Plant Propagation Basics

There are 5 major ways to propagate houseplants: plant cuttingsLearn how to propagate houseplants using stem, leaf, cane, and branch cuttings from HousePlant411.com, plant divisionRead how to propagate houseplants by Plant Division at HousePlant411.com, offsetsHouseplant offsets, or pups as they are sometimes called, are the baby plants that form at the base of certain houseplants.Plant offsets can be used to easily propagate new plants. Wait until the plant offsets have grown at least several inches, then gently detach them from the "mother"plant. Hopefully the plant offsets will have a few roots of their own at this point. Plant the offsets in a small container and keep the plant barely moist but never soggy at all times., air layeringLearn how to use Air Layering to propagate houseplants., and plantletsCertain plants, such as spider plants, send off long slender stems called runners. New plants, or plantlets, that can be used for propagation, often develop at the ends of these runners. Place the plantlets on top of potting soil while they are still attached to the original plant. The plantlets will continue to get nutrition from the parent plant while developing roots of its own. Pin the plantlet to the soil with an open paper clip or a small piece of wire. Once the plantlet has rooted, sever the connection to the parent plant. Alternately, some plantlets can be carefully removed from the runners of the original plant and directly potted.. Whichever propagationRead how to propagate houseplants by Plant Division at HousePlant411.com method you choose, the parent plant should be healthy and your tools should be clean and sharp. Rooting HormoneRooting Hormone helps plant cuttings produce new roots and is very important to use if you want your propagation attempts to be successful. Always dip the cut end of a stem or leaf into water and then dip it into the rooting hormone before planting it. Tap off any excess powder since too much hormone is worse than too little. helps the the propagationRead how to propagate houseplants by Plant Division at HousePlant411.com process by encouraging new roots to develop, but too much is worse than none at all and it should contain a FungicideFungicides are chemical compounds that are used to kill or inhibit fungi or fungal spores. Fungi can cause serious damage to your houseplants. to prevent plant diseases. The rooting media should be light and fast draining. Vermiculite and clean sterile sand are good choices. Place the new plants in indirect light and keep the temperature between 70-80 degrees. Cover the newly propagated plants with plastic to increase the humidity and prevent the soil from drying out. Use picks, sticks, or wire to support the plastic and keep it off of the plant sections that are rooting. Last, but not least, be patient; propagationRead how to propagate houseplants by Plant Division at HousePlant411.com is often a slow process.