Q1.
Take some parts of plants like stem cutting of a money plant, the ‘eyes’ of a sprouted potato, or a piece of ginger (Fig. 13.11b). Plant each of them separately in moist soil (not too deep). For money plant, you can just put a cutting in a glass container which makes it easy to observe. Make sure they get all the conditions they need to grow—like water, air, and sunlight. Watch them every day and note how many days it takes for roots stem and leaves to appear. Also observe when the first new leaf appears.
Answer
How to set it up. Choose a money plant cutting with at least one node (the slightly swollen ring where a leaf joins the stem), a potato with 'eyes' that have begun to sprout, and a piece of ginger with a visible bud. Put the money plant cutting in a glass of water with the node under the water; plant the other two in moist soil, just covered, not deep. Keep all three where they get air and indirect sunlight, and keep the soil damp but not waterlogged.
What you should observe. Record your own dates — these are the ranges you can expect in ordinary Indian room conditions.
| Plant part | Roots appear | Shoot appears | First new leaf |
|---|---|---|---|
| Money plant, stem cutting in water | about 5–10 days | already present | about 2–3 weeks |
| Potato, sprouted 'eyes' | about 7–14 days | about 7–10 days | about 2–3 weeks |
| Ginger, piece of rhizome | about 10–20 days | about 2–3 weeks | about 3–4 weeks |
Why it happens: None of these pieces is a seed. Each already carries a bud — a small mass of dividing cells — and a store of food. Given water, air and warmth, the dividing cells build roots first, because the piece must secure its own water supply before it can afford leaves. Only then does the shoot expand and the first leaf open, after which the plant can start making its own food by photosynthesis.
Check it yourself: Keep one money plant cutting with a node and one without. Only the one with a node will root. That single comparison shows that it is the node, not just any piece of stem, that carries the growing tissue.