• Scissors
• Water
• Labels
• Pencils
• Download our PowerPoint Presentation to use alongside this lesson plan

For stem cuttings:

• Pot of young supermarket mint
• Container of water (jar or cup)

For root cuttings:

• Pot of mature mint with thick, fleshy roots
• Multipurpose peat-free compost
• Small pots

How do plants reproduce? Discuss pupils’ answers and then show a mint plant. How can mint reproduce? (See additional information.)

It is important to establish that mint plants can reproduce sexually by producing seeds, but in this lesson we focus on asexual reproduction via stem and root cuttings.

Introduce a mint plant to the pupils by removing the plant from the pot. Draw their attention to the stems and roots, highlighting the nodes. (A node is a point on the stem or root where a leaf or another root emerges.)

Explain that nodes are an important part of a plant’s asexual reproductive system. Each node is able to make new leaves, stems or roots.

Stem cuttings (all year round):

• Show pupils a stem, highlighting the nodes. (A node is a point on the stem where a leaf or branch emerges)
• Cut a piece of stem approximately 10cm long that includes a node
• On the removed stem, cut and remove the stem blow the node
• Remove any lower leaves to prepare the cutting to be placed in water
• Place the cutting in a container of water
• Place in a well-lit area (a windowsill is ideal)
• Pupils will be able to observe roots forming in one to two weeks

Root cuttings (autumn):

• Fill a pot with peat-free compost and gently tap it on a hard surface to remove air pockets
• Take the mint plant out of its pot
• Show pupils a thick white root, highlighting the nodes. (A node is a point on the root where another root emerges)
• Find a node and cut out a section of root to include the node (shorter than the diameter of the pot)
• Make a small dip in the peat-free compost and lay the root cutting flat in the dip
• Cover the root cutting with peat-free compost and place it in a well-lit area inside or outside
• Pupils will be able to observe stems emerging through the peat-free compost in two to four weeks

Plenary

Explain stem cuttings can be taken throughout the year and root cuttings can be taken in autumn.

• Stem cuttings can be put into pots with multipurpose peat-free compost once roots have grown
• Root cuttings need to be kept watered and can be potted into a bigger pot when they have outgrown their original pot
• Mint plants can also be planted in the ground. They spread quickly, so can be planted in large pots to restrict root growth and then sunk into the ground

Assessment questions

• Why do you need to include a node in your stem or root cutting?
• How will you know if your stem cutting is successful in making a new plant?
• How will you know if your root cutting is successful in making a new plant?
• Why do you think some plants have evolved to reproduce in these different ways?

Many plants, including mint, have the capacity to reproduce sexually (via the processes of pollination, fertilisation and seed production) and asexually. Sexual reproduction leads to genetic variation, whereas asexual reproduction creates new plants that are genetically identical to the parent plant.

In horticulture, asexual reproduction is also known as vegetative reproduction or vegetative propagation. It occurs when a new plant grows from a part of the parent plant (e.g. a stem, leaf or root, or a specialised reproductive structure such as a bulb or runner). These new plants are genetically identical to the parent plant e.g. clones.