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I’m celebrating National Houseplant Day today, January 10th, by sharing an easy way to get free plants. Propagate them yourself from leaf cuttings! I usually do this by taking cuttings from my own plants, but sometimes a friend will share a cutting. A few months ago, my local library held a plant swap, and I came home with several cuttings as well as a few plants that were already rooted and potted up. The one that I was most excited about was the smallest: a little leaf and node cutting from a Swiss cheese plant, Monstera adansonii.
I did not have any monstera, so I was excited to see this little leaf show up at the plant swap. The leaf was connected to a tiny bit of stem, maybe 1/8 inch, on either side of it, and that’s where the node is. This was wrapped in a damp paper towel. I took it home and potted it right away. First I applied a little rooting powder to it. This powder is not absolutely necessary, and I usually don’t bother when I’m starting more common plants, like geraniums, for example. But it does help the propagation process, and I wanted to do all I could to ensure success with this little beauty.
I planted it in a small plastic pot filled with potting mix. Then I watered it and let the water drain out before placing the pot inside the plastic cup the cutting had sat in. I kept this pot in my kitchen where I could keep an eye on it over the next few weeks. About two months later, a second leaf had grown. Success!
When another leaf started growing, the first original leaf yellowed and fell off. Now, my plant has two leaves and third one that has come up and will soon uncurl. (See video.) This process not only saves me money, but it’s fun to watch. What once looked like a single tiny leaf that couldn’t amount to anything is now well on its way to becoming a vine that will continue to grow for years. I hope.
Plants are not immortal, and I tend to be a very neglectful plant mom. If you watch my recent videos showing the houseplants among my Christmas decorations and my snowman collection, you’ll see some of the plants that died on me this year. So it’s a good thing that I replenished my supply of houseplants at that plant swap! The other cuttings which I got, a couple snake plants, have not shown any new growth yet. I’ll just have to be patient. Meanwhile, I’m thrilled to have my first monstera.
What about you? Have you tried propagating any plants lately?
The Gardener Wife 