What Does it Mean to Propagate Houseplants and How is it Done?
There is an affordable way to add to your plant collection that goes beyond taking a trip to the nursery or Home Depot: Propagation!
Propagation is the process of creating new plants from already existing ones.As with anything new, it may not be so successful the first few tries. But we encourage you to start somewhere because it’s super rewarding once you get the hang of it. Practice makes better! By propagating plants you already own, you are giving yourself unlimited potential to expand your beautiful collection, and bring in as much green into your home as you'd like. Here are some other benefits of propagating:
FREE Plants- Have a new space in your home for more plants but have a tight budget? Fill that space by multiplying your already existing babies.
Gift giving- they make great housewarming gifts, or just gift giving in general. It’s a thoughtful gift, and they’ll never know it was free!
Trade for Variety- swap your cuttings, seeds, or starts with friends or neighbors for variety of plants.
Propagate Houseplants by Stem Cutting:
The growing tips of many plants will produce strong new plants when cut and rooted properly. Today, we will talk about propagating most common types of houseplants (Aroid plants including pothos plants, philodendrons, monsteras, and ZZ plants) using a much simpler form of propagating: stem cuttings.
What you’ll need:
- Plant to propagate
- Scissors
- Room temperature water in glass vessel (mason jar would work)
Step 1: On the mature plant-look for a tiny brown root node right under the leaf or where the stem and vine meet. These tiny bumps are your key to propagating aroid plants. Snip off a couple inches of healthy stem right before a node, and include a node or 2 with the cutting, as this is where new roots will grow from.
Step 2: Trim off any leaves too close to the node.
Step 3: Place plant cuttings into your glass container and be sure to put it in a spot that receives bright to moderate indirect light.
Step 4: Check root growth of the node weekly and be patient!
Tips and Reminders:
Add fresh water when necessary. You can replace it every few days or simply top off your glass vessel when the water is looking low.
If the water is murky, we recommend replacing it for the health of the growing root.
Transferring to Planter or Pot:
You should wait until the root is 1 inch long or longer before transferring to a planter with potting mix. This is approximately 4-6 weeks of letting your plant propagate in the water. So, once the roots of the cuttings are planted in fresh potting mix, soak the mix with room temperature water and place it in bright indirect light. Make sure you are allowing the soil to dry in between watering.
We hope you expand your collection with this very rewarding method of plant propagating. Happy Gardening!