Question

What are cutting and grafting?

Answer

Cutting and grafting are two methods of vegetative propagation in plants.

Cutting involves taking a piece of a stem or leaf from a parent plant and planting it in soil or another growing medium. The cutting will grow into a new plant, with the same genetic characteristics as the parent plant.

Grafting is the process of attaching a piece of one plant, known as the scion, onto another plant, known as the rootstock. The two plants will then grow together, with the scion plant growing on top of the rootstock plant. This method is often used to create hybrid plants, with desirable traits from both parent plants. Grafting is commonly used in fruit tree cultivation, where it is used to create trees with desirable fruit characteristics.

Both cutting and grafting are useful methods for propagating plants, especially those that are difficult to grow from seed. These methods allow growers to produce large numbers of plants that are genetically identical to the parent plant, with desirable traits.