Plant Propagation for Beginners
There are many ways to propagate, or multiply your plants. One of the easiest ways is to take cuttings. Propagating with cuttings is super easy and often very successful. Follow these simple steps and have a go!
Step 1
Pick a plant. We love using the Golden Pothos as it's incredibly easy and quick to propagate, but you can have a go with many houseplants, including Monsteras and Philodendrons.
Step 2
Using a pair of clean scissors, make a cut below one of the nodes. Nodes are organ-forming regions, or growing points, and they are found whenever a leaf joins the stem. If you are propagating a Pothos plant, or a Monstera, look for the the brown bumps along the stem. Those will be the ones giving you the roots of your new plant!
Top tip: there are many growing points along a stem, which means you can take lots of stem cuttings. As long as they all contain a little bump, they could all be new plants!
Step 3
Place your cuttings straight into a pot filled with fresh compost. If you've taken a long cutting you may need to remove a few of the lower leaves, so they don't end up in the compost too. Keep the compost moist, but not soggy and wait for a few weeks (if you're like us, waiting will be the hardest part).
If you want to watch the roots grow, you can place your cuttings in a jar, or a vase filled with tepid water and have them on display. When you notice roots starting to grow long and the jar is getting a bit crowded, it is best to get your hands dirty and transplant your cuttings in a pot.
Can I leave my cuttings in water indefinitely?
It's up to you. Water alone doesn't have the necessary nutrients needed for a plant to grow healthy, so you will have to use some liquid fertiliser and change the water regularly. It can be a little more high maintenance.
Patience is the key
It will take time for roots to grow and a new plant to form, so be patient. Temperature, light, moisture and many other things play a part in plant propagation, so the rate of success depends on many factors. Spring and summer are generally the best time of the year to propagate plants, although some plants can be propagated all year round.
