5 Ways To Propagate Your Plant – The Only Guide You Need

Plant propagation is an important and useful skill every gardener needs to know. Propagating plants is beneficial as you can create more new plants easily with this process. And just like any other plant care task such as watering, fertilizing, and more, plant propagation is also as necessary. However, only a few plant lovers are familiar with it.

Various ways are used to propagate plants, as different plants benefit from different ways of propagation. Thus, learning this skill can be tricky, especially for beginners. And the more you practice this gardening trick the more you’ll become good at it.

Therefore, to get you acquainted with this concept we bring this complete guide on how to propagate plants and produce more healthy plants from the original ones using various methods.

What Is Plant Propagation?

In simple terms, plant propagation is the process of producing more plants from pre-existing plants. However, this process is not as simple as it may sound. To propagate plants you’ll need to get familiar with and perform each step very carefully to not affect the health of the original plants and grow new lush plants.

This natural process of plant multiplication has been modified by humans to develop new varieties of plants that fulfill many of our needs. And with the advancement of technology, many new scientific ways to reproduce plants have been introduced such as tissue culture.

Spring and summer are considered the best time for plant propagation as many plants are in their growing period in these seasons.

Many different ways are used to propagate plants such as division, grafting, budding, and more, however, cutting is one of the most preferred methods for many plant parents as it involves very low risk to the plants.

How To Propagate Plants?

Now let us have a look at some of the ways you can use for plant propagation –

Cutting

This process involves cutting a plant part such as leaves or stems and replanting them in a similar medium to create similar new plants. For plant parents who are performing the process of plant propagation for the first time, it is recommended to use hardy, low-maintenance plants such as philodendron or pothos.

The plant also should be well-established so it won’t have any effects of this plant propagation method. Once you’ve selected the plant you are going to need some supplies such as – a vase, clean and sharp scissors, and water. Now follow the steps mentioned below –

• Select the area you want to cut. It is recommended to cut some fresh leaves that are 4 to 8 inches long. Use the clean scissors to cut the desired part.
• Make a diagonal cut below the node (the part where leaves are attached to the stem) of the leaves. This cut will help in the intake of water and nutrients and root development.
• Now place the cuttings in clean water in a glass container to measure and track the root development.
• The roots will start to develop in a week. Make sure to change the water whenever it starts to get dirty.
• Let the roots of the cutting grow strong and then you can repot them in a well-suited potting mix. For some days place the plant in indirect sunlight and once it starts producing new growth you can move it to a place with suitable light exposure.
• You’ll need to water your plant regularly and heavily to help it accommodate the new medium. However, make sure to water the plant and prevent root rot. You can also place a terrarium top over your plant to retain moisture.
• You can gradually reduce the quantity and the frequency of watering and let the plant grow normally once it’s established.

And now you’ve propagated your plant successfully.

Division

This method of plant propagation can be used for plants that have multiple stems or grow in a bunch and can be separated into sections. Some plants that can be propagated this way are hostas, daylily, grasses, and many succulent plants.

Plant propagation using the division method is rather easy. You can start by separating the plant into multiple sections, these sections can either be large or small. Dividing the plant can be messy so you’ll need to do it carefully.

Start by removing the original plant from its pot and analyze which part can be easily removed. Gently remove that section from the plant and place it in another container with a similar potting mix. Add a layer of compost over the plant and water the plant.

Offsets

When growing in the right conditions, healthy plants produce small versions of themselves either on the foliage or separately. These small replicas are called offset and they can be easily removed and replanted.

However, you don’t want to hurry this process as these offsets should be completely developed before they can be removed and can live separately from the plant parent.

Layering

This is also a simple process, especially for garden plants not much for potted plants. Layering can be done by just following these few easy steps –

• Move down the lowermost and flexible branch of the plant to the ground and cover it with soil. After some time these stems develop roots and plantlets.
• Use stones or pins to keep the branch in its place until the roots of the new plantlet are well-established. Once that happens you can cut the branch from the original plant.

There is one more type of layering you can use to propagate plants, it is called Air Layering –

• Select a vigorous and straight branch of the plant and make a small wound on it.
• Apply rooting hormone to the wound and cover it with a rooting medium such as moist moss.
• Wrap the area with plastic to retain moisture.
• After some time the roots will start to develop in the wounded area.
• Once the roots are developed enough, you can cut the branch and place the roots in a new pot.

This method of plant propagation is useful for many indoor plants that are unable to develop roots easily.

Grafting

This method of plant propagation is well-suited for fruit trees and ornamental plants. Many new varieties of plants have been developed using this method. However, to propagate plants using grafting is not easy. Only an experienced gardener can successfully create new plants using this complex plant propagation method.

In this process, two compatible plants are joined together to form new plants. The plant with a strong stem and roots acts as the rootstock while the stem of another plant (Scion) is attached to the stem of the first. Here are the steps to perform grafting –

• Choose compatible plants and for that, you’ll need to do some research.
  Once you’ve selected the right plants, make precise and clean cuts on both the rootstock and scion.
• Now join the scion and rootstock together. Make sure that both plants are fused tightly, you can use grafting tape or wax to secure the joint.
• Monitor the plant regularly to ensure that the graft heals completely.
• Once established you can propagate the new plant to create more without grafting.

Conclusion

Plant propagation is a really interesting yet complex process at least for new plant parents. Nonetheless, it is a very useful and important skill that has been in use for centuries to create new varieties of plants that are in many ways better than the originals. Most of the varieties of fruits, vegetables, and other edible plants that we consume today have been created using plant propagation and selective breeding. So make sure to learn this skill and create new healthy plants that you can fill your garden with.