10 Easy to Propagate Houseplants

Propagating indoor plants is a cheap and easy way to add more plants to your home.

By propagating your plants, you can instantly multiply the number of plants you have in your home. They also make great gifts. 

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There are many propagation techniques you can use for houseplants.

Some of the most common ways to propagate houseplants include cuttings, division, plantlets and offsets.

There are also advanced propagation techniques like layering which I won’t cover in this article.

10 EASY HOUSEPLANTS TO PROPAGATE

1. Spider Plant

Spider plants are one of the easiest houseplants to propagate.

The baby spider plants, also known as spiderettes, that hang down from the plant are easy to pot up and create new plants.

You can leave the baby attached to the plant until the new plant takes root, or separate the baby from the parent plant immediately and pot it up.

2. Snake Plant

There are a few different ways to propagate Snake plants.

You can cut one of the leaves off and place it in a jar with half an inch (1 cm) of water. Place the container in a spot with indirect light and change the water every couple of days. Roots will form in a week or two and the cutting can be potted up.

Snake plant leaves can also be cut into 2 inch (5 cm) sections for propagation.

Let the leaf sections dry out for a day or two, and then place them in a container with moist sand.

Remember to plant the leaf section the right way up and keep most of the leaf above the ground to prevent rotting.

Snake plants can also be divided by using sharp shears or a hand saw to cut the base in half.

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3. Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera contains gel that is very moist, which makes propagation from cuttings difficult as they rot easily.

The best way to propagate Aloe Vera is by separating the offshoots from the parent plant.

Use a sharp, clean knife to cut the offshoot away from the mother plant. Clean tools are important to prevent contamination.

Plant the newly removed offshoot in dry potting mix. Allow it to sit for a week and then water it.

4. African Violet

African Violets can be easily propagated by leaf cuttings.

Cut the leaf stem from the plant and then cut the end of the stem at a 45 degree angle to encourage more roots to grow.

Place the leaf into a pot and roots should begin to grow in a few weeks’ time.

5. Pothos

To propagate Pothos plants, cut off a 4 inch (10 cm) section of stem.

Remove the lower leaves and place the cutting in a pot.

Keep the soil moist and roots should form within a few weeks.

6. Bromeliads

Bromeliad plants die after flowering, but they produce offshoots around the base of the plant that are easy to pot up and create a new plant.

The offshoots can be removed once they’re around 6 inches (15 cm) tall.

You can pull the offshoot away from the plant or use a clean, sharp knife to cut it away. It’s important to make sure that there are plenty of roots attached to the offshoot.

Newly propagated bromeliad plants can take between 3 to 6 years to flower.

7. Geranium

Geraniums can be propagated by cutting a 4 inch (10cm) section of stem just below a node (the part that looks a bit like an elbow).

Remove the lower leaves and just leave two leaves at the top of the cutting.

Place the cutting in potting soil. Water thoroughly and place the pot somewhere that receives indirect light.

Geranium cuttings can also be placed in a jar of water until roots form. They can be potted up when the roots are about an inch (2.5 cm) long.

8. Succulents

Succulents are very easy to propagate – just gently twist a leaf off the stem.

Let the leaf dry out for a day or two and then place in on top of the soil.

If the leaf doesn’t get a chance to dry out it’s likely to rot.

In a few weeks’ time roots will start growing from the leaf. Make sure the roots are covered with soil so they don’t dry out.

After a few months, the baby succulents can be potted up.

9. Peace Lily

After a few years in the one pot, Peace Lilies can grow too wide, so you can reduce their size and create some new plants by dividing them.

Remove the plant from the pot and gently pull or cut the roots apart.

Pot up each new section and water thoroughly.

10. Jade Plant

Jade plants are easy to propagate with a single leaf.

Cut off a leaf at the base and place it on top of the soil. Roots will begin to grow in a few weeks’ time.

Jade plants can also be propagated from stem cuttings.

Cut off a 2 to 3 inch (5 to 7 cm) section of stem and allow the cutting to dry out for a few days before planting in the potting mix.

Tips for propagating houseplants

• Use clean equipment to avoid contamination
• Use a potting mix containing half peat moss and half perlite or sand
• A rooting hormone powder can help to increase your success rate
• A heated propagation mat can be helpful, especially if you live in a cold climate
• Change the water regularly when water propagating

So there’s my list of ten easy houseplants to propagate.

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Have you tried propagating any of these plants? Let me know in the comments below.

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