Introduction.

Propagating plants might sound like a drag, but depending on what type of plant you’re working with, it can be simple.

Propagation for many plants is best done in potting soil, but some plants can be propagated in water. Most aroid plants can be propagated in water, including pothos, philodendrons, monsteras, and ZZ plants.

Materials required for propagation.

1. A sharp, sterile cutting tool(pruning shears or even a good pair of scissors).
2. Fertile potting media.
3. Shallow containers with drainage holes at bottom.
4. Suitable location to place the propagated plant.

Propagation Methods.

Division:

Division will give an instant new plant because you are simply separating new plants that have already generated from the original plant.

Ex. ZZ plant.

Stolons:

Some plants produce new plants on long specialized stems called stolons. The plantlets can simply be snipped off and potted up.

Ex. Spider plant.

Offsets:

Offsets are also produced on adjoining stems, but these stems are short, so offsets must be more carefully separated from the original plant.

Ex. Aloe spp., Haworthia spp., Gasteria spp.

Rhizomes:

Rhizomes are fleshy stems that grow underground horizontally. After gently uprooting the parent plant, rhizomes can be sliced vertically to produce multiple plantlets.

Ex. Ornamental Ginger, ZZ plant.

Internodal stem cutting:

Cutting anywhere between two nodes means you can produce many new plants from the original plant. Make your cuts on the stem in between two nodes and place the cutting horizontally, so that the node is in contact with the potting media, while the leaves remain above the ground.

Ex. Philodendron, Zebrina and Pothos.

Leaf cutting:

Propagating from leaf cuttings results in entirely new little plants that grow from the base of the cutting.

Ex. ZZ plant, Pepromia.

Leaf with Petiole:

The petiole is the stalk of the leaf that is attached to the plant stem. The easiest method is to snip off healthy new leaves and nestle the petiole into a container of potting mix, ensuring that the leaf blade is not touching the soil.

Ex. African violets, Begonia.

Leaf without petiole:

Some plants leaves have no petiole so they are attached directly attached to the stem. They can be propagated by gently breaking a leaf from the stem and setting the leaf cut side down into the soil just deep enough so the leaf is supported in a vertical position.

Ex. Jade plant, Burro’s tail plant.

Lateral cutting:

Slice the leaf horizontally into 3 inch pieces, making sure that you can keep the pieces oriented in the same way they wetre growing originally.

Ex. Snake plant.

KEY WORDS: Introduction of indoor plants, Materials required for propagation, Methods of propagation.

Written by

Chandana S

Research Associate.

My Dream Garden.