My Node Or Yours

Was it Shakespeare who first said "A node by any other name would smell as sweet"? And Gertrude Stein who wrote "A node is a node is a node"? Those people knew what they were talking about. Their houses were probably littered with glasses half-filled with water and stuck with cuttings, just like ours is. Because what's more inspiring than a full glass of new growth? Not much? We thought so.
The beautiful thing about plants is just how willingly and dilligently they'll propagate themselves, even from small slices of their original flesh. Plants accumulate their energy in growth points called "nodes," and from there sprout new shoots and leaves. This means that if you're going to pilfer your neighbor's coveted Brown Turkey Fig, it's wise to cut just below a node. From there you can cultivate your prize in a container of water until lengthy white roots form. Roots sprouted in water are different from roots that push against the resistance of soil, and are pretty tender. When you translplant them to soil it's good to be gentle with them. And actually, if you're going to propagate, it's better to just stick your cutting in soil. With a plastic pot of earth you can increase the aeration around the roots by adding lots of Pearlite, which cuttings want. We chopped this maple (shown here in two parts) at a low node to encourage it to grow low and bushy. The top part we jabbed into a patch of open ground, watered it in, and wished it good luck.

The "apical meristem" lives atop any green growing thing, and is basically the plant's brain. It regulates the growth pattern of the whole plant, deciding which leaves will grow the biggest, which flowers will bloom first, how tall or compactly to shape itself (think team captain). The meristem or "leader" is easily identified as the tallest point in the plant that isn't a flower. Since flowers are more temporary, and die off more quickly, they can't be the boss. If they happen to be a part of the same stalk as the apical meristem, however, they have a chance of taking the leader out when they kick it. Obviously, being in charge has its risks. Other branches grow at the Alpha Stalk's feet, waiting to take over should anything happen. Just for fun, you can give your plant a lobotomy if you want other branches to vy for first place. Don't be fooled by their pretty leaves; plants are cutthroat, just like the interns on The Apprentice. Everyone wants to be Donald Trump.