How can you propagate houseplants?
If you're looking for an easy and cost-effective way to expand your collection of houseplants, propagation is the way to go! Whether you're a beginner or an experienced plant owner, this guide has everything you need to know to get started.
Have you ever looked at your favorite houseplant and wondered how you could get more of it without having to go to the store and buy another? Well, you're in luck because today we're going to look at propagating houseplants!
If you're not sure what propagating means, it essentially means you're making more plants from a single plant. So you'll get new plants without buying new plants. Who doesn't like free plants?
In this guide, you'll learn about the different methods of propagation, when to propagate your plants, and how to care for your new plant babies.
These are the topics we're going to look at:
Let's get started and explore the different propagation methods.
What is the best time of year to propagate a houseplant?
Before you start propagating your plants, it's important to give your project the best chance of success. You'll need to wait for the right time of year before you can propagate your houseplants.
For most houseplants, the best time to propagate is in the Spring or early Summer when temperatures are mild and the days are long. This will give your new plant babies plenty of time to develop strong roots before winter arrives.
Some houseplants can be propagated in the fall, but it's best to wait until spring or early summer for most plants.
How do you know which propagation method is best?
If you haven't propagated many plants, it can be quite intimidating to choose a propagation method. There are several different ways you can propagate a houseplant, but how do you choose the best one?
The answer depends on the type of houseplant you're trying to propagate. Some plants are better suited for one method over another. For example, succulents and cacti can be propagated quite easily with stem cuttings while many other plants will do better when propagated by division.
The way that I've always used to find out which method will work well with a plant is to look at the plant itself.
- Does the plant have nodes? Stem cuttings will usually work well. For example: Golden Pothos.
- Do the plant's leaves contain a lot of moisture? Leaf cuttings are a great option for propagating your plant. For example: Succulent.
- Does the plant have a singular root ball and no nodes? Propagation through division should do the trick. For example: Alocasia Zebrina.
- Does the plant have bark? Air layering is probably your best chance of success. For example: Ficus Lyrata.
This method is not an exact science, so if you're still unsure, it's a good idea to ask an expert for advice.
Let's move on to the different ways you can propagate your houseplants.
Propagation by stem cuttings
The easiest and most common way to propagate your houseplants is by taking stem cuttings and letting these cuttings develop roots. After it has started to develop roots, you've grown a new plant and it's no longer a cutting.
What are stem cuttings?
If you're not sure what stem cuttings are, it's easy to explain. A stem cutting is a piece of the stem, which includes nodes and leaves, from an existing plant. The node is the most important part of your stem cutting because that's where the roots will grow. These nodes contain a growth hormone to help your cutting continue growing without the parent plant.
So how do you propagate by stem cuttings? Let's find out!
How do you propagate by stem cuttings?
- Choose a healthy plant and select a stem that has several leaves and a few nodes.
- Use a clean pair of scissors to cut the stem just below the node.
- Remove the leaves from the bottom part of the cutting, leaving a few leaves at the top to produce energy for the cutting.
- Dip the end of the stem into rooting hormone powder.
- Plant the cutting into a pot filled with a well-draining potting mix and water thoroughly.
- Place the pot in a warm and bright location, but avoid direct sunlight.
- Keep the soil moist by watering when it is dry, but not waterlogged.
After a few weeks, roots will start to grow and you'll have successfully propagated your plant. Propagation through stem cuttings is quite easy, it just takes a little patience for you to start seeing new roots on the cuttings.
Let's move on to propagation through leaf cuttings and see what that's all about.
Propagation by leaf cuttings
Propagation by leaf cutting is another way to multiply your plants. When you're propagating through leaf cuttings, you're taking a leaf from an existing plant and planting it to develop roots and become a new plant.
Some of the most popular plants that you can propagate through leaf cuttings are succulents. The leaves contain a lot of moisture and they'll contain enough moisture to help grow roots and sustain themselves for several weeks.
What are leaf cuttings?
