Tissue Culture
This is where high tech meets horticulture. Plants are grown on a jelly-like substance called agar in sterile laboratory conditions. This allows for the rapid bulking up and production of new varieties or varieties that are difficult to produce through conventional propagation methods. The resulting material is referred to as Stage III Tissue Culture or vitro material before it is re-introduced into the outside world.
Production of Stage III Tissue Culture plants
Plant material of the variety is sterilised and placed onto the agar under sterile laboratory conditions. By adjusting the feeding and hormones in the agar, plants can be encouraged to grow shoots or roots, often at quite rapid rates.
The plants must be regularly divided and placed onto new growing media normally every 4 to 6 weeks.
Benefits of growing from Stage III Tissue Culture
Stage III Tissue Culture plants benefit from vigorous growth and a high health status, often with better branching that results in a superior habit.
This commonly results in faster production of more uniform crops, with reduced wastage.
When to choose Stage III Tissue Culture for your production
Stage III Tissue Culture is the best option for varieties that are difficult to propagate by other methods, or where the improved growth vigour and uniformity allow faster production and / or reduce wastage.
Due to higher start up costs and need for advanced planning, Stage III Tissue Culture is only suitable for growers who know well in advance that they’ll require high volumes of a particular variety.
Ordering timelines
Please inform us of your requirements 6 to 12 months ahead of required delivery time.
Product format
Unrooted cutting
Unrooted Cuttings – often abbreviated to URC – are harvested from a mother plant, which is normally produced from high health status stock to ensure optimum quality and health.
Tissue culture
This is where high tech meets horticulture. Plants are grown on a jelly-like substance called agar in sterile laboratory conditions.
Plugs
A Plug is a rooted young plant in a 3.5cm cell, supplied in trays of 104 cells. We offer well-established Plugs for all our URCs varieties plus many more.
Jumbo Plugs
As the name suggests, Jumbo Plugs are larger versions of regular Plugs. Available in 7cm or 9cm size cells, Jumbo Plugs are a convenient way to obtain young growing plants with better developed root systems.
Bare roots
Herbaceous perennials are defined by the fact that they die back to an underground root system to overwinter. These root systems bulk up over the years, and as they get bigger can be divided to produce new plants, which in turn can be grown on to increase their size.