Maximum Yield Australia/New Zealand March/April 2018 | Page 50

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a good start
OFF TO A GOOD START
There are many benefits to using starts, but there are a few things you should keep in
mind to ensure your garden thrives a few months or years down the road. Grubbycup
makes a few suggestions to make sure your starts are successful.
by Grubbycup
W
hile many plants can be directly seeded into the garden, others benefit from getting a head
start in smaller containers that they will be grown to maturity in. These “starts” are either
prepared or purchased in advance of final planting, and may be from seed, rooted cutting, or
via other propagation method. Starting from seeds is usually a less expensive option, but many
people find the convenience and reliability of purchasing packs of starter plants to be worth the
difference in price. A benefit of starting plants from cuttings (clones) is the starts will be copies
of a plant with known characteristics. Some plants have to be started from cuttings. Cavendish
bananas and other seedless plants have to be vegetatively propagated (started from cuttings), as
they lack the ability to propagate sexually (they lack fertile seeds).
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grow cycle