How To: Propagate your favorite houseplants

How to Propagate your favorite houseplants

John White discusses how to propagate houseplants. You will need a potting mix called a "soilless" mix, which contains only vermiculite, perlite and peat moss. In addition you will need a sharp knife, a pruner and a weeding hormone to help induce root growth on the cuttings. Plants such as the pothos or arrowhead plants have little nodes at the base of the leaf. This is where a root will form so the cutting needs to include this little root end. Let the cut ends air dry for a few hours before planting. Then make an indent in the soil and put the cutting in, wet it, and it will soon begin to grow roots. Some plants like the ficus don't have the little root formations so make the cut on the stem and remove most of the leaves except for a few at the top. Dip the stem into the hormone before planting it in the pot. While the plants are rooting keep them moist and cover them with plastic or a glass jar inverted over the plant.