Download B0910A Meet the Plants Unit 1 - Member`s Guide

Pennsylvania 4-H Plant Science
Meet the
Plants
Unit One • Member’s Guide
College of Agricultural Sciences • Cooperative Extension
Contents
Lesson/Meeting 1: What Are Plants? ......................... 3
Lesson/Meeting 2: Parts of a Plant ............................. 9
Lesson/Meeting 3: Uses of Plants .............................. 18
Lesson/Meeting 4: How Plants Grow ....................... 23
Lesson/Meeting 5: Plant Propagation ...................... 27
Record and Review ....................................................... 34
Sharing with Others .................................................... 37
Roundup Projects ......................................................... 38
Measure Your Progress ............................................... 38
eetings
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f
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Ap
Date
1st meeting
2nd meeting
3rd meeting
4th meeting
5th meeting
6th meeting
Time and place
What is planned
What I am to do
Welcome to the world of plants!
This project will show you many fun and interesting ways to learn about plants.
You will find out what plants are, how they grow, and how they are used.
Why do we need to know about plants? Because we share the earth
with them, and we depend on them for food, clothing, shelter, and
beauty. The science and art of growing fruits, vegetables, and
ornamental plants is called horticulture.
✔Place a checkmark next to each topic as you study it.
1. What Are Plants? (pages 3-8)
❏ Seaweed
❏ Moss
❏ Fungi
❏ Ferns
❏ Gymnosperms
❏ Angiosperms
2. Parts of a Plant (pages 9-17)
❏ Roots
❏ Stems
❏ Leaves
❏ Flowers
❏ Seeds
3. Uses of Plants (pages 18-22)
❏ Food
❏ Fiber
❏ Decoration
❏ Protection
❏ Environment
4. How Plants Grow (pages 23-26)
❏ Green plants
❏ Other plants
5. Plant Propagation (pages 27-32)
❏ Cutting
❏ Layering
❏ Division
❏ Seeding
Other things to do:
1. Record-keeping (page 34)
❏ Keeping records is a good way to show what you have learned. Neatness,
completeness, and correct spelling are important. If you are unsure of what is
expected, ask your leader, teacher, or parents.
2. Help others learn (see Sharing with Others, page 37)
❏ Show someone in your family something you have learned in this project.
❏ Show another 4-H member something you have learned in this project.
❏ Show someone other than a 4-H member or family member something you have
learned in this project.
3. Roundup (page 38)
❏ Complete project book and records.
❏ Exhibit something you have done from this project book.
Meet the symbols...
The following symbols indicate either a written activity or an experiment.
Question and answer activity
2
Experiment or investigation
Lesson/Meeting 1:
What Are Plants?
You probably imagine a plant as a green-leafed thing with roots and flowers. But
mushrooms are plants, and they aren’t green. A cactus is a plant that doesn’t have
leaves, and a fern is a plant that doesn’t have flowers.
As you look more closely at the plant world, you will learn that in many ways plants
are very different from one another. In other ways they are very much alike. The
things they have in common are what help us to group them together and give them
names. Let’s learn about six of these groups from our plant world.
Algae
Some plants grow in water or in damp places on land. These are algae (AL-JEE). The
largest algae, which live in the sea, are known as seaweed. They can grow to be more
than 150 feet long. You may see seaweed if you visit a beach.
Activity 1: Seaweed Match
Match the seaweed to its name. Write each name on the lines below.
• Mermaid’s wineglass
• Palm seaweed
• Sea lettuce
Name
Name
Name
3
Mosses
Mosses are tiny green plants that grow on damp ground. They grow so closely together
that they look like a mat. New moss plants grow from tiny spores that come out of a
case held above the plant by a stalk. Moss can be found in forests and other shady
places.
Moss (with spore case)
Fungi
Mushrooms are plants in the fungi (FUN-JI) group. They’re not green and they don’t
have roots or leaves. Members of the fungi group also grow from spores. Here are some
common fungi you may find growing in a forest or field.
Bracket
fungus
Mushrooms
4
Tree
bark
Activity 2: Spore Prints
Make a spore print and see how beautiful
nature’s designs can be.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
• Three mushrooms, stems removed
• 3 x 5 card
• Plastic cup
WHAT YOU WILL DO:
• Place the mushrooms on the card, round sides up.
• Cover with the cup and let them sit undisturbed for 48 hours.
• Lift the cup and mushrooms carefully to see the spore print left behind.
Some fungi we eat and others we don’t. The unhealthy kinds sometimes grow as mold
on food.
Activity 3: Mold Gardening
Grow mold and observe its spores.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
• Piece of bread
• Jar with a lid or a zip-lock sandwich bag
• Magnifying glass
WHAT YOU WILL DO:
• Lightly moisten the bread and place it in the closed jar.
• Keep it in a warm, dark place.
• Check closely each day for fuzzy growth. This is what mold looks like (Figure A).
• The circles on top of the strands are spore cases (Figure B). See what you can see
under a microscope.
