Grow baby, grow!  Homes decorated with plants help calm our souls. That's why we're here, and guess what!

You did it.  Your plant is big enough to propagate.  (Maybe you're friends plant?!!?) You're well on your way to finding the perfect propagation jar.  

But first, let's learn!

 

How to Propagate with Cuttings

We're going to focus on cuttings, today.  But here's a run down of propagation methods so you have somewhere to lay your hat.

 

So what is propagation?

What do we mean when we say that? 

 

 

Does the magic always happen in a propagation jar /or/ are there other methods?

  

According to the Coop Extension at U of Maine, there are 5 major methods of asexual propagation:

The major methods of asexual propagation are cuttings, layering, division, budding and grafting. Cuttings involve rooting a severed piece of the parent plant; layering involves rooting a part of the parent and then severing it; and budding and grafting is joining two plant parts from different varieties.

 

Propagation Method #1: Cuttings

Lots of plants are equipped to regenerate itself.  One of the most common ways a plant can keep growing is by way of a cutting.  After being severed from a plant, some vegetative plant parts can grow roots and leaves.

Cutting Propagation instructions are below.  Lets run through the next 4 methods for context.

 

4 Major Propagation Methods: 

 

Propagation Method #2: Layering

Layering is taking a whole vine and placing it in a line of dirt in a shallow trench or hole.

Bending til breakage or wounding the underside of a planted vine aides success.  Alternating over/under soil pattern in the dirt for the length of vine.

 

 

Propagation Method #3: Division

Division involves digging up a plant and separating part by separating crowns.  Growing up on a daylily farm, this was a major part of our season.  

 

Plant division promotes healthy roots and fabulous foliage.  Don't you feel better with a little breathing room?

 

"Separation" is the term applied to propagation for plants that produce bulbs or when corms multiply.

 

 

Propagation Method #4: Budding

Budding and Grafting are methods that join plant parts so they grow as one plant.

Budding is Connecting bud and bark with rootstock.

There are 3 types of budding as a propagation method:

• Patch Budding
• Chip Budding
• T-Budding

There's too much to this propagation method to go into today.  For more information, check out the U of Maine hub page on Propagation Methods.

 

Propagation Method #5: Grafting

 

According to the University of Georgia:

 

Fruit plants commonly propagated by T-Budding and/or whip grafting are: 

• apples
• Peaches
• Nectarines
• Pears
• Persimmons
• Plums

Propagation by T-budding and whip grafting differs from other methods of asexual propagation because a rootstock and a scion piece of the desired variety are required.  Therefore, the rootstock requirements of the common fruits propagated by these methods should be understood before one attempts them.

The three types of grafting are:

• Cleft grafting
• Bark grafting
• Whip // Tongue grafting

High failure rate on a grafting unless you take care of it regularly for a year or more.

 

Let's get back to our favorite method of propagating house plants. so easy you can do it in a propagation jar that used to hold your jelly. 

 

 

How to Propagate your Plant with Cuttings

 

1. Clean the cutters.

 

Use rubbing alcohol or a 10% bleach solution. You're going to have the best luck if you use a nice sharp blade.

 

2. Remove the flowers & flower buds.

Removing extras from the cutting let's it know what to do.  We want the energy to go towards roots, not flowers.  Might just wait til after it blooms?

 

If you're propagating a monstera or another vine, you'll have faster results if each cutting has a leaf, a node, and an aerial root.

 

3. Take a cutting.

4. Dip in a rooting hormone with fungicide.

 

5. Insert into your rooting medium. 

We love water so we can see our babies grow roots, but you have options.

Rooting mediums for your cutting could be:

• Water

• Soil

• Sand

• Peat + Perlite

• Vermiculite

If you're using a rooting medium other than water, make sure you wet it first.  The medium needs to be moist to grow roots from cuttings. 

 

6.  Place your propagation in bright, indirect light. 

 

Root only cuttings can be in the dark until a leaf shoot appears

 

 

That's it!  Now you're ready to wait and see.  Change the water every 2-4 days as needed. Every body loves freshies!  (Actually, distilled is often best with house plants!)

 

 

Have fun propagating your plants! 

 

Show us your babies in propagation jars by using #earthtodaisy on Instagram or by sending photos to support@earthtodaisy.com..