A Closer Look at Plant Reproduction, Growth, and Ecology

A Closer Look at Plant Reproduction, Growth, and Ecology — page 7
A CLOSER LOOK AT PLANT REPRODUCTION Grow TH AND ECOLOGY Many garden plants reproduce more effi ciently from roots stems and leaves than from seeds which are a part of sexual repro duction Such vegetative reproduction has the advantage of producing larger plants more rapidly The potato seed for example is very small and develops into a small weak plant The potato itself though is actually a tuber a fleshy underground stem that contains a reserve supply of starch and pro duces a strong fast growing plant Vegetative reproduction enables plants to spread quickly over the area surrounding the parent plant Many weeds are difficult to control because they grow quickly using vegetative repro duction In addition to runners and tubers bulbs underground buds corms vertical underground stems and rhizomes horizon tal underground stems are other parts from which new plants may grow Cuttings also called slips are twigs branches or leaves cut from the parent plant and placed in soil sand or water In time new roots stems and leaves grow from the cuttings The willow tree geranium begonia and African violet are examples of plants that may be produced in this way A process called layering is used with certain trees and shrubs When a branch is bent down to touch the 12