Figure A
Figure B
5
Ferns
Ferns have leaves called fronds. These grow from the ground and are rolled up tightly
into a fiddlehead. Fiddleheads look like the curled end of a violin (Figure A). You may
see fiddleheads growing when you walk in the woods in springtime. Ferns form spores
in clusters on the undersides of the fronds (Figure B).
Spores
Figure A
Figure B
Gymnosperms
Gymnosperms (JIM-NO-SPERMS) are also called conifers (CON-I-FERS). These are
plants whose branches form cones with seeds inside. Because most gymnosperms keep
their leaves all winter, they are known as evergreens. Pines have long, needlelike
leaves. Firs have short needles. Cedar and juniper needles look more like overlapping
scales.
Activity 4: Evergreen Match
Draw a line from the conifer to its name.
Pine
Cedar
Fir
6
Angiosperms
Some plants produce flowers and fleshy fruits or dry pods that have seeds inside.
Scientists call these plants angioperms (AN-JEE-OH-SPERMS). Because we eat their
fruit and enjoy their flowers, we will learn the most about them here.
Dry pod
Seed
Seed
Fleshy fruit
Orange
Milkweed
Activity 5: Seeds from the Kitchen
After eating fruit, give those seeds a new life.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
• Seeds from avocado, melon, pumpkin,
or squash
• Potting containers
• Potting mix
• Labels
• Three toothpicks (for avocado)
• Small jar of water
WHAT YOU WILL DO:
•
•
•
•
•
Fill the containers with potting mix, leaving 1/4 inch of space at the top.
Push the melon, pumpkin, and squash seeds 1/4 inch deep.
Cover seeds with potting mix.
On the labels write your name, the seed name, and the date.
Push three toothpicks around the outside of the avocado pit, 1/2 inch below the
pointed tip.
• Prop the pit in the jar, making sure the fatter part of the pit remains down and in
water.
• Record growth on page 34.
7
WHAT WILL HAPPEN:
• Growth will begin in 2-10 weeks.
• Water seedlings whenever the potting mix no longer feels moist to the touch. Repot
the seedlings when the first set of true leaves forms.
• When the first leaves of the avocado pit form, you can pot the plant in a container.
Activity 6: A Quick Review
1. List three plants, other than orange and milkweed, that produce pods or fleshy
fruits which cover the seeds.
a)
b)
c)
2. What do scientists call this group of plants?
3. Why do you think this group is so important to us?
4. What plant groups like to live in water or damp places?
5. What plant groups produce spores?
8
Lesson/Meeting 2:
Parts of a plant
Plants are somewhat like people. We need food and water to make the tissues of our
organs and muscles work together. This keeps us alive and growing. Plants also need
food and water to live and grow. They have different parts that we know as roots,
stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits.
Roots
Did you ever try to pull a plant from the ground? The roots hold the plant in the
ground just as our feet support us on the ground. The root may be a large, single one
with smaller branches or a system of many branches.
Activity 1: Roots
Name a plant with this root system:
Name a plant with this root system:
The other job of roots is to take in water and minerals from the soil. This occurs
through the thin walls of tiny hairs found on roots.
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Activity 2: Sponge Farming: A Closer Look at Roots
Take a close look at the root hairs of radish sprouts.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
• 1 teaspoon of radish seeds soaked in water overnight
• Clean sponge
• Saucer of water
WHAT YOU WILL DO:
• Set the sponge in the saucer of water.
• Sprinkle the seeds on top of the sponge.
• Keep adding water to the saucer as the level goes down.
• In 24 hours you can see fuzzy roots appear. With a magnifying glass, look closely at
the root hairs.
Activity 3: Root Recycling
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
• One 11/2-inch slice of root top, including
stems and leaves, if present, from a carrot,
beet, or turnip; or use a whole sweet potato.
• Jar (or shallow saucer) filled with water
• Toothpicks
WHAT YOU WILL DO:
• Stick three toothpicks around the outside of
each root slice.
• Prop root top with toothpicks on the rim of
the jar, keeping the cut end of the root top
in water. Or set the root top in the saucer so
that its bottom half stays in water.
• Change the water every other day.
Carrot
WHAT WILL HAPPEN:
• Roots will appear in 2-8 weeks.
• These may be planted in potting mix and
raised as houseplants. Carrots grow lacy,
fernlike foliage; beets grow dark green, redveined leaves; turnips grow curly, light green
leaves; sweet potatoes grow trailing vines.
Sweet potato
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Stems
The roots carry water and minerals from the soil to the stem. Stems are made of many
tiny cells that have different uses. Some stem cells carry the water upward to other
plant parts. In many plants, the main stem and its branches support the leaves,
flowers, and fruits.
Activity 4: Plant Plumbing
Watch how water moves from the plant’s bottom to its top.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
• Celery stalk, the bottom 1/2 inch cut off
• 1/2 cup of water
• 20 drops of red food coloring
• Sharp, clean cutting tool
WHAT YOU WILL DO:
• Add food coloring to water.
• Place the cut end of the stalk in water.
