Propagating houseplants is a simple and economical method to expand your plant collection, develop new plants to give away or swap with your plant friends, or start over with a smaller version of an old acquaintance! It is basically start new snake plant from existing plant. There are various methods for developing new baby plants from your existing collection, each of which is best for different types of plants: stem cuttings, leaf cuttings, layering, root division, and offsets/plantlets.
Things to Know Before Start New Snake Plant From Existing Plant
There are a few things to keep in mind before you begin:
Your new young plants will most likely require more attention during their development than their adult counterparts. Maintain a moist and humid environment for them.
The optimum time to experiment is during the growth season, in the spring and summer when the weather is warm. The better the parent plant’s condition, the more likely the propagation will succeed!
Make sure your instruments are clean, especially your pruning shears or scissors, as well as the infant plant’s new container and contents (fresh water or fresh soil).
With new plant propagation, there is always the risk of failure, but don’t let that stop you from trying again. Use a rooting hormone on the cuts you make to improve your chances. If you’re using powdered fertilizer, dig a hole in the dirt prior so the powder doesn’t fall out when you plant.
Consider obtaining a heating pad or an electrically heated propagator if you know you’ll be propagating frequently. Heat can speed up the development process.
Pilea cuttings in the process of being potted
How To Propagate from Stem Cuttings
The most popular form of propagation is to grow your new plant from a stem cutting. Choose a healthy new growth shoot that is at least 5-10 inches long. Cut the stem on an angle slightly below a leaf junction with clean shears or scissors, removing lower parts of leaves and young growth that could prevent the cutting from setting down roots. If you’re propagating cacti or succulents, you should let the cutting dry for at least a few hours to assist the raw edge close and prevent rotting.
Cuttings can be started in water or straight in the soil. Have a small pot on ready to repot your cuttings into its first permanent home once they’ve established enough roots over a few months.
Alternative methods include:
When plants grow top-heavy, they lose lower leaves, such as Dieffenbachia. In this scenario, simply cut the top off and treat it like a stem cutting, removing the leaves from the lowest inches of the stem before placing it in water or soil to develop.
How To Propagate from Leaf Cuttings
When employing the leaf cutting method, gently pull or clip a leaf from the stem and dry it for a few hours to a day to seal the raw edge and avoid rot. Plants with very large leaves, such as Sansevieria, can be cut into numerous pieces.
Then, with the raw edge on the bottom, place in moist potting soil, keeping the majority of the leaf above the dirt (plant just deep enough to keep it in place). You’ll always plant it in the same direction it was growing before you cut it, so use directional cuts or a labeled sheet of paper to keep track of which end is the top when you’re taking cuttings.
Keep your leaf warm and water it as needed once it has been planted.
Alternative methods include:
To reproduce by leaf cuttings, Rex Begonia and other plants with large, thinner leaves should be put flat, top side up, on damp soil. Cut a few of the leaf’s major veins and bury them in the soil. Keep it moist, and the cuts will sprout new plants. Other plants may require at least an inch of stem with each leaf, which should be placed into the soil or water stem down.
How To Propagate from Root Division
For larger plants that have become congested and need to be stretched out a little, the root division approach is ideal. If you have a healthy plant with several stems, you can divide it into two halves or several smaller plants using root division, depending on the number of stem clusters.
Remove the plant from its pot first. Press your thumbs into the center and gradually pull it apart with both hands on either side. If that doesn’t work, start by removing the soil. If it still won’t come apart, cut the roots down the center using a clean knife. Ensure that each division has plenty of its own root ball, as well as at least two leaves above the dirt.
Alternate methods:
Some plants, such as Caladium, generate tubers, which can be used to propagate plants instead. When dividing a tuber, make sure each split has a “eye” and apply fungicide to the cuts before planting.
How to Procreate from Plantlets and Offsets Some houseplants, most notably Spider Plants, spontaneously develop tiny duplicates of themselves after they reach a certain age. Spider Plants are named for the spider-like appearance of the countless plantlets that shower down from adult plants, each capable of creating a completely new plant on its own! These are the easiest to propagate because the plant performs a lot of the work for you by producing its own seeds.
Offsets or side shoots will usually form around the base of the plant. This is a little trickier to accomplish than removing plantlets, as you will have to carefully separate it from the mother plant, making sure to get as many roots as possible along with it. Wait until it’s a larger offset that’s been growing for a few months before attempting to sever it.
Plantlets, on the other hand, are small blooming stems that emerge at the end of long flowering stems (or on the edge of leaves, in the case of Mother of Thousands). Simply take them off the stem when they’re the proper size, with enough leaves and roots, and plant them in fresh soil, watering well.