4 Houseplants You Can Easily Propagate From Cuttings

There’s no better way to make a house feel more relaxing, cheerful, and inviting than with houseplants. They are beautiful to look at and help to purify the air. They bring a sense of peace and tranquility to every space that they occupy. Growing houseplants and watching them thrive provides any plant parent, novice or veteran, with a sense of pride and accomplishment. The downside is that they can be expensive. Filling your house with plants may require a significant investment that you may not be able to make. Thankfully, whether you want to add more plants to your house or give the gift of plant parenthood to a friend, there is a way to do so without emptying out your wallet.

4 Houseplants You Can Grow Easily from Cuttings

Growing new plants using cuttings from plants you already have is really quite simple. You don’t have to be a master gardener to do it, you just have to have the know-how, and the right plants. Here are four plants that are easy to grow from their own cuttings right in your own home.

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1. Christmas Cactus

Named the Christmas cactus for the time of year in which they bloom, these gorgeous drooping cacti with their bright pink, orange, white, and red bell-shaped flowers look just like cheery Christmas bells. The perfect holiday gift, these cacti are easy to take care of and don’t require much intervention from the owner.

Cutting Instructions:

1. Fill a pot with damp peat and sand.
2. Snip a Y-shaped cutting from the tip of the stem. Make sure at least two to three joined points make up the cutting.
3. To avoid stem rot, place the cutting on a paper towel to dry for three hours before cutting.
4. Once dried, place the cutting one-quarter of its length below the surface.
5. Place the pot in a sunny area, but avoid direct sunlight, keeping it slightly moist at first.
6. There should be signs of new growth at the leaves’ tips with a slight red color. Now, be sure to keep the soil damp but not soaking. As the plant grows, you can move it to an area with more sunlight.

**Cacti tips: This plant grows best between 60 and 70 degrees F, and keeps it on the drier side in the winter. Christmas cactus can go without water for up to six weeks.

2. Pothos

One of the easiest plants to grow, Pothos are a wonderful option for anyone who struggles to keep their plants alive. 

Cutting Instructions:

1. Cut off a four to six-inch piece of a healthy stem that has four or more leaves.
2. Remove the leaf closest to the stem that you cut.
3. Fill a pot with half peat moss and half perlite.
4. Dip the cut end in the rooting hormone.
5. Place the cutting in the soil, keeping the soil moist (not saturated).
6. Place in a bright area but out of direct sunlight.

Other option:

1. Complete steps one and two from above.
2. Place cut ends into a glass or jar of water.
3. Place the jar in a window that gets plenty of indirect sunlight.
4. Change the water every other day to keep it clean. In about four weeks you will begin to see roots forming.
5. Once you see roots, plant your cuttings into a pot with organic potting soil.
6. Place the pot in indirect sunlight and keep the soil moist, not saturated.

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3. Jade

Though very easy to propagate, Jade plants do require their cuttings to be calloused before they can sprout roots. This can take anywhere from just a couple of days to up to a week, so be patient.

Cutting Instructions:

1. Fill a pot with slightly damp organic potting soil.
2. Snip off a leaf at the base of your cutting.
3. Place the leaf on top of, not in, the soil.
4. After two to three weeks, the cutting will develop roots that will make their own way into the soil. New leaves will form at the base of the old leaf, which will eventually wither up.
5. Keep the soil moist and in an area with plenty of indirect sunlight.

4. Spiderwort

These hanging plants make an excellent addition to your front porch in the summertime and keep your home cheery throughout the winter months. If you live in a warmer climate, they can stay outside all year long, or be used as ground cover instead of hanging. Growing a new plant will take four to six weeks.

Cutting Instructions:

1. Pick a healthy plant and ensure that it is completely free of insects and disease. 
2. The night prior to cutting, slowly water the hanging, potted plant until water seeps out of the holes in the bottom.
3. The next morning, find healthy tips that have new growth.
4. Cut four cuttings at a 45-degree angle just below a leaf node.
5. Remove the leaves from the bottom two inches of the cuttings and place them in clean water.
6. Change the water every other day and check for roots.
7. Once roots appear, transfer your cuttings into a potted plant filled with organic potting soil.
8. Keep the plant in a well-lit room with moist soil.

As you can see, it doesn’t take too much time or effort to grow more plants from the ones you already have. Don’t be discouraged if you aren’t successful on your first try. With practice, you’ll become a plant propagating guru in no time!

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