A leaf cutting is removing a single leave of a stem of your plant and using this leaf to grow a new plant, rather than using the whole stem. We've already discovered that succulents are great plants for leaf cuttings, as these leaves contain a lot of moisture.
Propagation through leaf cuttings is very similar to propagation through stem cuttings, but the only difference is that you plant single leaves rather than a stem with several leaves.
How do you propagate by leaf cuttings?
- Choose a healthy plant and select a leaf that is plump and firm.
- Use a clean pair of scissors to cut the leaf at the base.
- Allow the cutting to dry for a few days, 2 days should be enough.
- Plant the cutting into a pot filled with a well-draining potting mix and water thoroughly.
- Place the pot in a warm and bright location, but avoid direct sunlight.
- Keep the soil moist by watering when it is dry, but not waterlogged.
Leaf cuttings usually take a little longer to grow roots than stem cuttings, but you should still start to see new roots growing within a month or so.
Propagation by division
Propagation by division is the process of separating a parent plant into two or more new plants. The process of propagation by division involves digging up the plant and dividing it into two or more sections. Each section should have a good amount of roots intact so that they can establish themselves in individual pots.
Propagation by division is an easy, fast, and effective way to propagate larger plants. It's also a great option for you if you don't want to wait for root growth from stem and leaf cuttings.
What is plant division?
Plant division is the process of splitting an existing plant into two or more plants. A great example of propagation by division is a Sansevieria. It grows new plants by growing new stems from the parent plant. Each of these new stems starts to grow its roots and become one big plant with multiple root systems.
You can cut each of these new plants off the original plant, so each plant still has its root system intact. It's just no longer attached to the parent plant.
How do you propagate by division?
- Choose a healthy plant.
- Gently remove the plant from its pot and remove any dead or rotten roots.
- Use a clean pair of scissors or knife to divide the plant into sections, making sure each section has its root system.
- Plant each section into a pot filled with a well-draining potting mix and water thoroughly.
- Place the pots in a warm and bright location, but avoid direct sunlight.
- Keep the soil moist by watering when it is dry, but not waterlogged.
These plants already have a root system, so all you'll need to do to help these new plants is to monitor for any fungal infections.
If you want to be sure you're not accidentally getting a fungal infection on your plant, you can let them dry for a day or 2. This should give your plant enough time to grow a callus on the part which was attached to the parent plant.
Propagation by seeds
Perhaps the most well-known way to get more plants is to grow them from seeds. This is not as common for houseplants, but you can still find seeds or bulbs online or at certain plant shops.
Propagation by seeds is an excellent way to get plants that are difficult to propagate through stem or leaf cuttings. It's also a great option for those who want to grow plants from scratch, as you can easily find and purchase all of the materials needed for growing these plants.
Growing from seed does take more time than propagating by stem or leaf cuttings, but you are essentially starting with a completely blank slate.
To propagate by seeds:
- Purchase quality seeds from a reputable source.
- Prepare the soil in a pot and sow the seeds according to the instructions on the packet of seeds.
- Place the pot in a warm and bright location, but avoid direct sunlight.
- Water the soil regularly.
Propagating or growing houseplants from seeds take longer than propagating through cuttings or division, so make sure to be patient. Keep an eye out for signs of growth, like germination and new leaves, which can take anywhere from a few days to a few months, depending on the species of plant you are growing.
The easiest houseplants to propagate
Now that you know the different ways to propagate your houseplants, it's good to highlight a few houseplants I've had the most success with when propagating them. These plants will teach you how to propagate successfully and will help you to gain some confidence in propagating your plants.
These are the plants I've had the most success with:
You can read more about propagating these plants in these posts: How to propagate a Sansevieria (Snake plant), How to propagate a spider plant, and How to propagate an Alocasia Zebrina.
Thank you for reading this post! I hope it helps you to keep your plants healthy and beautiful! If you're looking for more guides on specific plants, you can always request a plant guide to get a guide for the plant you have trouble with.
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