I Need a Definitive Guide to Plant Species and Propagation

Please help me here, I need a couple definitive affordable books on TEMPERATE CLIMATE forest gardening species. And I assume to get the right information on cuttings, grafting, cloning, rooting etc, I need a seperate book or encyclopedia on just the propagation aspect. So I need a really good plant encyclopedia, and a really good propagation encyclopedia on temperate climate edible species. Maybe I will get lucky here and someone whill have the books I am looking for. So far I cannot find what I need on amazon.

thank you for any experience you can share.

Propagation Handbook by Geoff Bryant is probably the book you're looking for. It covers the basics of plant propagation and has useful tables on what works well fro which plants and when. The book is deceptively small, but overflowing with information. I have yet to find a better book on the topic. I thought it has a bias towards edible and temperate plants, but looking at this book now, I realize it was simply my area of interest, and the book covers a much broader range. Bryant does, however, use the botanical names for plants, so it needs a companion book to help you identify the scientific name of the plant.

As you're seeking affordable books, I hesitate to recommend Edible Forest Garden two book set; however, my local library has it and yours might too. If not, they can probably get it by interlibrary loan.

R Ranson wrote:Propagation Handbook by Geoff Bryant is probably the book you're looking for. It covers the basics of plant propagation and has useful tables on what works well fro which plants and when. The book is deceptively small, but overflowing with information. I have yet to find a better book on the topic. I thought it has a bias towards edible and temperate plants, but looking at this book now, I realize it was simply my area of interest, and the book covers a much broader range. Bryant does, however, use the botanical names for plants, so it needs a companion book to help you identify the scientific name of the plant.

As you're seeking affordable books, I hesitate to recommend Edible Forest Garden two book set; however, my local library has it and yours might too. If not, they can probably get it by interlibrary loan.

Awesome, Ranson, thank you. I was eyeballing that 2 book set earlier today, wishing I could buy it. Trying to save a little.

Do you know of any good companions to the first book you mention? Right now I am looking at getting these 2 books ordered, what do you think? I do not want to end up with one of these broad spectrum gardening books that just wets the palate and doesnt actually give you any real quality info.

Plant Propagation This is actually the American Horticultural Societies book on propagation just under a different (cheaper) name.

And Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. This looks like the big book that has all the text book info without any of the common names and without the pictures of how to graft and yadayadayada.

So torn, do not want to make the mistake of buying the wrong ones and being stuck with a subpar book.

Does the Geoff Bryant book contain information beyond seed starting? The reviews all mention the seeds, which I really need to know more about the cuttings, clones, rootings, and most importantly when to take them, and the species specifics of what time of year to take said cuttings and such. I really do not need to spend my time learning more about seed starting or annuals, lately I have been studying plant biology and plant cell chemistry etc, I am at the point in my journey that I need to start gathering cuttings and starting trees from the many local edible cultivars growing wild or semi-wild in my area before I buy land and start the regenerative process on my new property. This will be in 2 years from now if the land pops up, and I have a dozen or so different berries and fruits growing around the property I am on right now, which I really need to start cultivating while I have the time.

These days money is tight, that I usually get a book out from the library before I buy it, just to make certain it's worth the price. This has saved me a tremendous amount of money. There are some amazing gems in the library that I could never afford to read otherwise. I can't say enough how useful that place is.

Do you know of any good companions to the first book you mention?

Good? Not exactly. A the moment I'm using a kids/young adult book that I found in the 99cent bin for the tree identification and google for most other latin names. Plants for the Future is the other main resource I've been using as a starting place.

Other references I use include

Breed your own vegetables by Deppe

Seed to Seed

The books you link to look a lot more user-friendly than Bryant's Propagation Handbook. Bryant is more 'this is the info, it's up to you do to it' which might be a little intimidating for those use to the modern method where the author cheer on the reader 'you can do it, here's a bit of info and a bunch of pictures, go on, try it'. I like both styles of books myself, but it's Bryant's book I reach for first when learning a new technique.

Travis Schultz wrote:Does the Geoff Bryant book contain information beyond seed starting? The reviews all mention the seeds, which I really need to know more about the cuttings, clones, rootings, and most importantly when to take them, and the species specifics of what time of year to take said cuttings and such. I really do not need to spend my time learning more about seed starting or annuals, lately I have been studying plant biology and plant cell chemistry etc, I am at the point in my journey that I need to start gathering cuttings and starting trees from the many local edible cultivars growing wild or semi-wild in my area before I buy land and start the regenerative process on my new property. This will be in 2 years from now if the land pops up, and I have a dozen or so different berries and fruits growing around the property I am on right now, which I really need to start cultivating while I have the time.

I'm trying to rack my brain to see if it includes seed starting. I think it does.

From my memory: the book includes hardwood and softwood cuttings, division propagation, leaf cuttings, something with a bulb where we cut it a special way and it makes half a dozen or more plants from a single bulb, air layering, that thing where you bend the branch and put it in the soil and it roots then you cut it off the main plant, a bit about cold frames and soil, pests and diseases, and something else which is probably about seeds... but then again, I think that seeds played a very minor part in the book.

The book is dry, I warn you, so it won't match everyone's style of learning. What it lacks in style, it makes up for easy to find information.

