Vetiver

multiplication

Elise Pinners

Director, The Vetiver Network International (TVNI), and

Director of Green Cycle Consulting Ltd. (GCC), Kenya

Floricounda Ltd.,

Dakar, Senegal

Different types of

multiplication

1. Bare root slips

2. Flower inflorescence

3. Poly-pots, net-pots

4. Strips

5. Micro-propagation

Plant parts naming,

for different multiplication methods

Tiller: one stem with root

Slip: 2-4 tillers together, basic unit for planting a hedge

Culm: the base of a stem producing new shoots

Clump: a poll of grass

Cutting: a piece if stem including a node where it develops roots (flower inflorescence)

Parts used for

multiplication

Tiller: one stem with root

Slip: min. 2 tillers together, for planting a

hedge (for infrastructure 3-4 tillers/slip)

Culm: the base of a stem producing new

shoots

Clump: a poll of grass

Cutting: a piece if stem including a node

where it develops roots

Vetiver grows new

adaptive roots

above the crown

as it traps eroded

soil

Different multiplication methods

Method Advantage Disadvantage

Bare root

slips

Cheap; little skill & inputs

required; easy transport

Less robust under

hardship

Poly-pots

(plastic,

paper)

Withstanding hardship;

easy transport

More bulky for

transport, more

expensive

Strips For difficult sites (water,

steep slopes); faster

handling & planting; sure

plant distance

Expensive, more

vulnerable during

transport (soil fall

out, strip breaking)

Micro-

propagation

Large scale, fast and

cheap

Needs special

skills & equipment

(lab)

1. Bare root slips

How to speed up rooting

Four steps to propagate cuttings:

1. Prepare cuttings (split, prune)

2. Spray cuttings with 10% water hyacinth solution, or other rooting medium, then cover for 24h with plastic bags

3. OR: dip in clay mud or manure slurry (‘cow tea’)

4. Plant in a good bed. For fast establishment, add manure and/or chemical fertilizer (17:17:17 10g/plant), and start watering daily (check depth of wetness!)

Cowtea dip

New slips are

stimulated to

make new root: in

fertile clay/mud

Vetiver planting material acquired from abandoned

university project area in Darfur

Method to irrigate the

just planted vetiver

Three weeks after planting

3 months after planting

6 months after planting

Nursery near Eldoret (for Kerio

valley project)

2. Flower inflorescence

For use on infrastructure, in harsh,

hostile conditions, requiring

fast and sure establishment Advantages of poly-pots & strips:

i) hardy plants, less affected by

high temperature and low moisture

ii) lower irrigation frequency after planting

iii) can remain on-site longer (than bare root slips) before planting, but: after 1 week increased maintenance costs

Disadvantages:

i) poly-pot plants are more bulky, difficult to transport

ii) more costly (labour, space, pots, soil, etc.)

iii) 4-5 weeks longer in nursery (than bare root slips)

iv) if not bio-degradable, pots are environmentally charging

3. Polypots,

netpots

Propagation in Ethiopia

In low rainfall areas the most efficient and cost effective proved the two-stage production process:

multiplication within nurseries in big poly-tube

multiplication for final planting out in the field using smaller tube.

Cost (Ethiopia)

Following

recommendation

for low rain fall

area: 17 Ethiopian

cents / slip

For high rainfall

and mid- & low

altitude areas: 10

Ethiopian cents /

slip.

Net pots

Easy to plant in rainy season

Cheap (India: + 0.005$/pot)

Advantages:

Easier to transport than polypots

Saves time for planting

You need less soil

(compared to poly-

pots) and plastic

can be re-used

High survival rate

since roots remain

together

4. Strips

PROPAGATION OF VETIVER GRASS HEDGE ROWS

Vetiveria zizanioides (Chrysopogon zizanioides )

Vetiver Grass

Hedge Row

Propagation

by

Yoann Coppin

in

Madagascar

River Bank Stabilisation with VGHR’S

Strip dimensions

Length 50-75 cm

Width 6 cm

Depth 8-10 cm

(in Chile)

ICV45. Micro-propagation

Low cost micro-propagation

procedure developed by College of

Agriculture & Applied Biology,

University of Can Tho. This

procedure uses net-house instead of

the expensive growth chamber.

Produced in net-house conditions

plants were +22% cheaper than

when grown in growth chamber.