Propagating House Plants | Propagating With Leaf and Stem Cuttings

Types of Bonsai

indoor bonsai trees
bonsai for beginners
flowering trees
old bonsai trees(one of a kind)
evergreen bonsai tree
juniper bonsai trees
bonsai plants
outdoor trees
artificial bonsai
pre bonsai tree
wire tree sculptures
preserved bonsai tree
small ornamental trees
bonsai tree kit

bonsai tools

bonsai pots

Online gift catalog

Propagating House Plants and Trees

Propagating house plants is a challenge that many indoor gardeners enjoy. New house plants and trees can be created in several ways, including stem and leaf cuttings, air layering, and root divisions.

Some house plants like the piggyback method propagating house plants. The spider plant, for example loves to make new plants by growing root plantlets.

Propagating house plants with stem or leaf cuttings by pruning your own leggy house plants, or you can find other indoor gardeners who are willing to share cuttings with you. Though you can't expect instant results with propagation, time and patience should reward you with many new small house plants.

Rooting plantlets appear as outgrowths or appendages above the soil on an established house plant. The plantlet that forms at the base of a leaf, develops on the bloom stalk of a spider plant. Plantlets grow on the frond of a fern only needs to come in contact with moist potting mix to form roots and grow into a self-sufficient house plant.

The easiest method for propagating house plants is to place the plantlet still attached to the leaf or stalk of the parent plant in a container filled with moist potting soil. Use clothes pins or partially opened paper clips, if necessary, to keep the plantlet in contact with the soil. Keep the mix constantly moist but not soggy. When you notice new growth on the plantlet, sever the connection with the plant by removing the stem. Or you can start by detaching the plantlet and placing it directly into the prepared soil.

Propagating house plants cuttings by leaf and stem

Most cuttings will root in either potting mix or water. Prepare the cutting this way: remove lower leaves; dip the stem into rooting hormone and then insert it into the rooting medium. Keep moist but not soggy. When the cutting produces new growth, you can plant it.

For the rooting medium, you can use vermiculite, coarse sand, a mixture of half/half sand, or a commercial potting mix with enough perlite added to make the mix lighter in texture. Whatever you choose, be sure it is sterilized to minimize the risk of disease organisms destroying the cutting before it can root.

Propagating house plants by air layering - This method is best for tall, single-stemmed plants that are difficult to grow from cuttings. The principle behind this method is simple: you cut or scar the stem to stimulate root formation at that point. With a sharp knife or razor blade, cut or scar the plant stem just below a leaf node, cutting about halfway through the stalk. Brace the stem, if necessary, with a small piece of wood. Then place moist the cut stem, wrap it with clear plastic film, and tie the plastic in place. When roots begin to show through the plastic, sever the rooted portion from the parent and plant it.

Propagating house plants by dividing plants

With this propagation method, you create new plants by dividing the centers of large plants that grow in clumps or form multiple growing centers. Each clump or crown is called a growth center because it has its own root system. Asparagus ferns, and African violets can be propagated this way. All you need to do is remove the parent plant from its container, brush or wash away the potting mix around the roots, and carefully cut or pull apart the various growth centers. Then repot each of the individual plants into smaller containers.

To repot your house plant, have all the needed supplies assembled . Quantities of the correct potting mix and the necessary tools should be handy. The new house plant container should be 1/2 to 1 inch larger in diameter than the plant's present pot.

House plant Care Tips