• Observe in two hours.
• Cut a diagonal slice of stalk and look closely
at the water-carrying tubes.
• In the space at right, draw what you see in the
celery stalk. Use a red crayon or pencil to show
where the food coloring is.
Looking Closer . . . Patriotic Celery
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
• Stalk of celery, sliced from the bottom and halfway up, two times
(see drawing)
• 3 cups half-filled with water
• 20 drops of red food coloring and 20 drops of blue food coloring
WHAT YOU WILL DO:
• Add the red coloring to one glass and the blue
coloring to another.
• Put one piece of celery stalk into the red water, one
piece into the blue water, and one piece into the clear water.
• In two hours, look at the change in the stem and leaves.
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Types of Stems
Stems may be thin, like wheat, or thick, like tree trunks. Some stems twist and turn as
vines do. Some stem cells help to support the plant. Vines have special support devices
on the stems, called tendrils, that hold on to objects and
help the plant stay upright.
Special types of stems creep along the ground, like ivy
and strawberry (stolons), or grow underground like
tulip (bulb), iris (rhizome), and white potato (tuber).
Underground stems usually have many storage cells
where food is kept. When the plant needs this food,
it is available.
Potato tuber
Strawberry stolon
Leaves
The water-carrying tubes continue from the stem into the plant’s leaves through a
stalk, called a petiole. The tubes branch out into smaller veins so that water may get to
all parts of the leaf. This water then reacts with air in the leaf and with sunshine in a
chemical process that makes the plant grow. The process is called photosynthesis
(FOE-TOE-SIN-THU-SIS).
The veins in leaves look different in all plants. Some look like fingers and come
together at the “palm.” This pattern is called palmate. Other kinds of veins resemble
pins sticking out from one middle vein. This pattern is pinnate. In leaves where the
veins are next to one another and run from the bottom to the top of the leaf, the veins
are parallel.
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Activity 5: Leaf Match
Draw a line from the vein pattern to the leaf it describes.
Pinnate
Palmate
Parallel
Activity 6: New Life for a Leaf
Create a new life for leaves by collecting them and mounting them in a leaf
collection.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
• Old telephone book
• Heavy books
• Glue
• Poster board or notebook
WHAT YOU WILL DO:
• Find as many leaves as you can with different vein patterns and edges.
• Place them individually between pages of the phone book weighed down with
books.
• Remove leaves after one week and glue onto paper.
• Get help with plant names from adults and books.
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Underground Leaves
Some plants have leaves that form underground. These are
bulbs. The leaves are fleshy scales that store plant food
through the cold months. In the spring, when the
plant begins to grow again, it uses this stored food.
The stem is a small, flat plate with dried roots at the
bottom.
Activity 7: Plant a Bulb
Leaves
Stem
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
• Bulb, such as onion, tulip, daffodil,
or lily
• Container 1 inch larger across the top
than the bulb
• Potting mix to fill the container
Root
WHAT YOU WILL DO:
• Fill the container halfway with potting mix.
• Gently press the bulb into the mix. Fill the container more so that one-third of the
bulb is sticking out.
• Leave 1/2 inch of space at the top of the container so that there is room for watering.
• Touch the top of the potting mix each day to be sure it feels moist. Add 1/2 cup of
water if it doesn’t.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN:
• In 7-21 days green growth will show.
Flowers
We like looking at flowers and smelling their scent. Some flowers play a part in
making new plants. Flowers bear seeds, and seeds produce baby plants.
There are many kinds of flowers. Some have brightly colored petals and are highly
scented, like orchids and roses, while others, like grass and tree flowers, are hardly
noticeable.
Just as people need a father and mother to make a child, flowers have male and female
parts to make seeds. The male parts, called the stamens, surround the female part,
called the pistil, and produce a powdery material called pollen. The pollen must reach
the pistil for seeds to develop. Insects, like the honeybee, carry the pollen to flowers.
Wind can also carry pollen to flowers.
14
Activity 8: Label the Flower Parts
Lily flower
Fruit
As the seed forms, the pistil begins to swell. By the time the seed is fully grown inside
the swollen pistil, the pistil has become either hard and dry, like a pea pod, or fleshy,
like an apple or cherry. The swollen pistil with the seeds inside is the fruit. Some
fleshy fruits are apples and cherries. Some hard and dry fruits are peas and beans.
FLESHY FRUITS
(APPLE)
Fruit
Flower
HARD, DRY FRUITS
(PEA)
Flower
Fruit (dry pod)
15
Activity 9: Firm or Fleshy Fruit
In the spaces below, write whether each fruit is fleshy, or hard and dry.
Cucumber
Maple
Cherry
Seeds
Seeds are covered with coats to protect them. Inside a seed
are seed leaves and a baby plant. The seed leaves are the
food for the baby plant when it begins to grow. The baby
plant needs warmth and water to begin growing. We call
this growth sprouting.
At first, the seed absorbs water until it swells. Then the
coat softens and the root comes out, pushing down into the
soil. The seed leaves push up above the ground. As the
seedling grows larger, its first true leaves form. The seed
leaves shrivel and fall off.
