5 ways to propagate houseplants
Stem and leaf cuttings, division, offsets and air layering
Stem cuttings
The most common method. Cut a 3–6 inch (8–15 cm) piece from the tip of a healthy stem, just below a node, the bump where a leaf joins. Strip the leaves from the lower third to half, and root it in moist mix, or in water for easy rooters like pothos and philodendron.
Coleus, tradescantia and many other soft-stemmed plants root this way, often within a few weeks.
Leaf cuttings
Some plants grow a whole new plant from one leaf. Root an African violet or peperomia leaf with about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of its stalk. Cut snake plant leaves into 3–4 inch (8–10 cm) pieces and stand them in damp mix, right way up.
Lay whole jade or sedum leaves on barely damp mix; broken pieces won't root. Snake plants with yellow edges lose that edging when grown from leaf pieces, so divide them instead.
Division
Plants that grow in clumps, such as snake plant, peace lily, cast-iron plant, prayer plant and most ferns, can be split. Ease the plant out of its pot and pull or cut the root ball into pieces that each have leaves, stems and roots.
Pot each piece in fresh mix, often in a smaller pot than before. Early spring is the ideal time.
Offsets and plantlets
Many plants make babies for you. Aloe, haworthia, bromeliads and many cacti grow pups at their base, and spider plants dangle plantlets on long stems.
Cut a pup away once it has developed roots of its own, then pot it up.
Air layering
For tall, woody plants like rubber plant, fiddle-leaf fig or dracaena, you can root the stem while it's still attached. About 1 foot (30 cm) below the tip, remove a 1-inch (2.5 cm) ring of bark. On dracaena, make an upward cut a third of the way into the stem and wedge it open with a toothpick.
Wrap the spot in damp sphagnum moss and cover it with clear plastic. When roots fill the moss, often after several weeks, cut below them and pot up the new plant.
Tips for success
Propagate from healthy, growing plants in spring and early summer. Dip your knife or snips in rubbing alcohol between cuts. Many houseplants root without rooting hormone; if you use it, follow the label, and wash your hands after handling sap.
Sources
- NC State Extension: Extension Gardener Handbook, 13: Propagation
- Iowa State University Extension: How to Propagate Houseplants by Leaf Section Cuttings
- Iowa State University Extension: How to Propagate Houseplants by Division and Offsets
- Iowa State University Extension: How to Propagate Succulents
General guidance, not a diagnosis. Written by PlantWiz in our own words from the sources above.