How to Propagate Mosquito Plants

Mosquito plants are designed to repel mosquitos, with mixed results.

Mosquito plants, Pelargonium citrosa or citrosa geranium, are hybrids of Chinese citronella grass and a scented African geranium. They are hardy in zones 8 through 11. In other zones, they can come inside for the winter. Researchers provide little confirmation that these tough plants, available every spring, can work to repel mosquitoes. But you can try placing crushed leaves on your skin to take advantage of its trace amounts of citronellal, the chemical in citronella oil. You can propagate your own mosquito plants.

Things You'll Need

• Peat pots
• Potting mix
• Rooting hormone powder

Instructions

1. Snip branches off a robust "mother plant" as they become long. This trimming also helps shape the plant. Unshaped, they can grow as large as 4 feet high and wide.

2. Snip the bottom of branches and strip all but the end leaves off. You should have two or three nodules where you pulled off leaves on your stems.

3. Dust the bottom of the stems with rooting hormone. Plant them in peat pots filled with a sterile, light planting medium. Keep the soil moist but not wet to avoid mildew.

4. Move the plants to a sunny window after allowing them a week to begin to develop roots outside of direct sun.

5. Put the young citrosa out after the last frost in your area in a good garden soil or potting mixture. You don't need to bother with fertilizer for this robust plant. Pinch it back frequently to prevent lankiness.

6. Choose healthy plants with lots of branches to keep over the winter. Pot them up, bring them in and care for them like houseplants. Fertilize lightly in late winter and make sure they get plenty of light. Water when the surface of the soil gets dry to the touch, avoiding over-watering. Trim leggy branches back to encourage bushiness.

Tips & Warnings

• Put mosquito plants in pots on patios and along walks -- anywhere that people will brush up against them -- in spots where they can spread out. They tolerate full sun and light shade, so they're handy to have for those places that nothing will grow.

• Apply rooting hormone sparingly and carefully -- roots grow from the outside edge of the end of the branch. The powder is toxic to fish -- use it with care around ponds and aquariums -- and poisonous for humans.

References

• University of Minnesota Extension: Yard & Garden Line News: Mosquitoes
• North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service: Geranium Culture for Home Gardeners
• North Dakota State University Department of Plant Sciences: Care of Mosquito Plants