How to #propagate #plants?
I have been having trouble #propagating plants so please #helpme
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Best Answer
As long as it’s more of a “leafy plant” like pothos, monstera, polka dot plant, pretty much anything like those kinda plants, you usually have two options for propogation. (Note: if you’re doing a tree or a rose bush or something like that you might want to look up if there’s a specific way to cut those. The majority of my prop experience is with house plants that you don’t have to cut a special way.) You can either do water or dirt propagation. Personally, I prefer water propagation because it’s easier in my opinion, but both work. It really comes down to what you want to do. When you go to cut the plant, some plants have nodes, which will look like little bumps on the parts of your plants. You should research if you plant produces nodes if you’re not sure. If your plant has nodes, make sure to get the node on the stem you cut. It will not grow roots without it. If it doesn’t have nodes, you can just get a good amount of branch somewhere around 3-4 inches or more. If you are dirt propagating you can put root starter on(totally optional just makes roots grow faster) and stick it in soil and water occasionally and it will eventually grow roots. If your water propagating, you can fill a glass up with water and remove any leaves touching the water so they don’t rot. (Plant still needs leaves though). Once you put it in water the plant will grow roots eventually and then you can keep it in water or put it in soil. Also, be patient! Plants can take anywhere from a week to months to root! I have some propagations i started in August that are just now rooting. Don’t throw out a cutting if it isn’t mushy or still has green leaves. I’ll attach a second text on how to transfer from water to soil and water maintenance because this one is getting very long.
Pt2. So if you decided to do water propagation, then there are a couple things you do have to do. You need to change out the water every so often or else it’ll grow algae. If you’re someone who forgets about things and would most likely forget to change water out, use a glass jar. They are the easiest to rinse algae out of in my experience. Also, there will most likely be a time when there is a jelly looking substance on the plant. Take the plant out and rinse it really good under a faucet as it is not good for your plant. Once roots have sprouted, you should probably let them get at least 4 inches long if your gonna transplant to soil. If you’re just gonna leave it growing in water, then you can just change water out every other week and just let it be. It most likely won’t grow much in water, so if you’re looking for a cute little low maintenance table plant, then you can use a plant in water. If you decide to transplant to soil, then be sure to use a well draining soil mix so it doesn’t get root rot. Once you put in soil, you’re going to want to water very often to help the plant adjust to dry soil. You can slowly over the course of weeks water less until the plant is fully adjusted. During transplanting, brown tips and lost leaves is normal.
Also, don’t let these entire big paragraphs scare you away from propagation. Its actually a really easy and forgiving process. If it doesn’t work for you once, try again. The entire plant keeping hobby revolves around trial and error so have fun with it and don’t stress too much about messing up. Good luck!