Propagation
Methods
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Dividing - Division is a great way to rejuvenate a plant that has overgrown its pot and its setting.... Not only that but you get free plants out of it... Plants with fibrous root systems are easily divided by removing the plant from its pot and cutting the root ball in half and then potting each half in a new pot. If you are able to pull apart the root ball then do that but someplants are so dense that you will have to use a sharp knife or saw to split it. You can divide them into more than halves but make sure you have plenty of roots with each piece.
Plants that produce more than one crown (aloe for example) can be divided by separating the crowns into seperate plants with roots attached... pot them just as you would a division.
Stem Cuttings - Select a healthy stem and take a 3-5 inch cutting with several nodes (this is where the leaf attatches to the stem) ... Pinch or cut off the bottom leaves leaving 2 leaves remaining on the top of the cutting..... dip the cutting into water and then into a rooting hormone be sure to tap off the excess hormone... make a hole in the mix and insert the cutting into the hole firming the soil around the stem.... water getnly and cover the cutting with a plastick bag to retain moisture... after 2 weeks you can check the cutting by tugging gently... a rooted cutting will resist
Offsets - remove the plant from its pot and gently separate an offset (small plant growing at the base of the parent plant) from the parent plant if need be cut it with a sharp knife.... plant the offset in potting soil at the same depth it was growing in the original pot... firm the soil lightly... then water... give the offset the same care as before
Plantlets - place the parent plant on a stable surface next to a separate pot of moist soil... pin plantlets (small plants that grow from a stolon or leaf) to the soil in the new with a hairpin or wire... cut it away from the parent after it roots.... or you can cut off a leaf or stolon that has plantlets attached and then pot it directly... you still need to pin the plant so it has constant contact with the moist soil until it is established
Leaf Cuttings - Remove the leaf with its petiole (leaf stem) attached by clipping close to the crown of the plant... make a hole in the soil... dip the petiole in rooting hormone... insert in the hole burying the entire petiole... firm the soil and then water thoroughly... cover the pot with a plastic bag to retain moisture... check every few days for new plants forming at the base of the leaf
another method....... this is great for snake plant
cut the leaf into 3 inch sections... make sure that you keep the direction upright... (the plant won't grow upsidedown) dip the sections into rooting hormone... stick the leaf cuttings into the mix bottom side down and then firm the soil and water... cover with a bag for moisture...
Layering - move parent plant to a stable location and place a pot with fresh potting soil next to it... select a vining stem to layer... pin the stem to the soil at a node leaving the growing tip free... once roots develop at the node you can clip the new plant away from the parent plant
Air Layering - for woody-stemmed plants... make a notch in the stem and remove the piece of stem... dust the notch with rooting homeone and then loosely wrap plastic around the stem, taping it at the base... fill the plastic with damp, long fibered sphagnum moss... close the top of the plastic with electifcal tape or twist ties... check daily to see if roots form... once rots develop cut the stem of the plant below the plastic and remove the plastic and moss... plant in fresh potting mix keep the parent plant for a while to see if it will sprout below the cut...
you can also use peat pellets instead of moss
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