If you are on Plant-Tok (the plant parent side of Tiktok, for those that don’t already know), you will know the song constantly in my head: “When you buy a little plant, and it's doing great, you break off a piece, and you propagate! You make another plant, oh yeah, a baby brother plant!”
Indoor plants and succulents are growing in popularity among millennials and Generation Z adults. True to form, we love to share our knowledge on social media. I’ve learned so much about how to grow and care for a plant collection, all without spending a ton of money! If you have ever wanted to grow your plant collection but haven’t had the time, here are some tips to help get you started!
- Remember: Propagating your plants is much easier than you probably think it is.
- Many indoor plants can be water propagated. This simply means that once you’ve got your cutting, you let the roots sit in water until you have enough roots for them to thrive in soil. This can help protect the tiny plants from bacteria in the ground that could cause rot before the plant is strong enough to handle it.
- Some succulent plants and indoor plants will make their babies. When you see one, you can gently pull the baby out, put it in fresh, room temperature water, and change the water every five days or so until you have enough roots to plant it in its pot.
- Many plants can be propagated by taking leaf cuttings. You can cut the leaves in half, then set them aside to let the cuts “callus.” You then place them in the water facing so the tip is upward, and the callus is in the water, and then do the same as you would with a baby plant.
- The last way to get a cutting is to cut off a part of a vining plant. When doing this, you will want to look for a node (or a bump) in the vine and cut a little below it, as this is where the roots will grow.
- When you have enough roots to plant in the soil, you will want to keep the soil extra wet for a couple of weeks so the plant has time to adapt to pulling nutrients from the soil.
You want 3-5 inches of roots before transferring your baby to a new pot. Sunlight, of course, is essential, but in balanced amounts: you don’t want it to be too intense or too hot. Keep an eye out for mold or mosquito larvae, and make sure you don’t submerge the whole leaf.
Some house plants that are popular choices for propagating include:
- Pothos
- Umbrella Plants
- Snake plants
- Philodendron
- Tradescantia
- African Violets
- Eucalyptus
- Rosemary
- Peperomias
- Most succulent plants
- Monstera deliciosa
- Chain of Hearts
