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Affordable Plant Tissue Culture for the Hobbyist

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Plant tissue culture, also called micropropagation, is no longer restricted to the scientific laboratory.  Now days, if you have a kitchen, or at least basic kitchen supplies, you can mass propagate your favorite plant at home!

Plant tissue culture (PTC) techniques are used for growing plants in a sterile controlled environment for the purpose of mass production, germplasm preservation, plant breeding, physiological studies, and genetic engineering. By using plant hormones and other growth regulators, small plant parts can be induced to produce hundreds of small "plantlets", which can later be grown in a greenhouse, in the field, or as house plants.

Use of plant tissue culture has been limited in the past by the need for expensive equipment (laminar flow hood, analytical balance, and autoclave). However, by using biocides such as PPM (Plant Preservative Mixture from Plant Cell Technology, Inc.) or NaDCC (sodium dichloro-s-triazinetrione is a spa and swimming pool disinfectant), and a simple "clean box",  expensive equipment is no longer essential.

Warning:  this hobby can become somewhat "intoxicating" for a plant lover, and you will find you are taking over the kitchen, guest room and garage, and due to the numbers of plants produced this way, you may have to expand your home greenhouse or build a second one.  To compensate for these actions, be prepared to clean up your messes, volunteer to cook, or take the family out to dinner when the kitchen is unavailable.

In this article we are going to cover the basic steps in home tissue culture and include some references to tropical plants.  In the subsequent articles, I give specific examples and protocols for tropicals - if you have a plant you are interested in culturing, email me and I'll see if I can include it in the next issue.

Supplies found in your kitchen or the local discount store: microwave oven or pressure cooker pint and quart jars forceps (6 " or longer) plant shoot tip, node, leaf or other plastic or cardboard box baby food jars isopropyl or ethyl alcohol measuring spoons (regular and "smidgen" spoons) florist's tape kitchen knife (about 6" long) baking soda vinegar pyrex pie pan (about 8") dish detergent (not dishwasher detergent!) table sugar bleach and vinegar plastic (regular) pint jar caps (if you are using a microwave oven) goggles, gloves, dusk mask, apron, and shoes (for protection) metal baby food jar caps (if using a pressure cooker)

Supplies Not in Your Typical Kitchen or Local Discount Store Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium Benzlaminopurine (BAP), a plant hormone that induces shoot formation Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), a plant growth regulator that induces root formation Plant Preservative Mixture (PPM), a biocide that reduces contamination Agar, for solidifying the medium (can be substituted with other typical items) Polypropylene baby food jar caps (if you are using a microwave oven) pH papers

Where can you find these items? There are several supply companies that will sell to schools and hobbyists. You might also contact the nearest university or college and ask for small samples of things like plant hormones and plant media. Many places conducting research might assist you. Contact kck@turbonet.com if you need help locating supplies or user-friendly scientists. We also host a Yahoo listserv for "Home Plant Tissue Culture" that has members from around the world who culture just about anything and are very willing to share information and sometimes supplies or chemicals. Membership is free – go to the website, www.kitchenculturekit.com   and click on "join a listserv".

You need to be aware of basic laboratory skills and lab safety including: the safe handling and disposal of alcohol and bleach solutions, disinfecting forceps and knives with alcohol (flame sterilization is not recommended), preparation of media (depending on student age, you may need to limit this activity), and the use of protective clothing such as vinyl gloves, goggles, plastic aprons, dusk masks, and leather or tennis shoes.
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) provide information on the safe handling of chemicals. These are required for any chemical used in a classroom, and are obtained from the internet, manufacturers, and chemical supply stores.

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