Chop & Prop: Ways to Propagate
How to get free plants without spending a dime? Chop and prop ‘em! Propagating is one of the easiest and cost-effective ways to multiply your plants - you're creating a whole new plant from part of another plant. The best time to do this is during the growing season - spring to early fall, when temperature and light conditions are optimal.
The most popular and easiest way to propagate is through stem cutting, other methods include leaf cutting, pup cuttings, division, runners, air layering, and growing from seed.
Some methods work best for specific plants than others and some mediums work better for your environment and lifestyle. I've provided a general outline of tried-and-true methods.
This will be a continuous weekly series. First method - propagation by runners!
Cactus Pup Cuttings
Pup cuttings are a snip of your common desert plant's pups, calloused and grown into its own plant. Keep in mind, new pups will grow from the original plant's cut. The preferred medium from start to finish is cactus and succulent mix.
Preferred plants: most cactus or euphorbias that have arms or pups
What you’ll need:
- Your preferred cacti or euphorbia to propagate
- Clean sheers or blade
- Pot with preferred well-draining medium
- Water
Instructions
Using clean and sanitized sheers or a blade, make a clean cut at the base of the pup.
Place the pup cutting in bright and indirect lit, dry spot. Let the new cut callous over, this should take a few days to a week.
Once it's calloused and healed over, place the end of the cutting into well-draining soil. Water thoroughly.
Aftercare: place in bright, indirect light and keep the soil moist until it establishes mature roots.
Keep an eye to see if roots have grown 2", this should take about 2-6 weeks.
Once rooted, water normally and place by preferred light situation. For desert plants, water only when soil is bone dry
Stem and Leaf Cuttings
Stem cuttings are the easiest and most common way to propagate. There are some plants that can propagate via stem, but may not work with as leaf cuttings, listed below. However, the process is pretty much similar. Roots grow below a leaf joint or node for stem cuttings, and right at the base of the cut for leaf cuttings. My preferred process is to root in water to speed up the rooting process, then repot in soil. You can root in other mediums such as soil, sphagnum moss, vermiculite, or perlite.
Preferred plants for stem cuttings: pothos, fiddle leaf fig, monstera, philodendron, rubber plant, dracaena, English Ivy, dieffenbachia
Preferred plants for leaf cuttings: sansevieria, peperomia
What you’ll need:
- Your preferred plant to propagate
- Clean sheers or blade
- Jar or vessel filled with water, I suggest a clear container so you can see roots grow
- Pot with preferred soil (when repotting)
Instructions
Method:
Stem Cuttings: Find a stem with 1 or more leaves. Using clean sheers or blade, make one clean cut at the stem, below the node. For plants with multiple nodes, like pothos, remove lower leaves that will be submerged in water, otherwise, they'll decay if covered.
Leaf Cuttings: Using clean sheers or blade, make one clean cut at the base of the leaf.
Place the end of the cutting into a vessel of water, for stem cuttings, making sure nodes are submerged.
Place your cutting in bright, indirect light, making sure the water doesn't get too hot.
Aftercare: refill the water so the end or node is always submerged. Replace the water if it begins to get cloudy.
Once roots have grown 2", which should take about 2-6 weeks, repot into your preferred soil.
Water normally.
Runners
Propagation by runners involves plants that grow stalks that form mini shoots at their ends. Common plants are spider plants, bromeliads, and Boston ferns.
Preferred plants: spider plant, Boston fern, bromeliads, trimezia
What you’ll need:
- Your preferred plant
- Pot with preferred soil medium
- Water
- Wire, a paper clip, or bobby pin
- Clean sheers
Instructions
Moisten the preferred soil medium with water.
Take the mini-shoot and place the bottom into the medium.
Using the wire, paper clip, or bobby pin, pin the shoot down to the soil.
Aftercare: keep the soil slightly saturated, but never damp.
Once roots have grown 2" or new growth has appeared, in about a few weeks, cut the umbilical cord (aka the main stalk) with clean sheers.
Division
Division propagation gets its name from the method of dividing a plant into its own plant. This is an easy way to multiply larger plants into their own.
Preferred plants: sansevieria, air plant, begonia, herbs like dill and mint, Boston fern
What you’ll need:
- Your preferred plant to divide
- Pot with preferred medium
- Clean knife
- Water
- Kelp solution mix - I recommend Superthrive (optional). This will help the plant from transplant shock.
Instructions
Remove the plant from the pot. It's best to do this when the soil is dry. For larger pots, lay the pot sideways, tap the bottom, and pull the plant out.
Shake and remove soil from the roots, if necessary.
Section them out, pulling and untangling the roots, using a knife if needed.
Pot up the main and new plant into separate pots.
Water thoroughly, with (optional) kelp solution mix.
Air Layering
Air layering induces new roots to grow on the mother plant through an aerial root (such as monsteras) or stem cutting. This is best for plants that can lose a lot of moisture if propagating through other methods such as cutting.
Preferred plants: monstera, dracaena, fiddleleaf fig, rubber plant
What you’ll need:
- Your preferred plant
- Clean blade
- Pre-moistened moss
- Small piece of wood, like a matchstick end (if air layering via stem)
- Plastic and zip ties or rubberbands
- Water
- Pot with preferred medium
Instructions
Method:
Via stem: choose a healthy stem near the top of the plant, make a diagonal cut halfway with a clean blade. Insert the small piece of wood in the cut to keep it pried open. Wrap the cut with pre-moistened moss. Wrap the moss with plastic and tie-down with zip ties or rubberbands.
Via aerial roots: choose a healthy aerial root, and cut down 1-2" if needed. Wrap the root with pre-moistened moss. Wrap the moss with plastic and tie down with zip ties or rubberbands.
Aftercare: water the moss ball so it always remains moist.
Roots should have grown in 4-6 weeks for stems; 1-2 weeks for aerial roots.
Once roots have grown 2", cut below roots, pot in preferred medium and water thoroughly.
Old plant will produce new leaves, continue normal care.
