Unusual propagation

If you enjoy Chinese takeaways, then keep the plastic food cartons, put compost in them, add boiling water to sterilize everything, then add spores, replace the lid and leave well alone for six months in a dark place. It won’t taste anything like the original food, but you will find that the spores have started to grow into seedlings.

This was one of many ways of propagating unusual plants that Colin Ward presented. He also gave a practical demonstration on how to take leaf cuttings, which reduced the time (sometimes many years) that plants took to naturally propagate. Other methods included keeping certain plant seeds in a freezer, to trick them into thinking that a winter had passed and so were ready to germinate.

The audience had hands-on opportunity in handling and inspecting the various trays of plants in different stages of growth. Colin also brought along mature plants from the Swines Meadow Farm Nursery.