juurutamise

Juurutamise is the process of rooting or vegetative propagation used in plant cultivation to produce new individuals from cuttings or other plant tissues. It yields genetic clones of the parent, allowing the rapid multiplication of desirable cultivars, ornamentals, fruit trees and forest species. The method is central to nurseries and home gardening where consistent traits such as flower color, fruit quality or growth habit are valued.

Most common method is rooting cuttings: healthy shoots are cut, trimmed to include a node, and placed in a well-drained rooting medium. Root initiation is often promoted with rooting hormones containing auxins such as indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) or napthaleneacetic acid (NAA). Other approaches include layering, where a stem is encouraged to form roots while still attached to the parent plant, and air layering for species that root poorly from cuttings.

Successful juurutamine depends on environmental conditions: warm temperatures (roughly 20–25°C), high humidity (70–95%), bright but indirect light, and a sterile, well-aerated rooting medium. The medium should be kept evenly moist but not waterlogged to prevent rot. Tools and containers should be clean to reduce disease risk. After roots form, cuttings are gradually hardened off before transplanting.

Advantages include rapid propagation and genetic uniformity, enabling reliable production of identical plants. Limitations include the potential spread of pests and diseases, reduced genetic diversity, and species-specific rooting difficulties. Juurutamine practices are selected to suit the biology of the species being propagated and may include species-specific hormones, substrates, and incubation conditions.