Tropical Plant Propagation

Tropical plants

Tropical plants can be propagated in several different ways, and not every method works for all plants. Propagating can turn one tropical plant into many plants, saving money and increasing a plant collection.

Taking Cuttings

Taking cuttings is the most common method for propagating tropical plants. Cuttings are taken from the soft, non-woody stem of the plant and placed in a damp medium of perlite, vermiculite or peat moss. This method works best on coleus, croton, diffenbachia and philodendron plants.

Division

Division is used on plants that send off shoots, either above ground or in the soil. The new shoots can be separated from the parent plant and put in a new pot. This propagation method works well for ferns, spider plants, orchids and bromeliads.

Air Layering

Air layering is used to propagate a new plant while the stem is still attached to the parent plant, such as dracaena plants, rubber plants and schefflera. The leaves and outer part of the stem are removed on a small section of a branch, and the stem is cover with damp sphagnum moss and plastic wrap until roots emerge.

Compund Layering

Compound layering is used on long vines. Small wounds are cut into a vine near a leaf node and covered with rooting hormone. That section is buried until roots grow. This is done along the length of the vine. This propagation method is often used on wax plants, philodendrons and ivy.

Leaf Cutting

In leaf cutting, a single leaf is planted in a medium of peat moss, vermiculite or perlite until roots are established. This method works on a small number of plants, including African violets, spider plants and gloxinia.

References

• University of Missouri Extension: Home Propagation of Houseplants