grow from cuttings will have the same foliage, because their genes come from the original parent.
Herbaceous cuttings can be made on a variety of plants, although you will have the best results with the plant you’re propagating. Ideally, you’ll want to take cuttings from healthy, disease-free, bare-root plants. In addition, you’ll need a potting medium that has been composted and is nutrient rich. This will allow the cuttings to receive all the nutrients they need to start a new plant.
Adventitious Buds
Adventitious buds are those that develop on areas of a plant that normally do not receive bud formation. This includes roots, stems and leaves.
Many plants are propagated vegetatively through cuttings, layering or tissue culture. However, the roots and buds that form from these cuttings often have to be developed through an artificial process using plant hormones called auxins.
The most common type of vegetative propagation is by roots, where new plants are grown from the radicle or primary root. This can be done by exposing the rooted parts of a plant to soil, water or other moisture sources.
In this case, roots may become swollen near the tips, becoming tuberlike in shape. Other types of roots include obliquely swollen, fasciculated and nodulose roots.
Roots are also the source of a plant’s nutrients and can help it withstand extreme weather conditions and grow under difficult circumstances. Examples of plants with adventitious roots are Indian redwood, guava, Murray, turmeric and dahlia.
Some trees, such as poplar and willow, naturally produce shoots that are taller than the original plant stem. These shoots are usually cut to the ground to promote the growth of new roots, resulting in poles, fence material or firewood for fuel.
The shoots are then re-established through the production of numerous underground adventitious buds, which sprout under favorable conditions and form new plants. In this way, the plant is able to reproduce at a rapid pace without having to start from seed.
In Norway spruce, Picea abies (L.) Karst., resting vegetative buds were induced to form adventitious bud primordia by incubating them in medium containing cytokinin. This resulted in the formation of a number of meristems that developed de novo into adventitious buds.
This is a normal process in many species of trees, including spruce, oak and pine. These adventitious buds can persist for years within the cortical-cambial zone of a tree and remain connected back to the pith by means of a stele. They can re-initiate growth at any time in response to various stimuli. In addition, epicormic branches and bud clusters can also arise from the initiation of adventitious buds.
Rhizomes
A rhizome is an underground stem or a stem-like organ that sprouts from a plant’s nodes and sends out roots and shoots. They can be found on edible plants, grassy plants, and many ornamental garden plants.
Rhizomes are very common and can be a helpful type of young plant in many cases. They are often used to propagate new plants that are difficult to grow from above ground cuttings or bud formation, such as ginger and grama. They also provide an interesting option for a landscaped garden, where they can be planted in a single clump and remain green all year round.
When growing from a rhizome, it is important to plant the rhizome in a well-drained soil with lots of organic matter. If the rhizome is not planted correctly, it can rot and cause problems in the plant.
Some of the most popular types of rhizome-growing plants are bamboo, blackberries, bermudagrass, and trumpet creeper. They all spread aggressively in gardens if the soil is properly drained and there is plenty of light.
Other rhizome-growing plants, such as nandina and some clump-forming grasses, require little care once they’re planted, but they may only be confined to a small area of your garden. These are good choices for a gardener who wants a quick-growing plant but does not want to worry about weeding or watering.
Another common type of rhizome-growing plant is the ginger family, which includes the perennial genus Zingiberaceae and the annual genus Zingiber. These plants are often used to flavor foods, but they can also be grown as landscaping elements.
A rhizome is an underground structure that is rooted at its nodes and has short internodes. It is differentiated from a root by its absence of scale leaves at nodes and by the presence of axillary buds in the rhizome’s axils, which perform the function of food storage. It also has a zone of cell division, a zone of cell elongation, and a zone of cell maturation.
Subterranean Stems
The stem, also called the plant axis, is an important structure in plants. It conducts water and minerals, stores food, and supports leaves and flowers.
Stems can be vertical (such as a tree trunk) or horizontal, such as a grass rhizome. They are also modified into aerial forms to carry out tasks including climbing, food storage, vegetative proliferation, and protection.
A typical plant stem is made up of 8 parts: nodes, internodes, terminal or apical buds, lateral or axillary buds, petiole, and pedicel. They help in asexual reproduction via vegetative propagation and in the development of flowers and fruits.
Nodes, internodes, and lateral buds are located at the stem’s base or axils. These areas are where the stem begins to break into branches. Branches grow into leaves and produce fruit or flowers.
Generally, stems have no roots but may have small rootlike structures, called adventitious roots, growing near the stem’s base. This helps in keeping the stem anchored in place.
Another underground part of a plant is a bulb. A bulb is a modified stem with fleshy leaves that grow from the top of the stem and function as an underground storage unit, as in the iris.
Other underground stems include rhizomes, corms, and tubers. Rhizomes, for example, can spread to new locations and develop into clones. In addition, they can protect a spot to keep it cool and moist during periods of freezing weather or dryness.
Some underground stems are adapted for food storage, such as ginger. They can store large amounts of food under the ground surface and act as a source of nutrition in winter, when other resources may be limited.
Other underground stems are adapted to grow in different seasons and conditions, such as those of a tropical rainforest. These can be called perennation stems, since they are adapted for survival from one season to the next. They can be found in many wild species, especially in areas that are prone to extreme temperatures or drought.