Enquiry into Plants/Volume 1/Chapter 24

by Theophrastus

Of methods of propagation, with notes on cultivation.

V. Since however methods of cultivation and tendance largely contribute, and, before these, methods of planting, and cause great differences, of these too we must speak.

And first of methods of planting as to the seasons, we have already stated at what seasons one should plant. Further^[1] we are told that the plants chosen should be the best possible,^[2] and should be taken from soil resembling that in which you are going to plant them, or else inferior^[3]; also the holes should be dug^[4] as long as possible beforehand, and should always be deeper than the original holes, even for those whose roots do not run very deep.

Some say that no root goes down further than a foot and a half, and accordingly they blame those who plant deeper. However there are many instances in which it appears that what they say does not hold good; a plant which is naturally deep-rooting pushes much deeper if it finds either a deep mass of soil or a position which favours such growth or again the kind of ground which favours it.^[5] In fact,^[6] a man once said that when he was transplanting a fir which he had uprooted with levers, he found that it had a root more than eight cubits long, though the whole of it had not been removed, but it was broken off.

The slips for planting should be taken, if possible, with roots attached, or, failing that, from the lower^[7] rather than from the higher parts of the tree, except in the case of the vine; those that have roots should be set upright,^[8] while in the case of those which have none about^[9] a handsbreadth or rather more of the slip should be buried. Some say that part even of those which have roots should be buried, and that the position^[10] should be the same as that of the tree from which the slip was taken, facing north or east or south, as the case may be. With those plants with which it is possible, shoots from the boughs should also, they say, be planted, some being set on the trees themselves,^[11] as with olive pear apple and fig, but in other cases, as in that of the vine, they must be set separately, for that the vine cannot be grafted on itself.

If the slips cannot be taken with root or stock attached, as with the olive,^[12] they say that one must^[13] split the wood at the lower end and plant with a stone on top; and the fig and other trees must be treated in like manner with the olive.^[14] The fig^[15] is also propagated by sharpening a stout shoot and driving it in with a hammer, till only a small piece of it is left above ground, and then piling sand above so as to earth it up; and they say that the plants thus raised grow up to a certain age.

Similar is the method used with vines, when they are propagated by the 'peg'^[16] method; for the peg makes a passage for that sort of shoot on account of its weakness; and in the same manner men plant the pomegranate and other trees. The fig progresses more quickly and is less eaten by grubs, if the cutting is set in a squill-bulb^[17]; in fact anything so planted is vigorous and grows faster. All those trees which are propagated by pieces cut from the stem should be planted with the cut part downwards,^[18] and the pieces cut off should not be less than a handsbreadth in length, as was said,^[19] and the bark should be left on. From such pieces new shoots grow, and as they grow, one should keep on heaping up earth about them, till the tree becomes strong.^[20] This kind of propagation is peculiar to the olive and myrtle, while the others are more or less common to all trees.

The fig is better than any other tree at striking roots, and will, more than any other tree, grow by any method of propagation. ^[21]We are told that, planting the pomegranate myrtle or bay, one should set two trees close together, not further than nine feet apart, apples a little further, pears and wild pears still further, almonds and figs further still, and in like manner the olive.^[22] Again the distance apart must be regulated by the nature of the ground, being less^[23] in hilly parts than in low ground.

Most important of all, one may say, is it to assign to each the suitable soil; for then is the tree most vigorous. Speaking generally, they say that low ground is most suitable for the olive fig and vine, and the lower slopes of hills for fruit trees.^[24] Nor should one fail to note what soil suits each variety even of those closely related. There is the greatest difference, one may say, between the different kinds of vine: for they say that there are as many kinds of vine as there are of soil. If they are planted as their nature requires, they turn out well, if otherwise, they are unfruitful. And these remarks apply almost equally to all trees.

 

1. δὲ conj. W.; τε Ald.
2. κάλλιστα conj. W., cf. C.P. 3. 24. 1; τάχιστα MVAld.; τὰ χίστα U.
3. i.e. the shift should be into better soil, if possible. cf. C.P. 3. 5. 2.
4. γυροὺς προορύττειν conj. R. Const.; πυροὺς προσορύττειν UMV Ald. c.f. C.P. 3. 4. 1.
5. ἀλλ᾽ἐὰν … τοιούτου. ἐὰν ἢ μὲν σώματος M; so V, but ᾖ; ἢ om. PAld.; χώματος H; κενώματος for σώματος and εὐδιόδου for ἢ καὶ τόπου conj. W. χώρας refers to exposure, etc., τόπου (sc. τοιούτου) to quality of soil: so G.
6. Plin. 16. 129; Xen. Oec. 19. 3.
7. cf. C.P. 3. 6.
8. cf. C.P. 3. 6. 4; Xen. Oec. 19. 9.
9. δσον conj. Sch.; οἷον P₂Ald.
10. cf. C.P. 3. 5. 2.
11. i.e. grafted.
12. ἡ before τῆς om. W.
13. τε τὸ conj. W.; τό τε MVP.
14. καὶ τῆς ἐλαίας U; ἐλάας MVP; so W.
15. Plin. 17, 123.
16. cf. C.P. 3. 12. 1.
17. cf. 7. 13. 4; C. P. 5. 6. 10 (where another bulb, σχῖνος is mentioned as being put to the same use); Athen. 3. 13; Plin. 17. 87.
18. cf. Geop. 9. 11. 8.
19. 2. 5. 3, where however the method of propagation is different.
20. ἄρτιον Ald.; ἀρτιτελῆ conj. W. (quoad satis corroboretur G; donec robur planta capiat Plin. 17. 124); ἄρτιτεων U; ἄρτι τέων MV; ἄρτι τεῶν P₂.
21. cf. C.P. 3. 7.
22. ἐλάαν conj. Bod. (cf. Plin. 17. 88); δοιὰν UAld. H.
23. ἐλάττονι conj. Sch.; ἔλαττον Ald.
24. i.e. apples pears plums, etc.

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