Love houseplants but don’t have the money to buy many? Try propagating existing ones. It’s fun and easy and the new plants that result can be used to add to a collection, replace older specimens that no longer look their best, or given away as gifts. Here’s a guide to the most common ways to propagate plants.
Stem Cuttings (Water or Soil)- This is the simplest way to propagate plants and the most common. A wide variety of plants can be propagated this way, including Pothos, Pilea, Philodendron, Pepperomia, and more. To start, select a healthy stem and using a sharp knife, cut off a three to six inch length. Make sure to cut below a leaf joint. The cutting can be placed in a jar or vase of water or planted in soil. If soil is used, mist regularly until the roots develop but be sure not to saturate the soil or the cutting may rot.
Leaf Cuttings- This method works well on plants that do not have stems, such as African Violets and succulents such as Escheveria and Crassula. Choose a large, healthy leaf and make sure to leave an inch or so of stem attached to it. Leaf cuttings from succulents should be set aside for a few days to let the cut end dry. As with stem cuttings, they can be planted in soil.
Air Layering- This method works for thick stemmed plants like Dieffenbachia and Ficus. Find a good sized, healthy leaf and remove the bark or outer layer of stem from an area a half inch below it. Paint with rooting hormone and then wrap a piece of plastic wrap around it. Fill with damp sphagnum moss and tie at both ends. Soon it will fill with roots. Once it does cut the stem off with a sharp knife just below the bottom tie and pot up. The remaining stem will produce new shoots, so keep watering it!
Plantlets- Some plants, such as Spider Plants, Snake Plants, and Piggyback Plants, do the propagating by themselves and produce baby plants either at ends of growing shoots or on their leaves. If roots are present, simply cut the baby away and pot up. If not, pin the plantlet down in moist potting soil and wait for it to root, then remove and pot up. For Snake plants, the babies can be separated from the main plant and potted up. (See below)
Division- Some plants, such as Saintpaulia (African Violets), Sanseveria (Snake Plant), and Maranta (Prayer Plant) form several rosettes or clumps as they grow. To separate, take the plant out of its pot and use a sharp knife to separate the segments. Be very careful when handling the roots and make sure they are evenly distributed among the segments. Pot up. Be careful never to simply cut the plant in two!
Layering- This works well with trailing plants of all kinds. Pick a healthy, vigorous stem and pin it down in a pot of moist potting soil using a hair pin. Once rooting has occurred, cut away from the mother plant.
Propagation is addictive and a great way to increase a houseplant collection without decreasing the bank account. Try it today!
