Select a houseplant that roots easily, such as, a begonia that has become tall and leggy. Because there are already some small shoots at the base of this plant, it is also an excellent candidate for cutting back to get the plant bushy again.
Many indoor houseplants, such as, begonias, coleus, polka-dot-plant, ivies and philodendrons root easily in water. Other plants, including many woody plants such as hibiscus and citrus will not root well in water. They usual rot before rooting.
Take cuttings fromthe plant
Take cuttings from the plant. For most plants, cuttings should be between 4 and 6 inches long. Don’t make your cuttings too large; they will not root well or, if rooted, will become a tall, lanky plant instead of a compact one.
Cut stems just below a bud
Using a sharp knife (or pruners) cut just below where a leaf attaches to the stem (the node). Roots grow easiest from this location. If you leave a section of stem below the node, it often rots.
Remove the lower leaves
Remove the lower leaves but leave the top two or three. Any part of the cutting that will bebelow the surface of the water should be free of leaves.
Remove any flowers that are present
Flowers are not helpful for the rooting process. If left on the cutting, the flowers will try to develop into seed and use the food reserved in the cutting that could be better used for rooting. Dying flowers will also mold and rot in the moist rooting environment. So, hard as it is, remove any flowers or buds from the cuttings.
Ready for rooting
After cutting back to a node and stripping off the lower leaves and flowers, the cutting is now ready for rooting in water.
Place cutting in water
Several cuttings may be placed together in one container. Be sure to add fresh water as needed until the cuttings are fully rooted.
Check for rooting
Rooting will generally occur in 3-4 weeks but some plants will take longer. When the roots are 1-2 inches long or longer the cutting is ready to be potted up.
Remove from water when rooted
This plant has heavy rooting and is ready to be moved to a pot with potting soil. In most cases when the rootsare 1-2 inches long they can be moved to individual pots but many rooted cuttings will survive in water for extended periods of time.
Pre-moisten some potting soil
Add water sparingly to the potting soil, mixing thoroughly until the potting soil is moist but not soggy.
Select a proper size pot and place soil in the bottom
Choose a pot with just enough space for the root system. Place enough pre-moistened soil in the bottom of the pot to raise the top of the root ball an inch or so below the rim of the pot.
Fill pot with soil
Fill in the spaces around the roots with pre-moistened potting soil. Gently press the medium around the plant to provide good contact between the roots and the soil.
Prune off any excess foliage
This cuttinggrew substantially in the water after it was rooted and before it was potted. The tall growth is bestpruned offto force new growth at the base of the plant and produce a bushier young plant. The removed section could become anew cutting that could be placed in water to root.
Water
Water the soil well until all the soil is moist and water runs out the bottom of the pot. This will help settle the soil around the roots and remove air pockets.
Place in a location with good light
Once the extra water has drained from the pot, place the potin a saucer. Do not let the plant stand in water. Place it in an appropriate growing location. Plants have different light, humidity and temperature requirements. Know your plant. For information on how to grow fibrous rooted begonias, click here.
A happy mother plant
Even the mother plant that provided the cuttings is happier after the "haircut". In 3 weeks the young shoots at the base of the mother plant have grown to produce a bushy, attractive plant, which before long could provide even more cuttings to root.
Several cuttings may be placed together in one container. Be sure to add fresh water as needed until the cuttings are fully rooted. Rooting will generally occur in 3-4 weeks but some plants will take longer. When the roots are 1-2 inches long or longer the cutting is ready to be potted up.
Yes, they need moisture to root, but they also need oxygen. And as water sits on a windowsill, it becomes more and more stagnant (oxygen-depleted). Also, most stem cuttings give off their own rooting hormone… that is diluted and therefore less effective when they sit in water.
Add a Pothos! I'd heard of using willow as a natural rooting hormone, but didn't know Pothos has this 'super power' too. Just pop a Pothos cutting in with the water with your slow-to-grow cuttings and it helps speed up root development.
Place the cutting in a clean glass.Poor enough room temperature water to cover the nodes of the cutting.Change out the water every 3-5 days with fresh room temperature water. Wait and watch as your roots grow!
If the water evaporates from the glass over time, these growth points and vulnerable new roots may be exposed to the air, stunting growth and potentially killing off the cutting. Make sure you keep water levels consistent by topping up the water to always cover the bottom part of the cutting.
He says to cut three to four inches of the stem below the leaf node. Place these cuttings in water and you should see them begin to root by seven days at most. These plants can then be placed in the soil when the root clusters are one to two inches long.
It's important that your water propagated plants receive some light, but bright indirect light with no direct sun is important. They are growing new root systems and are fragile.
Many plants will root from just a section of a plant. Some plants will root in water, but cuttings will develop a better root system when rooted in a soil-less potting mix. Sand or perlite can also be used, especially for cuttings that need good drainage and may rot if kept too wet.
Warm growing medium temperatures accelerate cell division which leads to faster callusing, root initial development and subsequent root growth. It also speeds up the dry-down rate of the growing medium, which also helps encourage better rooting. The best way to warm the growing medium is through bottom heat.
Propagation for many plants is best done in potting soil, but some plants can be propagated in water. This is because they have evolved in an environment that allows it.
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