True leaves
Seed leaves
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Looking Closer . . . Take a Seed Apart
Identify basic seed parts.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
• Lima bean seeds
• Container of water
• Small sharp knife
WHAT YOU WILL DO:
• Soak seeds in water for at least four hours.
• Split seeds in half.
• Identify these parts (check ✔ the ones you can identify):
❏ Seed coat
❏ Embryo
❏ Seed leaves
Activity 10: Sprouting Seeds for Food
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
• Quart jar
• Rubberband
• Cloth to fit across jar top (cheesecloth
or clean nylon stocking)
• 2 tablespoons of alfalfa seeds
• Bowl
WHAT YOU WILL DO:
• Put 1 inch of water in the jar.
• Add seeds and cover with the cloth. Place the rubberband around the rim of the jar
to hold the cloth in place.
• After 24 hours, pour out the water without removing the cloth.
• Fill up the jar with fresh water to rinse the seeds and pour out through the cloth as
much as possible. Do this two times a day.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN:
• In 3-5 days tiny leaves will form.
• Remove the sprouts from the jar and place in a large bowl filled with water. Seed
coats will float to the surface. Pour this water out.
• Drain sprouts well. Eat with salads or in sandwiches as you would lettuce. Store in
the refrigerator for up to a week.
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Lesson/Meeting 3:
Uses of Plants
People use plant products every day. You wouldn’t be alive and reading these words if
there were no plants on the earth. Look around you right now and see if you can list
10 things made of plant products:
1.
6.
2.
7.
3.
8.
4.
9.
5.
10.
Plants give us food and fiber; they also keep our environment clean and nice to look
at. Most of what you probably listed belongs in the food category. After all, we eat
three meals a day and probably snack in between. Plants use water, gases, and soil
minerals to make new cells. By eating plant roots, flowers, stems, leaves, and seeds, we
get the vitamins and minerals we need to grow.
Plants as Food: Making the Connection
Activity 1: Parts We Eat
Below are the names of some foods we get from plant parts. Complete each list by
adding the names of other foods from these plant parts. Refer to the previous section
on plant parts if you need help.
LEAVES
FLOWERS
ROOTS
Example: lettuce
Example: broccoli
Example: beet
FRUITS
SEEDS
STEMS
Example: peach
Example: pea
Example: asparagus
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Activity 2: Food for Thought
Keep a list of everything you eat and drink in one day that comes from a plant. Using
your list write the names of five foods in the following spaces. List what plant part
these foods come from.
FOOD
PLANT PART
Many food products come from plants that have been processed in some way. Oils are
pressed from the seeds of cotton, corn, soybeans, and olives to make cooking oils.
Kernels from wheat are ground fine into a flour that we use in cereals, baked goods,
and pasta. Other seeds are dried and we find them in the spice rack. The labels say
caraway seed, sesame seed, and mustard seed. Coffee is made from roasted coffee seeds.
Apples and tomatoes are fruits we eat in processed forms. We drink apple cider and eat
applesauce. Tomatoes are made into juice, paste, and sauces. Other processes give us
ginger ale, cola, tea, vanilla, and wine.
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Activity 3: Kitchen Treasure Hunt . . .
More Food for Thought
Explore your kitchen cupboard and
refrigerator, or visit a supermarket.
Read labels on containers to find out
which plants were used in processing the
product. Then list below four products, the
plant from which they’ve been
processed, the plant part used, and the
process involved.
FOOD PRODUCT
PLANT
PLANT PART
PROCESS
(cooked, dried, frozen)
Example: bread
Wheat
Seed
Ground
Tomato sauce
We’re still not done in the kitchen! Without plants we would not have beef, sausage,
chicken, ham, or bacon to eat. If you explore your refrigerator more closely, you may
find eggs, milk, cream, butter, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream. All these foods came
from animals that eat plants for food. Chickens, pigs, cows, and sheep eat grains and
hay, which are dried seeds and stems from corn, oats, alfalfa, and clover.
Environment
The environment is what is around us. It can be everything in our bedroom,
everything in our neighborhood, or everything on earth.
Plants have interesting shapes, colors, and scents that make us feel good. Their natural
beauty improves our yards, homes, and workplaces.
Some plants do things for our environment besides providing beauty. They filter the
air we breathe. In Lesson 2 we read how leaves react with water, air, and sunshine in a
process called photosynthesis. As plants carry out photosynthesis, they take from the air
gases that could poison us. Plants turn these gases into oxygen, which we need for life.
Grass holds soil in place so that it doesn’t get carried away by wind and water. If all the
soil were washed into rivers and oceans, we wouldn’t have anything in which to grow
20
food. Trees provide shade to reduce temperatures and protect people and animals
from wind.
Besides taking care of our food and environmental needs,
plants provide a living space for wildlife. Animals are
important companions to us on earth. Without
plants, animals would disappear.
