LIS MEYER BIO
This month’s episode of The Plantastic Podcast is Lis Meyer, a senior lecturer in the Dept. of Horticultural Science at NC State, where she has taught for the past 14 years. She currently teaches several courses in Plant Propagation, her favorite horticultural topic! As a native of North Carolina, she is grateful for the opportunity to pursue her passion for teaching at the best university in her home state.
SHOW NOTES
[01:00] Lis reflects on how her passion for plants started with her parents and reminisces about childhood activities like collecting seeds and experimenting with cuttings
[03:00] Lis majored in both English and botany at NC State
[04:00] Lis discusses her graduate work with Tom Rainey, describing his unconventional but rewarding approach to plant breeding and her humorous interview experience
[06:00] Valuable lessons from graduate school include not being afraid to try new ideas, even if they seem risky
[07:00] Lis now lectures at NC State, teaching classes on plant identification, propagation, and advising student organizations.
[13:00] Lis emphasizes the importance of understanding plant anatomy, particularly when working with cuttings, and details the distinction between stem and leaf cuttings.
[16:00] Time of year, plant physiology, and type of cutting (softwood, semi-hardwood, or hardwood) are key factors in successful propagation, especially with woody plants.
[17:00] Good reference books on plant propagation include Hartmann & Kester's Plant Propagation: Principles and Practices, 9th edition by Hudson Hartmann, Dale Kester, Fred Davies; Robert Geneve; and Sandra Wilson; The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation by Michael Dirr and Charles Heuser Jr.; Plant Propagation by Alan Toogood; The Manual of Plant Grafting by Peter MacDonald; and Creative Propagation by Peter Thompson
[18:00] The importance of plant anatomy in determining success when taking cuttings, emphasizing the differences between woody and herbaceous plants.
[19:00] Understanding growth stages of woody stem cuttings (softwood, semi-hardwood, hardwood) and their relevance to propagation success.
[20:00] Lis explains how intermittent mist systems can greatly improve cutting success but are not always practical for home gardeners.
[21:00] For home gardeners, alternatives to mist systems include humidity domes, ziplock bags, or repurposed materials like soda bottles and Red Robin delivery containers.
[25:00] Recommendations for air circulation and placing cuttings in indirect light to avoid auxin breakdown, which is crucial for root development.
[26:00] Discusses the role of auxin in root formation, particularly how it breaks down in the presence of light, making lower light conditions favorable for cuttings.
[28:00] Home gardeners should consider using rooting hormone for woody plants, while herbaceous plants may root without it but benefit from improved root systems when used.
[29:00] Lis advises gardeners to carefully check rooting hormone labels for the presence of auxin and warns against misleading products that are actually fertilizers.
[31:00] Dispelling myths around home remedies like using honey for rooting cuttings and emphasizing that natural methods like willow water can work but are unpredictable.
[33:00] Lis provides a detailed explanation of preformed latent roots versus wound-induced roots, using examples like sweet potatoes, hydrangeas, and tomatoes.
[35:00] Some plants, like sweet potatoes, root quickly due to preformed root initials, while others can take months to root, depending on the species.
[38:00] Lis shares her love for bulb scaling, highlighting how easy and efficient this method can be for home gardeners without fancy equipment.
[39:00] She dives into how to propagate different types of bulbs and offers step-by-step instructions for tunicate and scaly bulbs.
[44:00] Best time of the year for bulb scaling
[47:00] Grafting can be an intimidating process for beginners, but Lis explains that practice and the right equipment, like a sharp grafting knife, make it approachable for both professionals and hobbyists.
[48:00] Biology of grafting and the importance of callus tissue and lining up vascular cambium
[50:00] Using chip budding to do easy grafting on plants
[52:00] The importance of having a sharp grafting knife (not pocket knife!)
[53:00] Vegetable grafting, particularly with tomatoes, is discussed as a way to combine heirloom varieties with disease-resistant rootstock for improved growth.
[57:00] Clips and starter kit for grafting tomatoes and grafting tools and/razor blades
[58:00] Time of the year for chip budding
[60:00] How to propagate failure by encouraging others to imbrace failure, as it's a natural part of the learning process in both home gardening and professional horticulture.
[62:00] Learn more from Lis by visiting her NC State profile page and her Youtube videos
