Seed/Spore Grown – Page 7 – The MagiK Garden

Seed/Spore Grown

I love growing plants from seed or spore. This is so much more exciting for me than clonal propagation (meaning division, stem cuttings, root cuttings, etc.). The former involves playing part in nurturing a brand new life, one that did not previously exist on this planet. Each offspring is genetically unique. Just like people, there is no person that has come before or will come after that is exactly like you with your genetic make-up. Clonal propagation is just making more of the same thing. I will also do clonal propagation if that is the only option (i.e. no viable seed available), but seed and spore hold the future in store.

Seed grown plants will often be more expensive than clonal, because there is so much more involved in growing them, and so much more that can go wrong. It takes time to harvest and clean seed, sow it, grow it out, care for the plant until it reaches a size that can be planted in the garden. Clonal propagation is much faster, and many nurseries utilize this to meet demand and keep the prices lower. The latter, however, does nothing to add more genetic diversity to the ecosystem.