Some plants in our environment aren’t
useful to us at all, and you should know
about them as well. Some, like poison
ivy, are poisonous if eaten or touched.
Plants we call weeds grow where we
don’t want them to grow. Put a
checkmark ✔ next to the following
plants that are weeds:
❏
Maple tree growing through a
living room floor
❏
❏
Rose bush growing in a cornfield
Tulip growing in a flower bed
Fiber and Chemicals
While you’re exploring your house, you can learn about two other things we make
from plants: fiber and chemicals.
Spinning, weaving, and pressing are ways of turning plant fiber into usable objects. We
weave vines into baskets, ropes, and rugs. We spin cotton seed fiber into fabrics for
clothing, rugs, and upholstery. Wooden furniture, floors, pencils, and houses were once
the stems of trees. The paper you are looking at is made from plant fiber. In your
garage or basement there may be containers of paint, oil, glue, insecticides, dye, wax,
and turpentine. All these products come from plants.
21
Activity 4: A Personal Space
Use your imagination and creativity to design a pleasant place that you enjoy.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
• Crayons or colored pencils
• Scissors
• Old magazines and seed catalogs
• Tape or glue
WHAT YOU WILL DO:
• Draw a picture of a favorite place of yours (a room, a park, your yard).
• Find pictures of plants and flowers from seed catalogs and magazines. Cut and paste
them to make your picture.
• Label all the items in your picture that come from plants.
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Lesson/Meeting 4:
How Plants Grow
Plants are like us in some ways. They need certain things in order to live and grow, as
we do. The things we need to survive are water, air, and food. When we get thirsty we
go to a sink, turn on the water, and drink. We inhale air into our lungs to get oxygen.
We eat fruits, vegetables, meats, and grains to get vitamins and minerals that will
build cells in our bodies and give us energy to move and play.
Plants need water, air, and food. Earlier you learned that roots drink or absorb water
and nutrients from the soil. These are carried through the stem to veins in the leaves.
Leaves don’t have lungs. They have small openings or pores on their surfaces to allow
air in and out. Instead of oxygen they use another gas in the air, carbon dioxide.
Green Plants
Green plants don’t have a stomach for getting vitamins and minerals, but they do
have leaves that act as factories for making food. These “leaf factories” use water,
nutrients from the soil, and carbon dioxide from the air as raw materials. The sun
supplies plants with the energy they need to turn carbon dioxide and water into sugar.
All this sugar production goes on in the green cells of leaves. As you learned in Lesson
2, this process is called photosynthesis.
Sugar is the “product” plants use to grow bigger. Factories give off black smoke as
by-products. Plants give off water and oxygen during photosynthesis.
Activity 1: Breathe Deep
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
• Hand mirror
• Potted plant with large, thin leaves such as
coleus, bean, lettuce
• Plastic bag
23
WHAT YOU WILL DO:
• Exhale hard on the mirror. What do you see?
• Make sure plant is well watered.
• Cover plant with clear plastic fastened around base of stem.
• Check in 6, 12, and 24 hours. What do you see?
A Plant Factory at Work
1. Soil water and nutrients are absorbed
and sent to leaves.
2. Carbon dioxide enters leaf pores.
3. Water, carbon dioxide, and light combine
to produce sugars in the leaf.
4. Some sugar is used for the growth of
different plant parts, and some gets stored.
5. Water vapor and oxygen are
released into the air.
5
3
2
4
1
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Activity 2: Plant Needs
Discover what plants need to survive.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
•
•
•
•
•
Four small bean plants
Four popsicle sticks
Petroleum jelly
Water
Piece of paper and pins
WHAT YOU WILL DO:
• Mark popsicle sticks with a #1, #2, #3, #4, and stick one in
each pot.
• Spread petroleum thickly on all stems and leaves (top and
bottom) of plant #1. Place in a sunny location.
• Cover the leaves of plant #2 by pinning the paper over the leaf top
and bottom.
• Place plants #3 and #4 in a sunny location.
• Water all plants except for plant #4 when soil feels dry to the touch.
• Compare plants after one week.
PLANT
TREATMENT
LACKING
#1
Petroleum jelly
Air
#2
Leaves, covered
Light
#3
Air, water, sun
Nothing
#4
No water
Water
DESCRIBE HOW THEY LOOK
Which plant looks healthiest?
What does this tell you about plant needs?
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Mushrooms
Some plants aren’t green, so they are unable to produce their own food. They get their
nutrients from things that were once living. You may see mushrooms growing on a
rotting tree trunk. The parts of the mushroom that we can eat are the stalk and cap.
The stalk resembles a stem, and the cap resembles, well, a cap. Under the cap are gills
where spores form.
If you could dig into the rotting wood, you would find what seems like a lot of white
thread growing throughout. This thread, called mycelium (MY-SEEL-E-UM), is like a
root that spreads through the plant’s food source.
Activity 3: Know Your Mushrooms
Label the parts of this mushroom:
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Lesson/Meeting 5:
Plant Propagation
Growing a whole new plant from one plant part is called propagation. Roots, stems,
leaves, and seeds can develop into complete plants.
