Propagating Houseplants From Stem Cuttings

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Julie Bawden-Davis

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Polka-Dot Plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya) is one of many houseplants that can be successfully propagated by cuttings.

Do you have a favorite houseplant or two that you wish you had more of? With the right steps, you can easily duplicate most of your potted beauties without setting foot in a nursery or garden center. Propagating – starting new plants from old ones – is a fun and rewarding way to develop healthy plants from aging specimens and to replace hard-to-find favorites. Most houseplants can be propagated at home, a task best accomplished during spring and summer.

The method most often used to propagate houseplants is to take cuttings. With this technique, a cutting is taken from a main (or “parent”) plant and encouraged to form its own roots. There are two types of cuttings: stem and leaf. To produce a stem cutting from your houseplant, simply snip a healthy young shoot from the parent plant that has at least two or three leaf nodes – points at which leaves attach to the stem. Insert the cutting into a rooting medium like water, perlite or vermiculite. In a month or so, your cutting will form roots, creating a new plant genetically identical to its parent. Leaf cuttings are done in a similar manner, using a leaf instead of a stem. You’ll find that stem cuttings work better for some types of plants, while leaf cuttings work well for others, so if a stem cutting doesn’t propagate well for you, don’t be afraid to try a leaf cutting instead. (Applying rooting hormone to increase propagation success with cuttings is also a good idea.)

Many succulent houseplants and some with woody stems can be propagated easily by rooting foliage cuttings. The end result is a plant identical to its parent. So gather your plant; a clean, sharp, thin-bladed knife or single-edged razor blade; a pot filled with sterile potting soil; support stakes; a clear plastic bag; and rooting hormone compound (available at garden centers and nurseries) and just take the steps shown in the following pictures and described in their captions. Before you know it, you’ll have a new little houseplant to care for!

Warnings

Some plants are patented, raising legal questions about propagation. Generally speaking, it’s OK to propagate patented plants for personal use; however, you cannot sell the propagated material for commercial gain without paying royalties to the patent holder.
Using too much rooting hormone will decrease rooting. A little dusting works best.

Facts

Another way to propagate plants is through root division – separating plants at the root zone so you end up with two or more plants. (This is usually done when a plant has outgrown its pot and becomes dormant.) Some houseplants also can be grown from seeds gathered from seedpods that form after their flowers fade.

Tips

Sharing houseplants with friends adds another dimension of pleasure to your gardening hobby and propagating adventure. Many perennial houseplants naturally divide or can be propagated to yield offspring to allow for thrifty, thoughtful gifts to neighbors, friends, work companions and relatives.

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Next Steps

Articles

Rooting Hormones
Having trouble establishing cuttings? Try using a rooting hormone. Here’s how they work.
Yes, You Can Do This: Propagating Succulents
Propagating a plant may sound intimidating, but it’s a snap with succulents. Give this practically goof-proof method a try and expand your gardening skills – as well as your plant collection.
Propagating Houseplants by Root Division
With the right propagation technique, you might not have to buy your next houseplant. Root division is a simple technique of separating certain plants at their root zone so you end up with two or more plants. Learn the easy steps to propagating your houseplants by root division.

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