15 easy-to-cut and propagate houseplants

Article for :All parent plants

The good thing about houseplant addiction is that you don't have to break the bank to indulge it. If you'd like to expand your collection for free or get new specimens to barter, here are 15 varieties that are easy to cut and propagate.

#1 Chinese coin plant (Pilea peperomioides)

Pilea peperomioides is everywhere because it multiplies easily - Photo by Spurekar / Flickr

Chinese coin plant takes cuttings almost by itself. It produces shoots very quickly, which you can separate from the main plant. When you separate the offshoot, make sure you keep part of the root. This will speed up recovery!

Some people put the sucker in water while the root system develops. But I prefer to plant the cutting directly in the ground. I use the same mix as in the original pot. That way, the transition is smoother and success is assured.

#2 Misery (Tradescantia zebrina)

You can also root your Misère in water before replanting it - Photo by Laura Blanchard / Flickr

Misery tends to thin out after a few years. Its long branches become thin and bare at the base, while the tips are adorned with vibrantly colored leaves. But fortunately, you can rejuvenate your Tradescantia zebrina by taking stem cuttings!

Take a section at least three centimetres long from the end of a stem and remove the lower limbs. This prevents them from rotting and spreading disease. Plant your cutting either with the main plant to renew it, or in an individual pot.

#3 Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)

Of all the varieties of Pothos, the botanical variety is one of the easiest to cut. Photo by Francis Chung / Flickr

Pothos is fast-growing and needs regular pruning. When you shorten its vines, keep them to multiply the plant. They are easy to cut in a glass of water.

The success of a Pothos cutting depends on the choice of graft. It must have at least one node and two pairs of leaves. Make sure that the nodes are immersed in water. After a week or two, these are the ones that produce the roots. When they are four centimetres long, repot in green plant substrate.

#4 Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)

Place your cuttings in a bright spot away from direct sunlight - Photo by Médiathèque de Neudorf / Wikipedia

Chlorophytum comosum is as easy to propagate as it is to care for. The spider plant spontaneously produces seedlings, young shoots that can live independently at the end of long stolons.

Once your Chlorophytum comosum has produced offshoots, you can choose from a number of cutting methods. You can marcot the rosettes, pushing them into soil and separating them once they've rooted. You can also cut flush with the sucker using a clean knife or pruning shears and grow your cuttings in water or substrate.

#5 Ficus elastica

When new leaves appear, your cutting has taken - Photo by Maja Dumat / Flickr

Ficus elastica seeds are available online. But to expand your houseplant collection quickly, it's best to forget about sowing. You'd have to wait months for the seeds to germinate. To create a new shrub more quickly, try stem cuttings.

Start by taking a ten to fifteen centimetre section from the end of a branch. The cut will cause a flow of latex. But you can stop this by running the branch under cold water. Then plant the cutting in a seedling mix and place it in a transparent plastic crate or mini greenhouse.

#6 Kalanchoe daigremont (Kalanchoe daigremontiana)

Little seedlings grow big! Photo by Maja Dumat / Flickr

Daigremont Kalanchoe is so easy to cut that the Anglo-Saxons call it Mother of thousands. It carries its offspring on its limbs, dozens of seedlings just waiting to be repotted.

Once the seedlings are mature, they fall off. After a few weeks, when they are two to three centimetres long and have formed their first roots, carefully dig them up. Plant them in seedling and planting soil and cultivate them as mature specimens, following the advice given in the Monstera application.

#7 Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata)

Seedlings of this fern are best reserved for professionals. Prefer stump division to multiply your plants - Photo by Juline G / Flickr

Nephrolepis exaltata is a rhizomatous plant. From its stump, it develops underground stems on which roots and buds grow. These enable boston Fern to spread and multiply.

Once the rhizomes have given rise to ferns five to ten centimetres high, gently separate them. Repot them in a perforated pot filled with potting soil and sand.

#8 Monstera deliciosa

Cut below a node to encourage root production - Photo by FarOutFlora / Flickr

Does your neighbor drool over your Monstera deliciosa every time she visits? Offer her a bit of your favorite plant! Like other Araceae, false philodendron is easy to cut, even for beginners.