Ways to Propagate a Plant
One simple method of propagating a plant is to use a cutting of a leaf or stem. Another
method is to divide, or separate, the new shoots that the plant sends up from the ground.
These can eventually crowd each other unless they are divided.
A third method is called layering, which is a way to grow roots on a part of stem that is
then removed from the original plant. And, of course, seeds are planted and given
warmth and moisture to become the baby plant inside.
In this project book you’ve worked with plants grown mainly indoors and plants grown
mainly outdoors. We use outdoor plants to decorate our environment or we grow them
for food. Think which group of plants you most enjoyed learning about and working
with—indoor plants, outdoor plants for beauty, or outdoor plants for food. Choose one
group and use this lesson or meeting to learn about propagating plants in this group.
Steps for propagating plants by each of the four methods—cuttings, division, layering,
and seeds—are given for each group.
Follow the steps for the project you are interested in. Use the growth chart on page 34
for record-keeping.
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Activity 1: Propagation by Cutting
(Indoor Plants)
INDOOR PLANTS
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
Swedish ivy
• 4- to 6-inch piece of stem from plant(s) recommended in
box at right
• Clean, sharp cutting tool
• Glass of water
• Potting mix in a 3-inch pot
Coleus
Wandering jew
Begonia
Philodendron
Pothos
WHAT YOU WILL DO:
• Remove bottom third of leaves.
• Keep cut ends of stems in water until several roots reach 1 inch in length. This
should take 7-10 days.
• When roots are 1 inch long, plant cuttings in potting mix.
• Several rooted cuttings in a single pot make an attractive plant.
Activity 2: Propagation by Cutting
(Outdoor Plants)
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
• One 4- to 6-inch piece of stem, cut from the growing tip
of plants listed in boxes at right
• Rooting hormone
• Styrofoam cup with holes punched in bottom
• Perlite or vermiculite, well soaked with water
• Plastic bag
• Twist tie
WHAT YOU WILL DO:
• Strip leaves from bottom third of cutting (Figure A).
• Dip stem (where leaves have been removed) into water,
then into rooting hormone (Figure B).
28
OUTDOOR PLANTS:
FLOWERS
Forsythia
(late spring/summer)
Dogwood
(late summer/autumn)
Azalea
(late summer/autumn)
Holly (autumn)
Arborvitae
(autumn)
Yew (autumn)
Geranium
Poinsettia
(late summer/autumn)
• Fill cup with perlite or vermiculite and make a hole in center with
finger.
• Place cutting in hole and pat perlite around stem.
• Place in plastic bag and seal with tie.
• Check for roots periodically and remove plastic when cuttings are well
rooted.
• Repot into potting mix when well-developed roots are 2 inches long
(between 2 and 12 weeks).
Figure A
OUTDOOR PLANTS:
FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
Blueberry
(spring/summer)
Herbs, Perennial
(spring/summer)
Grape
(autumn)
Figure B
Activity 3: Propagation by Division (Indoor Plants)
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
• Plant(s) that have several shoots in one pot (choose from box at right)
• Clean, sharp cutting tool
• Potting mix
• Three 3-inch pots
INDOOR PLANTS
Snake plant
African violet
Fern
Begonia
Division cut
Figure A
Figure B
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WHAT YOU WILL DO:
• Remove the plant from its container after watering thoroughly.
• Put one hand on the surface of the soil. Then turn the pot upside down.
• Rap the container on the bottom or tap against a table.
• Remove the potting mix until you can see the place where the plants mesh closely
together (Figure A).
• Cut through clump at this point one or more times with some roots and stems on
each section.
• Repot plants in individual containers (Figure B).
Activity 4: Propagation by Division
(Outdoor Plants)
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
OUTDOOR PLANTS:
FLOWERS
Ferns
(early spring/
midsummer)
• Plants (see boxes for recommendations)
• Digging tool
• Knife
Iris (midsummer)
Peony (late summer)
Tulip
WHAT YOU WILL DO:
• Gently remove plant from soil.
• Remove soil from root area so that point of attachment
is visible.
• Using knife, separate connected plants.
• Replant separately with new division planted at same
depth as original plant.
Daffodil (summer)
Lily (summer)
OUTDOOR PLANTS:
FRUITS AND
VEGETABLES
A planting of onions or
Jerusalem artichokes
Young plant
Jerusalem artichoke
Iris clump
Activity 5: Propagation by Seed
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
• Seeds (see boxes for recommendations)
• Seeding containers
• Potting mix of one-half vermiculite and one-half sphagnum moss, well moistened
30
• Labels
• Plastic bag
• Twist tie
• Fertilizer, soluble powder
• Table knife
• 3 wires bent into a “U” shape
INDOOR PLANTS:
SEEDS
Begonia
Schefflera
Herbs
Wire hoops
OUTDOOR PLANTS:
FLOWER SEEDS
Alyssum
Cosmos
Petunia*
Aster
Marigold
Zinnia
*must be started indoors
to accommodate growing
season
WHAT YOU WILL DO:
OUTDOOR PLANTS:
FRUIT AND VEGETABLE
• Fill the container with well-moistened planting mix.
