Using Cuttings to Make New Plants
Cuttings are a simple & inexpensive way to multiply your indoor house plants and/or outdoor garden plants.
There are quite a few plants that can be propagated by cuttings, a few of the more common plants are listed below. These plants can be propagated by one of the easiest methods known as division. Division is a simple way for producing multiple plants from the offsets or pups of the parent plant.
- Bromeliads
- Zygocactus
- Succulents (Agave/Echeveria)
- Sansevieria (aka Snake Plant, Mother in Laws Tongue)
- Ferns (Boston Ferns, Birds Nest Ferns, Maidenhair Ferns,
- Cast Iron Plant
- Orchids
- Strelitzia
- Golden Cane Palm
- Bamboo Palm
How to Divide Plants
This is best done in the warmer months such as spring & summer when the plants are actively growing.
Plants that produce pups
Once the pups are about 2/3 the size of the parent they can safely be removed. Using a sharp, clean hand saw, knife or set of secateurs, remove the pup close to the parent plant. (Make sure you leave some stem on the pup when removing it from the parent plant). Usually you can spot where new roots are starting to form on the new pups, make sure you cut below this point.
Plant into a well drained potting mixture. If necessary use small stakes to stabilise the clipping until it is able to stabilise itself, water in with Seasol.
Division of Orchids & Palms
With plants such as orchids & some varieties of palms a slightly different division method is used.
In the case of orchids remove the plant from the pot. Gently remove the soil from the roots without too much disruption. Using a clean, sharp handsaw cut between the bulbs leaving the roots intact. (It is ideal to leave three pseudo bulbs & one new growth per cut). Re pot the separated orchids in fresh potting mix and water in with Seasol.
In the case of palms such as Bamboo Palm, Golden Cane Palms & Seifritzii Palms remove the plant from the pot, with a clean sharp handsaw separate the clumps. Re pot into well drained potting mix, water in with Seasol.