Treating your mothers well



Taking good care of your mother blocks

Photo: Ferm O Field

A mother block is the section of plants that you use to get the propagules that you use for propagation. For example, it will be the Basil plant used to take a cutting from. It is of vital importance that you keep these plants healthy and disease free to ensure the quality of the plants that you propagate.

We will be growing our mother blocks in soil. Since they are companion plants, they will be grown in the same soil and space. Cuttings, bulbs and seeds will then be taken from this area to propagate other plants from.


Here’s a few things that you can keep into consideration:


1.      Keep you Mother block away from the rest of your plants- This is a safety measurement to ensure that no pest or diseases can get transferred to or from them. Isolation is key.

2.      Light- use light with a wave length form 400-700nm for a long duration to ensure optimal photosynthesis.You want to achieve optimal photosynthesis to ensure that the plant has enough energy for efficient vegetative growth. If your mother blocks don't grow enough, you maybe won't be able to taking any cuttings from them. 

3.      Increase the CO2 levels to increase photosynthesis. Normal CO2 levels on earth is not enough to saturate photosynthesis. Monitor the levels closely to ensure that your plant gets the optimum amount, while still getting enough Oxygen. 

4.      Look at the mother plant before you take a propagule to ensure that you can’t see any signs of problems. Even have them tested for diseases regularly. Don't take a propagule from your mother plant if she won't survive it. Rather let your mother plant establish itself again for the next time. 

5.      Fertilizer- increase the C: N ratio that you apply to your plants to achieve a build-up of carbohydrates. An accumulation of carbohydrates can lead to a healthier mother plant and propagule. 

6.      Keep track of the age of your mother block or the amount of life cycles it has been through. As all live forms, plants degrade with time. DNA and proteins are broken down. A clone from an older, more degraded mother block has a smaller chance of surviving. Make sure to switch the old mother block plants with new ones every few years. To keep the genes the same and the plants uniform, use some of the plants you propagated yourself as new mother blocks. Try to propagate a few extra plants each year that you can use as mother blocks.
   
   To find out more about the mother blocks, regarding the soil and how you should plant them, read our post here.  



Refrences: www.maximumyield.com
Hartmann and Kester’s Plant Propagation Principles and Practices 8th edition  
Cecile Bester
20899629

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