SEEDS
• Sprinkle seeds on top and cover with soil to depth
Tomato
Eggplant
recommended on the label.
Cabbage
• Write plant name and date on label and place in container.
Beets
Peas
• Cover container with plastic bag and seal with twist tie so that no
Beans
moisture is lost. Support the bag by placing wires upside down on
Sunflower
Lettuce
opposite sides of the container.
Squash
• Keep in warm location with some light, but no direct sunlight.
• When the first set of true leaves appears, remove plastic bag and place
in bright light.
• Water as necessary and fertilize every two weeks.
• Indoor plants: When four leaves have formed, transplant into larger containers.
• Outdoor plantings: When the last killing frost has passed, move plants outdoors to a
semishady location during the day. Bring indoors at night. Gradually expose to more
sunlight. After two weeks transplant in ground.
Activity 6: Propagation by Layering
(Indoor and Outdoor Flowering Plants)
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
• Plant(s) selected from recommendations in chart (see below)
• One or more potting containers
• Potting mix of one-half vermiculite and one-half sphagnun moss, well moistened
• Sharp knife
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WHAT YOU WILL DO
• Fill container(s) with potting mix, leaving 1/2 inch of
space from top of container.
• Scoop out shallow hole in center of potting mix.
• Bend branch or place plantlet from mother plant(s) into
soil in potting container(s).
• Cover branch with 1 inch of potting mix.
• Anchor layered stem with stone or small object.
• Water newly layered stem.
LATER:
• When roots form (1-3 months) cut branch separating
new plant from mother plant.
Activity 7: Propagation by Layering
(Outdoor Fruit and Vegetable Plants)
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
INDOOR PLANTS
Pothos
Swedish ivy
Philodendron
Spider plant with
plantlets
Strawberry begonia
with plantlets
OUTDOOR PLANTS:
FLOWERS
Forsythia
Cotoneaster
Ivy
Vinca
OUTDOOR PLANTS:
FRUITS AND
VEGETABLES
Raspberry bush
Blackberry bush
Strawberry plants
with runners
• Plant(s) selected from recommendations in boxes at
right
• Sharp knife
WHAT YOU WILL DO
• Scrape a layer of bark, 12 inches from growing tip, from underside of branch.
• Bend branch to ground and expose to soil. For strawberries, anchor tip of plant
runners to soil with stones or wooden pegs.
• For raspberries and blackberries, mound 4-6 inches of soil on top of branch, leaving
tip exposed. It is not necessary to cover strawberry runners with soil.
LATER:
• When roots form (1-4 months) cut branch, separating it from mother plant.
• Replant where desired.
Scraped tissue
32
Activity 8: How Did Your Garden Grow?
Read again about propagation (pages 27-32) to answer the questions below. Fill in
one letter per space, and complete the puzzle below.
Transplant seedlings when the second set of
forms.
1
2
3
4
5
6
involves separating a plant at its root.
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
The powder you use to help roots grow when rooting a cutting is a . . .
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
Warm temperatures and moisture are very important for growing a plant from . . .
22
23
24
25
Plants will crowd one another unless they are . . .
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
In layering, new roots are grown on a portion of the plant’s
.
26
27
28
29
What did you do in the Plant Science project?
18
27
37
32
36
15
2
28
1
29
20
32
35
What is the most popular plant in 4-H?
C
1
13
9
2
30
33
Record and Review
Growth Chart 1 (Lessons 1, 2)
Planting date
First sign
of growth (date)
Transplanted
(date)
Kitchen seeds
(Lesson 1)
Root recycle
(Lesson 2)
Bulb
(Lesson 2)
Growth Chart 2 (Lesson 5)
Plant
name
Cutting
Layering
Seed
34
Propagation
date
First sign
of growth
(date)
First true
leaves appear
(date)
Date
transplanted
No. of
weeks from
propagation
to transplant
Project Review
1. What is the purpose of underground stems?
2. What is the process that leaves undergo to produce sugar
and starch from sunlight, gas, and water?
3. Name two plants that grow underground storage leaves:
and
4. The female part of the flower is the
and the male part is the
5. What insect is a good friend to flowers?
6. To begin growth, a seed needs
and
7. Two important things plants give us are
and
35
New Word Search
Search down and across for the following:
ALGAE
SPORE
FUNGI
CHLOROPHYLL
PISTIL
EMBRYO
POD
36
ANGIOSPERM
SPROUT
PALMATE
BULB
GILL
GERMINATE
PETAL
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
PINNATE
SCALE
STAMEN
POLLEN
G
F
N
P
E
T
A
L
H
A
O
H
U
P
H
P
I
N
N
A
T
E
B
S
P
O
R
E
D
U
M
G
G
S
A
S
T
A
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I
A
I
C
H
L
O
R
O
P
H
Y
L
L
A
P
I
S
T
I
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C
D
P
L
L
A
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R
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F
A
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A
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B
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B
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P
O
D
T
A
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I
N
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A
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A
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A
Still Interested in Plants?
