Winter gardening: Propagating houseplants to beat the winter blues

MACOMB, Ill. — To my fellow Illinois gardeners – I know these cold winter days can feel long and dreary. One way to combat the winter blues is by propagating your houseplants. After all, your houseplants are stuck inside with you, so why not have some fun with them?

Plant propagation is essentially creating new plants from existing ones. Luckily for us winter gardeners, many houseplants are easy to propagate. And let’s be honest, can you ever have too many plants?

There are several propagation methods to choose from, but the method you select depends on the plant you’re trying to grow. When it comes to houseplants, three common methods are cuttings, division and air layering. Since each method has its own complexities, let’s focus on cuttings.

As the name suggests, propagating by cuttings involves cutting off a piece of plant tissue to create a genetic clone of the original plant by initiating roots at the cut end. In other words, we’re going to grow roots from a stem. The idea that you can switch vegetative cells into root cells is what first fascinated me about plants. Plant science is truly amazing!

There are different types of cuttings, but let’s specifically look at leaf cuttings and stem cuttings.

Stem cuttings usually consist of the tip of a branch or twig with a few attached leaves and leaf buds. The length can vary from 3 to 6 inches, but I prefer to make my cuttings slightly longer so I can trim them as needed before sticking them into a soil-free mix. Houseplants commonly propagated by stem cuttings include Dracaena, Croton, Holiday Cactus, Pothos and many more.

Leaf cuttings consist of the leaf blade alone or the entire leaf, which includes the leaf blade and petiole (the stalk attaching the leaf to the stem). Many houseplants that we propagate using stem cuttings can also be propagated using leaf cuttings. However, leaf cuttings tend to take longer to develop into a new plant. Houseplants commonly propagated by leaf cuttings include Jade, African Violet, Kalanchoe, and Dracaena.

When propagating any plant, make sure to choose healthy material. Since it takes time for cuttings to root, damaged or diseased plant material will reduce the chance of success.

Cleanliness is crucial as we need to keep the humidity high around these cuttings. Sterilize everything that will come in contact with plant material, including scissors and pots. A wider six to eight-inch azalea pot can be used to root multiple cuttings in one container, or you can use individual smaller containers.

You’ll be sticking the cut ends of your cuttings into an inert propagation medium. Popular mediums include perlite, vermiculite, or soil-free potting mix.

Before sticking your cuttings into the potting medium, you can dip the cut end into rooting hormone. This helps trigger the initiation of root cells in the stem tissue. When sticking your cuttings into the medium, it can be helpful to use a pencil to create a hole so the rooting hormone doesn’t rub off.

Ensure the potting medium is watered (avoid oversaturation as it can cause rot if the potting mix stays too moist). Cover the container with a plastic bag to increase humidity. This is important since the cuttings don’t have roots to take up moisture, and the leaves will continue to lose water. Place the container in a sunny location but avoid direct sunlight, as direct sunlight and a plastic covering can burn the cuttings. Some plants, like Jade, don’t do well with plastic covering as excessive humidity can cause rot issues. Jade roots better in a sand-based rooting medium.

The time it takes for roots to form varies greatly from plant to plant. Some may form roots quickly, while others may take weeks. Keep a close watch on the cuttings and monitor for any root issues and adequate moisture. Don’t let the planting medium dry out! If cuttings begin to rot, the moisture level is too high – either the humidity is too much, or the soil medium is too wet, or both. Remove any cuttings that have begun to rot and reduce humidity/moisture as needed. Once the cuttings have rooted, transplant them to individual containers if planted in flats or multiple cuttings in a single container. Monitor closely as the transition to less humidity can cause some shock to the plants.

You must know I’m bored because I pulled out my old plant propagation textbook to help with writing this article. I haven’t looked at this book in almost 20 years. Whether you spend time flipping through textbooks or propagating houseplants, it’s obvious we’re all eagerly awaiting the signs of spring. And it will be here before we know it.