There are two ways to propagate your Monstera deliciosa: separate the shoots that appear at the base, or take a portion of stem including two blades, a node and, if possible, aerial roots. Place your cuttings in water until they form roots. Don't wait too long before repotting! The more the young plant becomes accustomed to the aquatic environment, the more difficult it will be to adapt to growing in soil.

#9 Heart Chain (Ceropegia woodii)

With a caudex, the success of your cutting is assured! Photo by Laurent Houmeau / Flickr

If chain of Hearts can reproduce in the arid deserts of South Africa, they'll have no trouble multiplying in the warmth of your living room.

You can propagate Ceropegia woodii by taking stem cuttings, first in water and then in the ground. However, if you recover a section with a caudex (a tuber that serves as a water reserve), place your graft directly in potting soil. Don't hesitate to place several cuttings in the pot for a fuller plant.

#10 Begonia maculata Wightii

You don't have to dip the tip of your cutting in growth hormone - Photo by G. Cornelis / Wikipedia

Do you love the polka-dot foliage and flowers of your Begonia maculata 'Wightii'? Why not share them with all your friends by taking cuttings? The plant reproduces so easily that a single leaf is enough to produce a new specimen. But if you're in a hurry or don't want to take any risks, take stem cuttings instead.

Choose a flowerless stem and cut it just above a bud. Always use a clean, sharp tool to prevent the spread of disease and facilitate healing. Place the branch in a glass of water until the roots appear and then repot in a flowering plant mix.

#11 The mosaic plant (Fittonia albivenis)

Plastic cups retain moisture better than terracotta pots - Photo by Derk29 / Flickr

Indoors, fittonia albivenis behave like divas and require regular maintenance. But they're much easier to manage when it comes to reproduction.

The mosaic plant can be cuttings in potting soil with a little sand. But you can also root it in a jar filled with water before repotting. If the air in your home is dry, you can place your transplants in a mini greenhouse or cover them with a transparent plastic bag to make air-tight cuttings. By increasing humidity, you increase your chances of success.

#12 The ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamiiflolia)

By dividing strains, you can obtain a plant identical to the mother plant - Photo by Krzysztof Ziarnek / Wikipedia

You don't need a green thumb to grow and propagate plant ZZ. Even the Raven cultivar, with foliage as dark as the heart of a Gothic Terminale L student, doesn't require much.

Would you like to have lots of Zamioculcas zamiifolia to give to your loved ones?Divide the clumps when repotting. You can also take cuttings from the stems in water and air, or take leaf cuttings. Have you decided to start propagating ZZ plants? Do it in spring! Your young shoots will grow even faster.

#13 Cape violet (Saintpaulia ionantha)

Always in bloom, easy to care for and propagate, the Cape violet is a perfect plant! Photo by Roberto MM / Wikipedia

In college, my sociology teacher told us a story about a widow who was worried about dying alone and being eaten by her cats. On the advice of her shrink, she decided tooffer Saintpaulias at every baptism, funeral and wedding held in her parish. Even if she didn't know the people. Years later, when she passed away, she had become a local celebrity and was featured in the newspaper.

If you want to do what she did, there's no need to spend a fortune at the garden center. Just buy a few plants and remove the leaves to make cuttings in potting soil. What's more, indoors, you don't have to wait until spring. You can take cuttings from your Saintpaulia all year round, even during the flowering season.

#14 Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera truncata)

By giving a cutting, you can be sure that your gift won't end up on the bargain bin! Photo by Downtowngal / Wikipedia

Have you broken off a branch of your Christmas cactus? Don't throw it away! If it contains at least three articles (the leaf segments), it could give birth to a new plant!

Remove the flowers and leave the stem to dry for 24 to 72 hours. In the case of succulents, wait for a callus to form at the site of the cut before planting the cutting. This step prevents rotting. Then replant in a mixture of sand and potting soil.

#15 Pearl necklace (Senecio rowleyanus)

You can also cut several stems in the same pot - Photo by Maja Dumat / Flickr

Growing these pearls is child's play. You don't need to raise oysters and collect parasites to end up with dozens of pearl necklaces.

For a full Curio rowleyanus, a single stem is all you need. Plant the end in the center of the pot and place the rest of the cutting on the substrate, rolling it up like a snail. Each leaf will root and develop a stem.

By Servane Nemetz
on 16-04-2024 at 13h59