Way to grow: Easy methods to create your own indoor jungle
Houseplants have long been a popular way of bringing life and colour into a home. Cultures including the Ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians kept potted plants in their houses, while miniature versions were popular with early Asian populations. Although such decorative flourishes were the realm of wealthier groups in society, by the Victorian era, warmer, brighter homes saw even the middle classes embellishing their homes with ferns and bulbs.
It’s well known that houseplants have had something of a revival in recent years. You only need to search the hashtag on Instagram, where there are more than 19.5 million posts on the topic, or to look at the number of services offering doorstep delivery or a monthly subscription service.
It’s also widely accepted that this greenery serves an even greater purpose than making the home more beautiful, since it purifies the air and has been linked with improved concentration and mood. Recent times have seen many of us spending more time indoors than ever, so it’s not difficult to understand why there’s been a trend to make it a more soothing, happy, and healthy place. If you cast your mind back to the fun of growing windowsill herbs or a sunflower as a child, another benefit to having an indoor jungle becomes apparent – it opens up opportunities to make more plants.
This saves you money on your own collection and allows you to create thoughtful, homegrown gifts for family and friends, as well as being incredibly satisfying to make a baby plant from an existing one. Yet it helps to know that there are different ways of propagating, some of which are more successful with certain plants than with others.
METHODS OF PROPAGATION
In water
This is a great way to propagate because it’s fun to look through the glass vessel in which the cutting is housed and watch new roots form from the node. It also requires nothing more than a glass jar and some water, both of which are easy to come by.
Some of the best plants to propagate in water are aroid varieties. These include monstera, aglaonema, pothos, begonia, and philodendron. Simply use a clean, sharp knife to cut a stem from a healthy, well-established plant, being sure that it includes a node – the little nubbly bit on the stem. Fill your jar with clean water and pop the cutting in, making sure that the node is submerged, but that the leaf is not in contact with the water, as it will rot.
Place in a light, bright spot (although avoid direct sunlight) and aim to change the water every few days. Before too long, you will start to see growth from the node. Depending on conditions, it will take a few months for these to be established, but once they are a few inches long, you can pot them in quality soil.
Did you know? Many people assume that the genus Monstera gets its name from the size that its members can grow to. In fact, it is Latin for “abnormal” and relates to the holes and fenestrations in the plants’ leaves.
By division
Some, such as pilea, peperomia, and spider plants, produce baby offspring, called plantlets or pups. Pilea babies push their way up from the soil surrounding the mother plant, while spider plant babies (spiderettes) appear at the end of the plant’s fronds. Once you have checked that the plantlet is healthy, use sharp, clean scissors or a knife to separate it from its mother.
For a pup that has rooted in soil, wash it under lukewarm water to remove any dirt. You won’t need to do this for a spiderette, since they are birthed in air. Place the cutting in water for the roots to form, making sure that it is “floating” – the roots should not touch the bottom of the vessel and the leaves should not be touching the water. Change the water every week or so and wait for a few months until the roots are well established before planting.
Did you know? A healthy pilea, also known as Chinese money plant, can sprout pups so profusely that it’s sometimes called a friendship plant, since these babies can be given to loved ones.
From veins
If your plant has prominent veins, you can use these to grow more plants. Use a clean, sharp knife to sever a healthy leaf from the main plant. Clean the knife again and use it to score the leaf several times, once across each vein. With the veins “open”, press that side of the leaf into soil.
You may need to use toothpicks to keep them more firmly in contact with this growing medium. Keep the propagation in a warm environment, by covering with a plastic bag, making sure to still allow air to circulate, to create a mini greenhouse. When new growth starts to come from each cut, wait until they have grown a few leaves before planting them.
Did you know? Late spring or early summer is the best time to take vein cuttings. Make the cuts about 2.5 cm apart.
In soil
Tradescantia pallida (or purple heart) requires nothing more than to have a healthy stem removed from the main plant and pushed into quality soil. Be sure to strip the lower leaves, leaving only the top two intact. For a full plant, use several stripped stems and enjoy watching how quickly they shoot up over the coming weeks. Bear in mind that seasons apply to houseplants as well as larger trees and bushes – the cuttings might grow more slowly, or more quickly, depending on what time of year it is.
Did you know? Although not a succulent, the stems of this kind of plant retain quite a bit of water, which means that you can occasionally forget to hydrate it without it punishing you.
By layering
This method works well with long, trailing ivies, such as devil’s or English. Create a space next to the existing plant and place another pot of soil in it. Next, take one of the longer vines and nestle it into this new pot, making sure that at least some of it, a section with a node, is covered by the soil.
Remove any leaves to prevent rot. You might also need to pin the vine to keep it in place. The parent plant will continue to nourish this stem while roots push out into the soil from the node. After a few months, tug lightly at the stem. If it resists, then you’ll know the roots have taken and can cut the new plant away from the parent.
Did you know? Devil’s ivy is so named because it thrives in dark, shady places in the jungle. That said, it’s happy in almost any conditions in the home and is easy to grow.
By air layering
This technique works best with plants that have a solid, fairly thick stem, such as those from the ficus family. Ficus elastica (commonly known as the rubber plant) is a good choice, as is magnolia and philodendron. Use a sharp knife to cut into the stem just below a node, angling the cut upwards and being careful not to cut all the way through the stem. Pull the two sections of stem apart gently and use a toothpick to hold it open so that air can enter the cut. You may wish to sprinkle hormone or rooting powder around the area before packing it with moist peat moss. Keep this in place by wrapping plastic around it.
You’ll need to remove this every so often to mist the moss and keep it damp. When the roots appear from the cut, you can sever the new plant from the parent by cutting a few inches below the original wound and planting it. The parent will send out new growth from its remaining stem – and you’ll have two plants instead of one.
Did you know? Plants can take a long time to root, so use black rather than clear plastic to prevent light entering and causing algae growth in the moist conditions inside the plastic. The exception? Fast growers like ficus.
