Propagating Your Own Plant Babies

Title text: Shelter in the Greatest Place laid over a photo of some of Melissa's plant sitting on a sunlit table in the window.

Check out this relaxing DIY from buyer Melissa Sznajder!


All you’ll need:

  • Your fave houseplants
  • Glass jars
  • Plastic or terra cotta pots (you can repurpose things from the grocery store: grape tomatoes container, Dunkers from TJs, anything plastic that has holes for drainage..or you can poke holes in the bottom yourself)
  • Potting soil
  • Baking tray or shallow box to contain soil while you’re repotting

This is such an easy and cheap way to add beauty and fresh air to your home.  I had already started two plant babies by putting cuttings into jars of water a few weeks ago.  They had grown roots and were ready for soil.

  1. Make sure you cut in the right place or pull a plant at the root (if more than one stem with roots). 
  2. Carefully cut just below a root node with a clean sharp knife or scissors. About 1/4″ below the node.
  3. Place the cutting in a clean glass with room temp water. At least enough to cover the root node.
  4. Change out the water every 3-5 days with fresh room temperature water.
  5. Let your roots grow!
  6. Once your roots reach approximately 3″-5″ then it’s time to put the cutting in soil!

I’ve been longing for more houseplants , especially now that I’m spending allllllllllll my time inside…..so I got on the internet to learn how to propagate the specific types that I have.  There are plenty of tutorials there, but here's the basic gist: This activity brought me so much joy...and now I have more gorgeous plants!

 

    Plants propogating in water

    Plants in soil.

    2 comments

    • Rachel Holmen says...

      A friend with a beautiful garden gave me a tip: when you want a cutting to send out roots, add a short stalk of standard ivy (I guess it’s technically “Algerian ivy”) to the water. Somehow is releases a plant hormone into the watet that encourages rooting. When your desired cutting get roots, throw out the ivy.

      On April 06, 2020
    • Louis says...

      Very nice presentation! How would you handle African Violets? And have you heard of any good results in vegetative cuttings of passion flower vines or are they strictly to be propagated from seed? There’s a nice one down the street which would be great to have in a bright window, if a cutting from it would start in water…Thanks!

      On March 31, 2020

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