Imagine the trees around you blooming, but only the plants inside your house look like they are just waking up from their winter sleep. If this happens to you, it is the ideal time for plant propagation.
But before propagating plants, you have to learn what is plant propagation and how to propagate plants.
What is Plant Propagation?
Plant propagation is plant reproduction from a parent plant, which means you already have some plants and get new plants from them. Houseplant lovers often look to grow their plants’ collections, so they want to propagate plants now and then.
Difference Between Propagation and Reproduction
Propagation is one of the forms of plant reproduction. Growing new plants have tons of other methods, but propagation is better as the new plants are semi-mature in this process, allowing seeds to sprout faster.
Plant Propagation Methods
Propagating plants is not complex, but it is a systematic procedure. Initially, you may not successfully propagate plants, as it is a trial-and-error method. But once it works, it is very satisfying to a plant lover.
Plant propagation methods don’t necessarily require expensive equipment or a greenhouse. It only requires supplies, patience, and proper knowledge of how to propagate plants.
You can access a lot of knowledge available on the internet on propagating plants. But remember, the simpler the way is, the more success you’ll have.
Moreover, plants like pothos, monsteras, philodendrons, and ZZ plants require different techniques, whereas succulents and fiddle leaf figs may need some other plant propagation methods.
Pothos, monsteras, philodendrons, and ZZ plants are propagated in water as their ancestral plants live in swamps, allowing them to grow in flooding.
You can propagate plants in several methods, like division, grafting, and budding, but the cutting method has a minimal risk of harming the parent plant.
We all more or less know about seed propagation, as it mainly involves sowing seeds in the soil and keeping them moist and warm so that they can grow. But all the seeds don’t fall into the same categories, and the treatment depends on the seed’s ability to cold tolerance and the native place where it grows.
The easiest method of propagating plants is cutting. If you are a beginner, make sure that your parent plant is
- Hardy
- Healthy
- Easy-to-grow
- The roots are developed, and standard
Otherwise, the parent plant may be affected.
What you will need
- A plant for propagation
- Sharp and clean scissors
- A clear glass vessel (drinking glass/small vase) full of water (room temperature)
- Garden gloves (better to use them for killing germs)
Easy Steps for Plant Propagation
Step 1
Cut 2-3 leaves which are 4-8 inches long. Find the brown root node and cut two inches diagonally from the healthy stem below the lowest node.
Step 2
Place the cutting into the water of the vessel.
Step 3
Roots will start to sprout from the lowest area of the cutting in a week or so. The roots should remain exactly below the surface of the water. The water has to be changed twice a week.
Step 4
After you see one healthy root for four inches, pot it. The potting mix should be lightweight. Place the planter with the potting mix in indirect light until there is new growth. Afterward, you can place it in an area with desired light level.
Step 5
Soon after you place it in soil, you must pour water heavily as the plant is adapted to water. You can cover the top of the plant to retain moisture.
Step 6
Then, you have to bring your plant to normal watering slowly.
Conclusion
You can transfer the plant only after the root grows at least one inch in length. Room temperature water and bright indirect light are required essential. Don’t let your cutting grow in water for long as it can provide no nutrition and enhance the risk of fungal infection. If it is in water, add a little fertilizer and clean it throughout spring and summer.
