A method for the propagation of vegetatively reproducing plants comprising micro-propagation of a plant material from a vegetatively reproducing plant followed by multiplication to plantlets, contacting the plantlets with a plant hormone, growing the plantlets and harvesting mini-rhizomes or ministems therefrom, and encapsulating the mini-rhizomes in a plant medium wherein the encapsulation may include coating in a biodegradable polymer, which may have a melting point of between 30 to 65 oC. The plants may be grasses, reeds, bamboo, hop, ginger, strawberry, nettles, cassava, turmeric, wasabi, sweet potato or rubber. Also claimed are encapsulated rhizomes obtainable by the method； a method for producing a plant by growing such encapsulated rhizomes； and a method for altering rhizome architecture or rhizome yield comprising micro-propagation of plant material to produce plantlets, contacting plantlets with hormones selected from benzylaminopurine, TDA and IAA and obtaining a rhizome weighing less than 25g.
