How to Plant Houseplant Cuttings

Start a new houseplant with a cutting.

Multiply your houseplants by taking cuttings from existing plants. Each cutting has the potential of growing into its own plant. Depending on the container used for rooting the cuttings, you can root a number of cuttings at one time, providing you don't overcrowd the container. Water the plant thoroughly the day before taking the cuttings, and only take cuttings from vigorous and healthy houseplants.

Things You'll Need

• Scissors
• 4-inch-deep container
• Rooting hormone
• Perlite
• Sand
• Peat moss
• Pencil
• 4 straws
• Plastic bag
• Flower pot

Instructions

1. Cut off a 4- to 6-inch piece of stem from the plant, cutting right below the node, which is where a leave or bud joins with the stem.

2. Remove leaves from the bottom half of the cutting.

3. Cut larger leaves in half and remove any flowers or buds.

4. Dip the cut end into rooting hormone to encourage root growth. Many cuttings will successfully develop roots without the help of rooting hormone.

5. Fill a 4-inch-deep container will an equal amounts of perlite, sand and peat moss, mixed up.

6. Stick a pencil straight down in the soil, about 1 to 3 inches deep, to make an indentation for the cutting. Remove the pencil.

7. Insert the cutting into the pencil's indentation, cut side down.

8. Tap the bottom of the pot gently to settle the soil around the cutting.

9. Water thoroughly, allowing the water to drain out of the pot. Don't make the soil muddy.

10. Stick four straws into the soil, along the perimeter of the pot, positioning them at equal distances from each other, and taller than the cutting. Use these to hold up the plastic bag added in the next step.

11. Secure a plastic bag around the pot to create a greenhouse effect.

12. Set in an area where the pot gets plenty of indirect light, yet no direct light. Keep the temperature between 65 and 75 degrees F.

13. Open the bag two or three times a week, to ventilate the cuttings and prevent mold from forming.

14. Transplant cuttings after about a month, when roots have formed. Place each cutting in its own pot with potting soil. Maintain the same soil line when planting the cutting.

References

• Washington State University Spokane Extension: Plant Houseplant Cuttings
• Purdue University consumer Horticulture: New Plants from Cuttings
• University of Vermont Extension: Rooting Cuttings
• "Foliage and Houseplants"; James Crockett; 1977