There are 5 major ways to propagate indoor houseplants: by plant cuttings, plant division, offsets, air layering, and plantlets. Whichever propagation method you use, the parent plant must be healthy. Use clean sharp utensils. Rooting hormone helps roots develop; but too much is worse than none at all. Since moist conditions are needed for rooting to be successful, it is important to use a rooting hormone that contains a fungicide to prevent plant diseases.

The rooting media should be light and fast draining; vermiculite and clean sterile sand are good choices. Roots that form in water are different than roots that form in soil. If possible, use soil rather than water to grow the roots.

Indirect light and temperatures between 70-80 degrees are best for propagation. Covering the newly propagated plants with plastic increases the humidity and prevents the soil from drying out. Use picks, sticks, or wire to support the plastic and keep it off of the plant pieces.

Do not wait too long before properly planting your new plants. If the new roots get too big, you might damage them during the repotting process. Last, but not least, be patient; propagation is often a slow process.

PROPAGATION BY PLANT CUTTINGS

This method of propagation consists of cutting a piece out of a parent plant and using it to grow a new plant.

Stem Cuttings: This is the easiest and most common way of propagating houseplants.
1. Use a sharp clean scissors or razor blade to cut a 3"-5" piece from the end of a healthy growing stem, just below a leaf node; a node is where a leaf joins the stem.
2. The new roots will form at this leaf junction. Remove all of the bottom leaves, flowers, and flower buds, keep 2 or 3 leaves to provide energy for the new plant.
3. Briefly dip the cut end of the stem and the node in rooting hormone that contains a fungicide.
4. Plant the stem section in moist potting soil. Be sure that the nodes are in the soil and the leaves are out of the soil.
5. Cover the pot with clear plastic or place it in a plastic bag to increase the humidity and prevent the soil from drying out.
6. Check the plant every few days to ensure that the soil stays moist but never soggy.
7. After a few weeks gently tug on the stem cutting; if there is some resistance, the roots have started to grow and the plastic can be removed.

Leaf cuttings: This method is very similar to stem cuttings except a leaf is used in place of the stem.
1. Use a sharp clean scissors or razor blade to remove a mature healthy leaf from an actively growing plant.
2. Briefly dip the cut end of the leaf into a rooting hormone that contains a fungicide.
3. Plant the leaf so that the bottom 1/3 is in the soil.
4. Very long leaves, like those of a sansiviera, can be cut into sections before they are planted.
5. New plants will form around the base of the mature leaf. The old leaf can be removed once the new plants have started to grow.

Cane Cuttings: This method of propagation is used when a plant has bare canes with no leaves.
1. Cut off a piece of cane and section it into pieces 3"-4" in length. Each section must have one or two buds on it.
2. Dip the cut ends into a rooting hormone that contains a fungicide.
3. Lay the sections horizontally in potting soil with the bud facing up and only the bottom side of the cane covered with soil.
4. Once the new shoots appear, the cane cutting can be planted.
5. An alternative cane cutting method is to plant several cane sections vertically in a pot, cover with plastic, keep moist, and wait for the roots to grow.

Branch Cuttings: This method of propagation is used primarily for trees with long woody branches, especially ficus trees.
1. Use a sharp clean knife to cut off a 10"-12" healthy branch that has about 4-6 nodes on it. The branch should be about ¼" thick, but can be a little thicker or thinner.
2. Remove any side branches and all but 2 or 3 of the leaves at the very top.
3. Plant the entire branch in coarse sterile sand or perlite; at least 3 or 4 nodes must be in the soil.
4. Covering the pot with plastic and keeping it in a warm location that has bright indirect light will speed the propagation process.

PROPAGATION BY PLANT DIVISION

This method of propagation works well with plants that form clumps or rosettes as they mature.

When the plant becomes too crowded in its pot, carefully take it out. Gently tease the root ball into sections, trying not to damage the roots. Never use a knife to cut the root ball in half. Plant the sections in pots that are a few inches bigger than the new root balls. Try to use the same soil mixture that was in the parent plant.

Tuber Division is a specialized form of plant division. Certain plants develop thick stems or roots that store food for the flowers and leaves. These plants, such as caladium, gloxinia, tuberous begonias, and cyclamen, should be propagated in the spring as they emerge from dormancy.

Take the plant out of its pot and cut the tubers into sections. Each section should have a bud. Dip the cut ends of the tubers into a rooting hormone that contains a fungicide. Plant the tuber pieces just below the soil surface

PROPAGATION BY OFFSETS

Offsets are the baby plants that form at the base of certain plants.

Wait until the babies have grown at least several inches, then gently detach them from the original plant. Hopefully they will have a few roots of their own at this point. Plant the offsets in a small pot while their roots continue to develop.

Offsets may also be called "pups."

PROPAGATION BY AIR LAYERING

This method is used primarily for large plants that have thick strong stems and are not easily propagated by other methods. The new plant is propagated while still attached to the parent plant.
1. Using a sharp clean knife make an upward 1" slit just below a node on the stem. A node is where a leaf attaches to the stem. The slit should go ½ way through the stem. Place a piece of a toothpick in the slit to keep it open. If the slit heals shut, the new roots will never grow.
2. Remove any bark or leaves a few inches above and below the slit area. Dust the area with rooting hormone that contains a fungicide.
3. Pack a large handful of moist sphagnum moss around the slit. Cover the moss with clear plastic, and tie the plastic securely to the stem.
4. Check the moss weekly to be sure it stays moist but not soggy.
5. When roots have filled up the moss, cut the stem below the new root ball and plant it.

Air layering may take months, so try to be patient.

PROPAGATION BY PLANTLETS

Certain plants, such as spiders, send off long slender stems called runners. At the ends of these stems are new plants, or plantlets, that can be used for propagation.
1. Place these plantlets on top of potting soil while still attached to the original plant. The plantlets will get nutrition from the parent plant while developing roots of their own.
2. Pin the plant to the soil with an open paper clip or a small piece of wire.
3. Once the plantlet has rooted, sever the connection to the parent plant.
4. Alternately, some plantlets can be carefully removed from the stems or leaves of the original plant and directly potted.