by Michael H. Renfroe

After six to eight weeks, the explant will develop new shoots, as below.



These shoots may be cut free from the explant, and placed in a larger container on a new medium that will help roots to develop.



The rooted plant can then be transferred to soil. At this stage, the humidity must be kept high until the plant can adjust to the new surroundings. This process of adjustment is called acclimatization, and involves the growth of new leaves that will function in the less humid room air.



The cover is slowly opened more and more over a two week period so that the plant can gradually adjust. Then the cover can be removed completely and you have a new African violet plant.



From one original violet, you may produce hundreds of genetically identical plants.



Because the plants are genetically identical, and are of similar developmental age, they tend to produce flowers at the same time. This is very important to someone who is growing the plants and wants to get them to market just as they start to flower.



Many flowering plants are propagated this way. I hope you enjoyed learning more about how plants may be cloned using tissue culture.

Information provided by: http://www.jmu.edu