The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation: From Seed to Tissue Culture

by Michael A. Dirr, Charles W. Heuser Jr.

Compiled by two distinguished professors of horticulture, The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation is a must for professionals and students of horticulture. Over 1,100 species and their propagation requirements by seeds, cuttings, grafting and budding, and tissue culture are discussed in exhaustive detail. Essentially a recipe book for making more trees and shrubs, this reference is a high-level how-to.

Genres: Gardening, Reference, Horticulture, Plants

410 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1987

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation is an excellent reference guide to have on your shelf if you want to see a summation of the literature on how to start fig cuttings or oak seeds or whatever. I recommend reading the first 90 pages as soon as you get it, since those really give you an idea of the variables that can affect success. Afterward, you can simply dip into the encyclopedia part for whatever plant you're interested in.

The only slight flaw is that I've already found two species not included (grapes and gooseberries). But the book is definitely a good start.

[Anthony Byars · Rating 5 out of 5]

I go back to this book often. It's helped me propagate a lot of stuff with ease. Don't go spend a fortune on plants. Buy a few and propagate more. Get cuttings or seed from friends or the wild.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is REALLY good. What a great collection of information on the best methods for propagating various woody plants. Twice as long as the first edition, so probably has much more detail. If you want to take existing plants and trees, and make more of them, this is the book for you. Read it once, consult it for years.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems to be written for professionals. I wasn't familiar with all of the hormones, techniques and other industry verbiage but I imagine this'd be an invaluable tool to those who are. On the plus side I learned that I'd probably rather be doing cuttings than grafting.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Required reading for ornamental horticulturists.

[Cristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very easy to understand. Grafting is a valuable skill.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

An invaluable resource for anyone interested in propagation. Fascinating in theory; not so much in practice! (I discovered that I much prefer buying my plants from a grower to creating them myself!)