There is something simply unique in watching new roots grow from just a simple stem we cut from a plant… and all it needs is some water. Not to mention the joy of gifting a cutting from your mother plant to your loved ones. Here are 5 houseplants that are so easy to successfully propagate!
How to take a cutting from a Schefflera? | Umbrella tree propagation
Schefflera used to be such a common houseplant, but I feel like it’s been overshadowed with other, currently popular houseplants.
It’s such a cool plant with the cutest new growth, it’s a must to have in your plant collection.
To read about Schefflera care – check out the post How to care for Schefflera Arboricola.
They come in many varieties and it’s really easy to care for.
This past winter I literally watered mine two times and left it in a medium to low light place, and now it’s full of new growth and thriving!
I took some cuttings from it in late fall, and all the cuttings rooted out during winter, healthy thick roots nonetheless.
Schefflera is great to propagate because you can cut it ANYWHERE along the stem.
Then, cut off a couple of lower leaves and place the cutting in water. So even if you accidentally brake a branch from your Schefflera, don’t despair, not everything is lost. Take the branch, place it in water and patiently wait for roots to grow.
Technically, if you cut the leaves really close to the stem, together with the bulge at the end, the leaf could root out, too. Now, out of all leaves that I placed in water, not one rooted out. But, you don’t lose anything by trying, right? So I’ll keep trying.
How to take a cutting from a Monstera Deliciosa | Swiss cheese plant propagation
The queen of houseplants, the Monstera Deliciosa is easy to propagate because it will root out 99.99% of the time. I’m not sure what should happen to the cutting for it to fail, honestly.
I’ve propagated at least 30 Monstera Deliciosa cuttings over the years (I don’t sell plants, this was all for my own amusement or the only way to save a plant), not one failed to root out.
There is one important thing to know – you can’t propagate it from just a leaf.
You can take a single leaf cutting, but you need to cut it with the node. If you simply cut the leaf anywhere along its stem, it won’t root out. It’s really simple to find a node.
The node is the bulge, the thickening, where the leaf meets the main stem. That’s where new roots will grow. You also may already have a root shooting out of that spot. That’s called an areal root.
When you find the node, you need to cut below it. And there’s your Monstera cutting. All you need to do now is wait. Happy propagating!
How to take a cutting from a Monstera Adansonii | Swiss cheese vine propagation
One of my favorite Monstera plants is the Monstera Adansonii. At first I thought it was nothing special, then one day I woke up and I was obsessed with it.
It’s gorgeous if you leave it hanging, it’s gorgeous if you stake it up, either way it continue to amaze me.
Mine grew so much over the winter, I decided to take some cuttings.
Taking cuttings from your Monstera Adansonii will not only result in having another “brand new” plant, but it will also encourage new growth at the top of the plant.
I didn’t even know this before cutting it. I thought it will only push out new growth at the end of the vine, from where I took the cutting. Instead, it pushed it out right from the top.
So, if your Monstera Adansonii started to get to long and it needs to be trimmed down, how do you take a cutting?
You’ll need a node here together with a leaf. The node is each point where the stem of the leaf meets the main stem. A small root could be poking out from that spot also.
You’ll notice your Monstera Adansonii has small roots all along it’s stem. That’s because it’s a trailing plant, and in nature it clings to trees like Ivy, and it uses these roots to attach itself to trees and other surfaces.
You could propagate every single leaf from the stem you cut off, or you could propagate a vine with more leaves.
It’s up to you. Keep in mind that when propagating, the more cuttings you take and plant together, the fuller your plant will be, ultimately.
If you decide to propagate every single leaf, like I did, it’s maybe easier to place the cuttings directly into the soil. It’s up to you. If you choose soil propagation though, you need to ensure that the soil stays moist until the cuttings root out.
How to take a cutting from a Dracena Fragrans | Dracena propagation
There are over 70 Dracena varieties out there, without including all the Sansevieria varieties that have recently been added to the Dracena group.
There are some varieties, like the Dracena Marginata, with which I had success, but I also lost more than a few cuttings. Granted, I always took cuttings from a Dracena Marginata to save the plant, so the cuttings weren’t as healthy as they could be, so maybe that was my problem. But, either way, so far when I propagated a Dracena Fragrans variety, I’ve had 100% success.
That’s why I placed specifically Dracena Fragrans in my top 5 plants that are easy to propagate.
Similarly to the Umbrella plant, you can take a cutting from a Dracena Fragrans anywhere along the plant. What will happen then is that the plant will push out new growth underneath the cut. And what with the cutting you took? Take off a couple of bottom leaves and place the stem in water.
The cutting will push out new growth pretty quickly, in about 10 days. Roots will grow all along the stem that’s in water. So, if you put more water the roots will grow higher along the stem.
When the roots are about 2 inches long, you can transplant your cutting into soil. Keep the soil moist (not soggy) for a couple of weeks to allow roots a smoother transition from water to soil.
How to take a cutting from a Sansevieria | Snake plant propagation
Lastly, the number one low maintenance houseplant, conveniently is also super easy to propagate.
The only downside to propagating Snake plants is time – it takes a few months for Sansevieria cuttings to root.
This will depend on the Sansevieria variety and conditions, they may root in a few weeks, but don’t worry if it’s been two months and your Sansevieria cuttings haven’t rooted yet.
Be patient. It will happen.
You can cut the leaf anywhere – the leaf that you cut will stop to grow, so keep that in mind if you care about the aesthetics of your plant.
I’d suggest you cut the leaf at the base.
Now that you have your cut leaf you can do different things:
- propagate the leaf just by placing it in water (or soil)
- you can cut the leaf into many small pieces – each piece will root and grow as a separate new plant
- you could cut the leaf in half or thirds and propagate a few bigger pieces of the leaf
My experience is that if you propagate the whole leaf – it will root faster and it will develop faster, than the small pieces. But the small ones will root out too, and will produce a new plant.
Sansevieria is one of the coolest to watch how it develops a whole new plant out of just a leaf!