There’s nothing like the sense of pride earned from growing a big, healthy houseplant, but sometimes they get so big that they are hard to accommodate within your space. The perfect solution: divide your plant or remove some cuttings and propagate them to create new plants. Turn your plant into two, three, or ten, and share the beauty of your favorite plant with all those you love! It makes a perfect gift with a personalized touch.
Here Are the Easiest Houseplants to Propagate and Divide
There’s an endless list of houseplants you can propagate or divide, but these seven are some of the easiest plants to reproduce—no seeds required!
Succulents
These distinctive houseplants are super easy to propagate. Depending on your chosen variety and size, you’ll need to use either a stem cutting or a leaf-cutting—some may tolerate both methods, but stem cuttings tend to develop faster.
- You should propagate rosette succulents like Echeveria through leaf cuttings—just pull off a leaf, allow the cut to dry up, and plant it in a succulent potting mix.
- Sempervivum (Hens n’ Chicks) sprout little baby plants that can be removed and replanted once they stick out from the mother plant.
- Crassulas, like Jade Plants, propagate quickly with stem cuttings, but leaf cuttings also work if you don’t want to remove much from your existing plant. Allow the cut end of your stem cutting to get dry before planting.
- Trailing succulents like Senecio and Sedum Morganianum propagate best through stem cuttings, but you should remove the leaves along the part of the stem you plan on sticking in the soil.
- Tall, leafy Snake Plants are easy to propagate from leaf cuttings, but you need to soak them in a cup of water until they sprout roots.
If there are any other succulents you have at home that you’d like to propagate, feel free to ask one of our experts for suggestions!
Tradescantia
This colorful trailing houseplant is one of the easiest plants to propagate from cuttings in water. They grow pretty fast, and their vines can get quite long, so to keep them from getting too spindly, you can trim the vines and place the stems in a shot glass of water. Ensure none of the leaves are submerged and keep at least one node along the stem soaking in water. That node is where the roots will sprout. Within a week or two, you should start seeing them appear!
Be sure to keep the shot glasses topped up with fresh water. It will evaporate over time, and you don’t want your plants’ roots to get exposed to open air for too long. Once a few stringy roots have developed, it’s ready to plant in some soil. If you continually top it up with water, your cutting will keep growing bigger—there’s no rush to plant it in soil immediately.
Pothos
Like Tradescantia, you can propagate Pothos plant cuttings in water—it’s easy! Ensure the submerged stem has some nodes, don’t let any leaves sit in water, and place it on a sunny windowsill. They look quite pretty if you grow them as water plants, so you can keep them in their glasses for a while before potting them.
Monstera Deliciosa
Mega-trendy houseplants make pretty awesome gifts! This tropical philodendron is best multiplied through division—removing a piece of the plant with a section of the roots intact. You can place the roots in water or plant them directly into potting mix. You can also root Monstera stem cuttings in water, so long as you leave a leaf node along the stem.
Philodendron Xanadu
These eye-catching plants have big, fan-shaped leaves, so if they get too big for your space, it’s helpful to divide the root ball in half. Replant both halves into separate containers, and share that gorgeous green plant with someone who will appreciate its distinctive appearance!
Spider Plants
People love this houseplant because it sprouts tons of tiny baby spider plants that are easy to propagate. Just pull them off their stems and place their bottom nodes into a shot glass of water. Avoid submerging the leaves in water, and replace the water every few days until roots start to appear. Plant in soil, and she’s good to go!
Need some fresh new houseplants to propagate in Fort Lauderdale? Our selection at Living Color Garden Center is second to none—there are so many fascinating cultivars and beautiful varieties to discover! Visit us soon to see what new products we have for 2022.