Table of Contents
- 1. Philodendron
- 2. Ficus or Rubber Tree
- 3. Alocasia
- 4 Peperomia
- 5. Pothos
- 6 Tradescantia
- 7 Fittonia ( Nerve Plant)
- 8. Spider Plant
- 9. Monstera
- 10. Calathea
Propagating plants is the best way to get more plants for free. It can be confusing and frustrating to figure out how to propagate what plants in which way. Some plants need nodes while for others you can propagate with just a leaf. Some plants prefer to grow in the water while others need higher humidity to root. Today we are going to make it a little easier for you with our list of how to prop 10 of the most popular houseplants of 2023.
1. Philodendron
Philodendrons need a node to root and they can propagate in water. You can also propagate them in a propagation box with or without foliage. You can use almost any medium in a high-humidity environment to get Philodendrons to root and they will be fine. The rate of rooting depends on the variety of Philodendrons. Bushy Philodendron and Philodendron Micans are slower to root than others.
2. Ficus or Rubber Tree
You can take a top cutting. You cut off the top of the tree and you can propagate it in a jar of water. When you cut off the top of your Ficus it will encourage the remaining tree to branch into multiples. So not only are you getting a free plant out of this you can grow your remaining plant to look bushy and full.
3. Alocasia
These plants are propagated by corms that grow in their root system. Corms are little tiny starch-filled balls that contain the building blocks of Alocasia life. They are found inside the root systems of your Alocasia plants. You can place corms in a high-humidity environment like a propagation box. Using sphagnum moss while under bright light works well in combination with a humidity box. we have an entire guide here for you on how to do that. Each Alocasia after a certain maturity can have anywhere from 2 to 20 corms depending on the size and maturity of the plant.
4 Peperomia
Very easy to propagate, Peperomia does not need a node to propagate you can propagate them with a stem or with a leaf. They prefer to propagate in a high-humidity situation. However, if you are taking a stem cutting of a Peperomia then you can propagate it and just a simple jar of water. You will need to make sure it has good lighting and change the water regularly to prevent rot.
5. Pothos
These fast-growing plants do need a node to propagate. Just like Philodendrons, they are very easy to root but what is special about Pothos is they emit a rooting hormone while they’re in the water so that they can help other plants root as well. They root very quickly. You can simply place them in a jar of water and they will propagate for you
6 Tradescantia
These plants are very easy to propagate and they do not need a node to root but they do need a node to push out new growth. You can propagate them directly back into the soil or they root within days if you put them in a jar of water. We’ve also had great success rooting them in a propagation box. Because they grow so prolifically and so quickly You can have a full pot of Tradescantia within a month or two.
7 Fittonia ( Nerve Plant)
Nerve plants do not need a node. You can simply take a cutting of this plant and root it in water or put it in a high-humidity environment and watch it root quickly. Fittonia is also fascinating to cut back because they will continually grow In a pattern of horizontal to vertical leaves. So if you cut down to a vertical leaf pair then the next will be horizontal and even divide into two horizontal stems.
8. Spider Plant
Spider Plants can be propagated in two different ways. The first is through division. This is where at the base of the plant there are multiples and the roots are torn or cut to divide the plants into multiples. The second is to root the pups dangling from the flower stems of mature spider plants. These can be rooted in moss or water.
9. Monstera
These plants need Nodes to propagate and can be easily propagated in water. They will grow more quickly in brighter light and if there was an aerial root already at the node when the cutting was taken.
10. Calathea
Known as the most difficult plants to propagate, Calathea cannot just have pieces of them cut off and rooted. They have to be removed at the root base. Multiple plants will grow at the base of one plant and you have to tear or chop up the plant’s root system in order to propagate it. They also need a high-humidity environment to continue to grow new foliage and roots, especially as small plants. They absolutely cannot dry out at this stage or the entire plant will rot.
Hopefully, this list ends a bit of confusion and frustration with propagation. It doesn’t have to be difficult to grow more plants and make more plants for free. It can be easy and simple once you have the knowledge. There are many different ways to propagate different plants and hopefully, this simplified it for you with a list you can refer back to whenever you need to propagate your plants.
