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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.”
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.”
Pictured: Hilton tending his famous fiddle-leaf fig, Frank.
DIVIDE AND MULTIPLY:
PROPAGATION 3 WAYS
PROPAGATION BY DIVISION
Plants 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
Plants suitable for propagation by stem cut are often notably vine-y: They include Scindapsus pictus ‘Argyraeus’ (satin pothos), various monsteras, Philodendron ‘Burle Marx’, P. scandens (heart-leaf philodendron), Schlumbergera (Christmas cactus), and Maranta leuconeura (prayer plant).
Here, you’ll want to use a sharp blade or hand pruners to cut a healthy, green stem about one inch below a node — a “little bump” on your vine, “basically baby roots waiting to be placed in water, so they can grow and produce more roots.” Place that stem in a vessel filled with room-temperature water, ensuring that the node is completely submerged.
Vine-y plants are ideal for propagation by stem cut. Cut a healthy, green stem about one inch below a node in the vine (above); place the cutting in a vessel of room temperature water and watch the new roots grow.
"“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
Plants that are propagated by tip cut include Ficus lyrata (fiddle-leaf fig), F. elastica (rubber plant), Sansevieria trifasciata (snake plant), Zamioculcas zamiifolia (fern arum/ZZ plant), Dracaena, and Crassula ovata (money tree). Here, you’ll want to find a healthy stem or branch, and then a part of the stem/branch that’s green and new — not the brown, more tree-like material. With a sharp blade or hand pruners, cut 2 inches below the last leaf, at a 45-degree angle. (“The angle is important because it creates the most surface area for rooting to take place.”) The snake plant and many succulents can be cut anywhere, maintaining the 45-degree angle. Similar to stem cuts, place the stem in a vessel filled with room-temperature water, ensuring that the cut area is completely submerged.