A cost-effective way to add more greenery to your space.
How to Propagate Plants to Transform Your Home Into an Indoor Jungle
A cost-effective way to add more greenery to your space.
Houseplants have the ability to instantly elevate a space. Whether they’re hanging from your ceiling or planted in ceramic pots on the floor, they are a simple and effective way to add personality to your home.
All proud plant parents know that one plant is simply never enough, but adding more plant babies to your space can often become costly. Lucky for plant owners – you can add more to your space with the ones you already own by a process called propagation.
What is Propagation?
We’re able to create more plants from the ones we have at home through a process called propagation. Propagation means to breed specimens of a plant by natural processes from the parent stock. If you follow the following methods correctly, you’ll be able to successfully create more plants from the ones you already own.
There are three main ways you can propagate a plant: with stem or leaf cuttings, root division, and with pups. Depending on what plants you already have at home will determine what method of propagation you should use.
Propagate with Leaf Cuttings
Propagating with stem or leaf cuttings is probably the simplest method you can follow when wanting to expand your plant family. To start off, you’ll want to make sure you have a clean pair of either scissors or gardening shears. Once you’ve acquired your cutting tool, figure out where you’d like your cutting to start its growing journey. You can either place your fresh cuttings into water or into a pot of soil. Adding cuttings to a clear glass jar or vase will not only make the root growing process visible, but also make for a nice decoration in your home.
If you choose to propagate by placing your cuttings in water, make sure to change the water every few days to keep everything fresh. If you’re planning on placing your cuttings in a glass jar or vase, be sure to keep your cutting out of direct sunlight so as not to burn the roots.
Some plants that can be propagated with cuttings are:
- Pothos
- Philodendrons
- Prayer plants
- Monsteras
Propagate with Root Division
Plants with multiple stems are able to be propagated by root division. To do this, gently pull at the stem from the base of the soil, if this proves to be difficult, remove the plant completely from the soil and separate the roots to form two plants. Once this is complete, secure your original plant back in its pot and place your new plant in a different pot with fresh soil. Depending on the needs of the plant, either water it immediately after planting, or wait a week or so for the roots to adjust to their new environment.
Plants that can easily be propagated by root division are:
- Peace lilies
- ZZ plants
- Snake plants
- Rubber Plants
- Calatheas
Propagate with Pups
Some plants create offshoots (pups), which make the propagation process super easy! Once your plant has produced a healthy looking pup (around 3-4 inches long), grab a clean pair of gardening shears or scissors and gently cut the pup off of the host plant. Place the freshly cut pup directly into a new pot with soil. Remember to water your freshly planted pup – unless of course it requires the soil to be dry for a few weeks before watering.
Plants that can be propagated with pups:
- Spider plant
- Aloe vera plant
- Ponytail palm
- Cacti
- Succulents
