A method for producing, without the help of a substrate, a plurality of rooted cuttings includes inserting at least one unrooted cutting into pockets arranged successively in a longitudinal direction of a strip element. Each pocket has an opening at a top side facing a transverse direction and a bottom side that is at least partially closed. The strip element is formed at least in part of biodegradable material having a liquid retaining capacity of at least about 100 g liquid per 100 g of biodegradable material dry weight. The strip element has first and second wall-forming members fixed to each other in a spacer area adjacent each pocket and arranged to at least partly overlap in the longitudinal direction and to not fully overlap in the transverse direction. The first wall-forming member extends past the second wall-forming member in the transverse direction at the top side of each pocket.

A method for producing, without the help of a substrate, a plurality of rooted cuttings includes inserting at least one unrooted cutting into pockets arranged successively in a longitudinal direction of a strip element. Each pocket has an opening at a top side facing a transverse direction and a bottom side that is at least partially closed. The strip element is formed at least in part of biodegradable material having a liquid retaining capacity of at least about 100 g liquid per 100 g of biodegradable material dry weight. The strip element has first and second wall-forming members fixed to each other in a spacer area adjacent each pocket and arranged to at least partly overlap in the longitudinal direction and to not fully overlap in the transverse direction. The first wall-forming member extends past the second wall-forming member in the transverse direction at the top side of each pocket.

The invention provides a flower shipment kit comprising: a container holding an aqueous flower gel; and one or more cut flowers whose stems are immersed in the aqueous flower gel; wherein the aqueous flower gel comprises (i) 1-4 wt. % of disc-shaped smectite clay nanoparticles having two opposing flat surfaces that are negatively charged and a rim that is positively charged, and (ii) 0.01-250 mM of one or more gel destabilizing agents selected from acidulants, dissolved metal cations and dissolved ammonium cations. The flower gel of the present invention slowly releases water over time in a way that enables cut flowers to take it up immediately. The invention also relates to a kit of parts for preparing a gelled hydration medium and to a method of preparing such a gelled hydration medium.

The invention provides a flower shipment kit comprising: a container holding an aqueous flower gel; and one or more cut flowers whose stems are immersed in the aqueous flower gel; wherein the aqueous flower gel comprises (i) 1-4 wt. % of disc-shaped smectite clay nanoparticles having two opposing flat surfaces that are negatively charged and a rim that is positively charged, and (ii) 0.01-250 mM of one or more gel destabilizing agents selected from acidulants, dissolved metal cations and dissolved ammonium cations. The flower gel of the present invention slowly releases water over time in a way that enables cut flowers to take it up immediately. The invention also relates to a kit of parts for preparing a gelled hydration medium and to a method of preparing such a gelled hydration medium.

Described is a method for vegetative propagation of plants by exposing a plant material to an oxytocin solution and/or a variant and/or derivative thereof.

Described is a method for vegetative propagation of plants by exposing a plant material to an oxytocin solution and/or a variant and/or derivative thereof.

A method includes inserting viable, in vitro cultivated plant material into an empty pocket of a strip element that is formed at least in part of biodegradable material. The strip element has a first and second wall-forming member arranged to at least partly overlap in a longitudinal direction and to not fully overlap in a transverse direction with the first wall-forming member extending past the second wall-forming member. The wall-forming members are fixed to each other along a bonding line to delimit a plurality of pockets and a plurality of spacer areas in an alternating arrangement along the longitudinal direction such that a top side of each pocket is open. The method includes facilitating, without the use of a substrate, at least one of an acclimatization or a root formation of the in vitro cultivated plant material in the plurality of pockets of the strip element.

A method includes inserting viable, in vitro cultivated plant material into an empty pocket of a strip element that is formed at least in part of biodegradable material. The strip element has a first and second wall-forming member arranged to at least partly overlap in a longitudinal direction and to not fully overlap in a transverse direction with the first wall-forming member extending past the second wall-forming member. The wall-forming members are fixed to each other along a bonding line to delimit a plurality of pockets and a plurality of spacer areas in an alternating arrangement along the longitudinal direction such that a top side of each pocket is open. The method includes facilitating, without the use of a substrate, at least one of an acclimatization or a root formation of the in vitro cultivated plant material in the plurality of pockets of the strip element.

A method and a device for propagating plants, by which the propagation rate or growth rate of the plants can be increased. This is achieved in that at least one plant is recorded at least in regions by an image recognition device and plant-specific features of the at least one plant are recognized by a control unit on the basis of the items of information obtained by the image recognition device. In dependence on the recognized features, at least one component of the plant is then automatically severed from the plant by a cutting means for propagation. A type and/or physical properties of the cutting means to increase a propagation rate of the plants are selected in accordance with the recognized plant-specific features of the plant.

A method and a device for propagating plants, by which the propagation rate or growth rate of the plants can be increased. This is achieved in that at least one plant is recorded at least in regions by an image recognition device and plant-specific features of the at least one plant are recognized by a control unit on the basis of the items of information obtained by the image recognition device. In dependence on the recognized features, at least one component of the plant is then automatically severed from the plant by a cutting means for propagation. A type and/or physical properties of the cutting means to increase a propagation rate of the plants are selected in accordance with the recognized plant-specific features of the plant.