My daughter asked me if she could have cuttings of some of my favorite house plants. She said she could start a new plant from a piece of stem. Could you explain how to do that?
Many common house plants can be easily started or propagated from stem cuttings from an existing plant. Others can be propagated by digging up a small division.
Almost all trailing plants can be propagated by cuttings. Philodendrons, devil’s ivy, creeping charlie, Swedish ivy, and the wanderer plant (previously called wandering Jew) are all easily started from stem cuttings. Some upright growing plants can also be started from stem cuttings. New roots are formed at the joints or nodes where leaves are attached.
The best cuttings are the tips or ends of vines, although most will also root from an inner piece or section of stem. Cut off several pieces with at least three nodes and trim just below a node. Then remove the leaves from the two bottom nodes. Place three or more cuttings into new potting soil in 4- to 6-inch diameter pots. The bottom nodes should be covered with soil. In some cases you can slant cuttings so that more nodes are covered with leaves sticking above the soil.
Water thoroughly and place a clear plastic bag over the cuttings. Use a rubber band to fasten the bag tightly to the pot. The bag keeps the cuttings moist so they do not wilt. Place pots where they will receive strong indirect light such as beside a window. Direct sunlight may raise the temperature inside the plastic bag too high. Add water to the soil if it begins to dry on top. Most cuttings will form new roots within two weeks.
Cuttings will root more quickly if the bottom of the cutting is dipped in rooting hormone. Rooting hormone is available from some full service garden stores or online.
After they have roots, the plastic bag can be removed. As soon as cuttings have developed two sets of new leaves, pinch off the tips just above a leaf. This encourages branching.
Cuttings can also be rooted in a glass or jar of water. It is easier to see when new roots have formed. They should also be covered with a clear plastic bag.
After cuttings are well-rooted, they can be planted into pots.
Upright growing plants that develop new shoots from below the soil can be divided. A plant can be divided when it has developed several shoots that have their own attached roots. One or more of these shoots or plantlets can be separated by digging down and cutting them where they are attached to other shoots. Use a hand trowel or large spoon to dig out the plantlet with its attached roots and soil. It is sometimes easier to turn the plant upside down and remove it from the pot before dividing. The easiest division is to simply cut the plant into two or three pieces. Then repot the pieces into their own pots with additional soil.
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