If you want to learn more about plants, here are
some things you can do.
1. Look at magazines such as Sunset, Horticulture,
Flower and Garden, and Organic Gardening. You can
find these at bookstores and libraries.
2. Read books about plants. Some suggested titles are:
• Grow a Plant Pet, by Virginies Fowler Elbert
• Play with Plants, by Millicent Ellis Selsam
• A Closer Look at Plant Life, by Bernard Stonehouse
• Man’s Useful Plants, by Michael A. Weiner
Ask the librarian of your public or school library to suggest
other books about plants.
3. Visit the following places:
Garden center
City park
Tree nursery
Farm
Museum
Arboretum
Greenhouse
Florist
Grocery
4. Enroll in another 4-H plant science project.
Sharing with Others
Below are some ways to share what you have learned.
• Read a report or give a speech on a subject about plants that interests you.
• Give a demonstration.
• Present a skit.
• Videotape one of the above.
• Put up a poster.
• Exhibit an item and information about it.
• Turn in a written report.
• Keep a collection and show it to a group.
• Have a poem or report about the subject published in the school, city, or 4-H
newspaper.
• Do a bulletin board or window display.
• Tape-record meaningful information about a subject.
• Show pictures or slides.
37
Roundup Projects
Exhibit your completed project book and
one of the following:
• Poster showing the uses of different plant parts.
• Plant you have propagated and a poster describing
the steps you took.
• Experiment you completed from the project book,
along with the results. Include a poster that shows
and tells what you did.
Measure Your Progress
1. What did you like most about Meet the Plants?
2. What new things did you learn in:
Lesson 1, What Are Plants?
Lesson 2, The Parts of a Plant
Lesson 3, Uses of Plants
Lesson 4, How Plants Grow
Lesson 5, Plant Propagation
3. What other things would you like to learn in the horticulture project?
38
Notes
39
This project was developed by M. Joy Cantrell, assistant professor of agricultural and extension
education, Dennis J. Wolnick, associate professor of floriculture, and Merry Wind Goodson, 4-H
horticulture project assistant in consultation with the state 4-H horticulture program development
committeee. Committee members were: Antoinette Bilik, Walter Bullett, Justina Campbell, Al
Homan, William Kleiner, William Pencek, Robert Pollock, Judith Stoudt, and Kathy Wychock. The
Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation supported the committee and the development of this 4-H
horticulture project. Project material was revised by Timothy J. Rollins, associate professor of
agricultural and extension education.
Where trade names appear, no discrimination is intended, and no endorsement by Penn State Cooperative Extension is implied.
Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work, Acts of Congress May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of
Agriculture and the Pennsylvania Legislature. L.F. Hood, Director of Cooperative Extension, The Pennsylvania State University.
This publication is available in other media on request.
The Pennsylvania State University is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to programs, facilities, admission, and
employment without regard to personal characteristics not related to ability, performance, or qualifications as determined by University policy
or by state or federal authorities. The Pennsylvania State University does not discriminate against any person because of age, ancestry, color,
disability or handicap, national origin, race, religious creed, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status. Direct all inquiries regarding the
nondiscrimination policy to the Affirmative Action Director, The Pennsylvania State University, 201 Willard Building, University Park, PA
16802-2801; tel. (814) 863-0471; TDD (814) 865-3175.
© The Pennsylvania State University 1995
Rev10M695 PS#7021
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4-H Activities Report
This report will help you keep a better record of your
club activities. Fill it in as you complete each
assignment. Refer to this record when you are
entering county, state, and national programs. Ask
your 4-H leader to explain these programs to you.
My 4-H Activities Report for the 19
Club Year
Number of meetings your club(s) held this year
Number you attended
Number of persons you encouraged to join 4-H
Number of 4-H’ers you helped with projects
In what way
Projects taken
Offices held
Club
County
Committees
“Show-and-tells” or presentations given to:
Local club
County
Region
State
Others
News articles
Radio
TV
Check activities you attended and how you did
❑ 3- or 4-day camp
❑ 1-day camp
❑ Club or county tours
❑ Club picnic
❑ County fair
❑ Achievement programs
❑ Roundup
❑ Leadership training
❑ State 4-H Capital Days
❑ Camp leadership training
❑ Penn State 4-H Achievement Days
Displays or exhibits
Things done to improve your health
❑ Pennsylvania Farm Show
❑ National 4-H Week
❑ State Ambassador Conference
Community service or citizenship work done
By yourself
With club
❑ Quiz bowls
❑ Hippology
❑ Judging
❑ Others
Name
Address
Name of Club
Leader’s Name
Name of Project
4-H Club Motto
“To make the best better”
4-H Club Pledge
I pledge
my head to clearer thinking,
my heart to greater loyalty,
my hands to larger service, and
my health to better living, for
my club,
my community,
my country, and
my world.
4-H Club Colors
Green and White