LEARN ABOUT
PROPAGATING PLANTS WITH PROPAGATION EXPERT AND AUTHOR HILTON CARTER
Story by Diana Keeler / Photography by Hilton Carter © CICO Books
For plant expert Hilton Carter, propagation is a key tool not only for expanding your greenery but for building a better relationship between humans and our leafy friends. “Propagation is a big part of understanding the process of caring for a plant,” Carter says. “It taught me how to bond with a plant. If you can create that bond with that plant, you’ll work harder to care for it and give it the life it deserves.” (While you’re at it, he says, give your plants names: “I never saw a plant with a name in the garbage — it’s impossible. No one ever threw out a plant with a name. You’ll do whatever you can do to give Bob or Phillip the best life possible.”
Top: A view of the bedroom corner at Hilton’s studio, Jungle by the Falls (JBTF);
Above: Hilton tending his famous fiddle-leaf fig, Frank;
Left: A dramatic grouping of Ravenea rivularis (majestic palms) along the sliding doors of the family room.
Top: A view of the bedroom corner at Hilton’s studio, Jungle by the Falls (JBTF);
Above: Hilton tending his famous fiddle-leaf fig, Frank;
Below: A dramatic grouping of Ravenea rivularis (majestic palms) along the sliding doors of the family room.
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Longtime fans of Carter’s would doubtlessly be able to recognize his famous fiddle-leaf fig, Frank, from a distance.) Carter also recommends propagating in your home greenhouse as a way to share your plants with others: “You’ll be able to give this plant you love to someone you love, and watch as they grow it into a new, beautiful, full-grown plant — and then they can propagate it themselves, giving their passion to someone else,” Carter says. “And then that passion spreads from one home to the next to the next.” 
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“You’ll be able to give this plant you love to someone you love, and watch as they grow it into a new, beautiful, full-grown plant”
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Whether you’re looking for a heartfelt, low-cost holiday present or a way to give an older pant a second lease on life, learning how to propagate is the way forward. In his book, Wild at Home, and during his online propagation classes, Carter breaks down propagation into three categories: propagation by division, propagation by stem cut, and propagation by tip cut. Each method will be appropriate for different plants. For more detailed instructions, don’t miss Carter’s propagation classes, available on Airbnb Experiences, or his book, Wild at Home. |
DIVIDE AND MULTIPLY: PROPAGATION 3 WAYSPropagation by divisionPlants appropriate for propagation by division include birds of paradise, ferns, palms, and a few succulents: “Often, these plants come with multiple stems growing out of the pot, or will grow a new shoot once the plant has settled in and begun to thrive.” You’ll want to prepare a second pot with potting soil, then gently and patiently separate the roots of the master plant, so you have two separate plants. You’ll next want to place the first plant in one of the pots, holding it upright and gathering potting mix into the pot to cover the roots and the base of the plant. Pat down gently, water it in, and then repeat these steps for the second plant. 
While some plants are propagated by taking cuttings others
need to be separated by division, including ferns, a
few succulents, and plants like Hoya Carnosa, above left,
and Sansevieria trifasciata, above right.
Propagation by stem cut
“Whether you’re looking for a heartfelt, low-cost holiday present or a way to give an older pant a second lease on life, learning how to propagate is the way forward” Propagation by tip cut
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