Who doesn’t like free plants!! I’m going to show you the super easy ways to propagate plants.
My Mom always loved houseplants and there were all kinds of rare and beautiful plants in our house when I was growing up. I guess I never really feel like a house is a home until there are plants around. I even sneak a couple into my teenage son’s rooms.
Did you know that plants purify the air in your home? That’s what I keep telling my husband as I’m loading another plant into my shopping carriage!! Side note: I just found the most beautiful Monstera at my local Walmart last week for $14.97! If you haven’t checked out your Walmart lately you have to; they have definitely jumped on the houseplant craze bandwagon!!
Let me show you my easy ways to propagate plants
Pothos
Pothos is the best plant for a beginner! They are so easy to grow and hard to kill! They also do really well in areas that don’t get much natural light.
I started by taking cuttings from a pothos plant that I have in my son’s room…you know plants help purify the air and teenage boys need all the help they can get in their rooms!!!
Look for the nodes popping out of the pothos stems; cut the stem below these nodes.
Place your cuttings in a small jar of water. I save the glass bottles that my Trader Joe’s spices come in, they are the perfect size for starting plant cuttings. I put the jar in a bright window that only gets indirect sunlight.
You will see little roots within a week or two; when the roots are about and inch long plant the cutting in a small pot with a good quality potting mix and watch it grow!
ZZ plant
Another popular houseplant that is so easy to propagate is the ZZ Plant. I’m using another easy way to propagate plants for my ZZ Plant by placing the cutting directly into soil this time.
My ZZ Plant has started to shoot up a bunch of new growth so I thought it was a good time to propagate the plant. I took a cutting from near the base of the plant. I’m cutting off a section of older growth.
I let my cuttings callous off on the end for a day or two before planting. This helps prevent the ends from rotting.
I’m going to plant the cuttings directly into a pot this time. I made a mix of potting soil, peat moss, and perlite. I poked a hole in the center with my finger about an inch down and put my cutting in. It’s really important to keep the soil moist all the time when you are starting cuttings (not soaking wet though ). I give the soil a spritz of water every morning.
Succulents
This succulent plant was starting to look a little leggy. I wanted to take a few cuttings to start some new plants.
I took a pair of sharp, clean scissors and snipped off pieces of the plant. This method should work for most succulent plants.
I’m going to be planting these cuttings directly into a pot just like I did with the ZZ Plant.
Succulents like a sandy soil. To get these cuttings started I mixed some sand and a little peat into my potting soil and pushed the cuttings gently into the pot. I mist the soil to keep it damp
I’ve planted a few different varieties of succulent cuttings directly into soil and I’ve had better luck doing it this way than I have trying to root them in water first.
These are slow growing plants so you’ll have to be patient.
Hoya
Hoyas are sweet little houseplants! They are slow growing and it’s one of my favorite plants to have in my kitchen. I have one that my Mom gave me on a cake stand by my sink, it had a damaged leaf so I decided to clip it off and try to propagate it.
I started my Hoya cutting in a tiny container of water (I used the cover of a baby bottle because it was the perfect size and clear so I could watch for root growth). It takes quite awhile for the Hoya to start sending out new roots. I left it on my kitchen window sill until it had a good set of little roots and then planted it in a small pot.
I was so happy when it shot out it’s first tiny leave..now it’s added a couple of more!
I covered only a few of the houseplant varieties that are really popular right now but the two methods I used, soil or water propagation, can be used on a wide variety of houseplants! So take out your scissors and start making some baby plants of your own!
As always, if you have any questions leave me a comment or drop me an email! I love hearing from my readers.