Yeah I like both styles, I do not need the author to hold my hand, I can learn from the plain information. But I do like to have pictures when it comes to certain things so I do not create the wrong image in my head.

That website is awesome, that website saves me a lot of books. The reason a book like that would be nice is because I live off grid and get internet once in awhile. Also I have a very long drive to a library, or I would be exploiting their online order function on a regular basis. I just have to drive to the library to pick it up, then I have to turn around a few days later and drive it all the way back.. No gas or time enough to be doing that every week to read parts of a book.

I am ordering the Geoff Bryant book, and the AHS book for the pictures and lahmens terms.

R Ranson wrote:

Travis Schultz wrote:Does the Geoff Bryant book contain information beyond seed starting? The reviews all mention the seeds, which I really need to know more about the cuttings, clones, rootings, and most importantly when to take them, and the species specifics of what time of year to take said cuttings and such. I really do not need to spend my time learning more about seed starting or annuals, lately I have been studying plant biology and plant cell chemistry etc, I am at the point in my journey that I need to start gathering cuttings and starting trees from the many local edible cultivars growing wild or semi-wild in my area before I buy land and start the regenerative process on my new property. This will be in 2 years from now if the land pops up, and I have a dozen or so different berries and fruits growing around the property I am on right now, which I really need to start cultivating while I have the time.

I'm trying to rack my brain to see if it includes seed starting. I think it does.

From my memory: the book includes hardwood and softwood cuttings, division propagation, leaf cuttings, something with a bulb where we cut it a special way and it makes half a dozen or more plants from a single bulb, air layering, that thing where you bend the branch and put it in the soil and it roots then you cut it off the main plant, a bit about cold frames and soil, pests and diseases, and something else which is probably about seeds... but then again, I think that seeds played a very minor part in the book.

The book is dry, I warn you, so it won't match everyone's style of learning. What it lacks in style, it makes up for easy to find information.

Yeah thats what I am looking for. I do not need any more info on seed starting lol, way too much of that in the many early beginner books I bought years ago.

Some photos of Bryant's book. This is what the tables look like, and an example of some illustrations.

Travis Schultz wrote:
That website is awesome, that website saves me a lot of books. The reason a book like that would be nice is because I live off grid and get internet once in awhile.

I would love an offline access to Plants for the Future too. An app would be okay, but a book book would be even better as it wouldn't need electricity to use.

Awesome, looks great thank you so much for your help. I just ordered them. I have multiple cultivars of mulberry, elderberry, apple, raspberry, and a few others that are slipping my mind growing within 100 ft of my tiny home, all of which were planted several generations ago, and they produce reliably each year and in great abundance, so I would love to preserve these genetics and move them to a new part of Michigan. As well as start selling them down the road at the markets.

I am a huge fan of the American Horticultural Society's illustrated manual of plant propagation. It covers a wide suite of temperate and sub-tropical plants by genus and species. Has loads of information about starting forbs, shrubs, vines and succulents from seed, cuttings, etc, including a number of grafting techniques. I work in the botany world, and have found it very useful for a native plant greenhouse, even though it is written for the horticultural trade. Of course, no book covers all bases, but this one comes recommended. Lots of photographs worked in with the text, and good advice on space saving methods, etc.


http://www.amazon.com/American-Horticultural-Society-Propagation-Plant/dp/0789441160 (don't forget to click through amazon via permie's link)

Travis where is Michigan are you? I am in the thumb. Anyway there is a website called freeplants.com by Mike Groate (sp?). He had a book on plant propagation that was not very expensive and he also tells you a ton of information on his website and email list. I would take a look to see if you can gleen any information from his site. He does mainly non edible plants but does go into detail with soft wood and hard wood cuttings. I believe he has a money back guarantee for 30 days on his book so it might be worth the risk to you because if it is not helpful, you can send it back.

Travis Schultz wrote:Please help me here, I need a couple definitive affordable books on TEMPERATE CLIMATE forest gardening species....

I'm really happy you ask: I have had this book for a long time but after looking into it as a budding gardener, I had just placed it on a shelf 20 years ago. Your request made me go look for it and now that I've discovered permaculture, I'm promising myself to rediscover it and use it often.
My go-to book is "Secrets of Plant Propagation" by Lewis Hill. It is a Storey Book, available at www.storey.com but should be available in any good library. I bought mine because I wanted it as a reference book.
The subtitle is "Starting your own flowers, Vegetables, Fruits, Berries, Shrubs, Trees and houseplants". ISBN 0-88266-371-2 and ISBN 0-88266-370-4 (pbk)
The first part is titled: Methods of propagation and contains the following chapters: The home nursery / seeds/ division / layering / cuttings / grafting / bud grafting and tissue culture.
In Part 2, you have the specifics of propagation with the following sections: Fruits & nuts / Trees, shrubs & vines /Herbaceous plants.
There is a nice glossary and an appendix with the names and contacts of providers. Finally, a list of all the plants they talk about in the book. The illustrations and how tos are not in pretty colors but it is all very well explained. There are 168 pages in regular typing paper size.

I see Geoff Bryant has another book "plant propogation A-Z" Based on the index pages shown on Amazon it seems to have plants listed under their common names-might help as a reference guide to his other book?