One among my favorite features of rising crops is propagation, which can come as no shock to common readers of Home Plant Home! For right this moment’s blogpost, I needed to share an replace on how a few of the propagated pots in my plant assortment have fared over the previous few years – from what they appeared like when planted to how they’re rising now.
Introduction
Documenting plant progress by way of images is usually a actually useful option to monitor development; tracing how they’ve grown over time by means of a transparent visible report. I do know not everyone images their crops, but it surely’s a behavior I’ve developed over the previous few years which has not waned but! I’m certain I’m not the one one to scroll method again down my instagram feed to see how my crops and propagations have grown!
After all it’s value saying right here that to an extent my plant development is subjective to my very own setting and circumstances, however I hope you discover it helpful in providing some comparability to related crops in your individual assortment and the way they’ll develop over time. Alternatively if you’re new to this facet of maintaining crops, I hope this publish gives you with some sensible suggestions and encouragement in rising your assortment. I’ve acquired a propagation tab you would possibly prefer to discover extra, which I’ll hyperlink right here.
Perks of propagation
Propagating may also help us perceive our crops on a deeper stage and it additionally permits us to develop our plant assortment free of charge! Plus, pruning can contribute to maintaining the primary plant wholesome and might stop it outgrowing its location too. In case you are quick on house and don’t need to really feel like the crops are taking on, maintaining them at a dimension that works for you is a recreation changer. In case you are new to crops, I do know that it could really feel counter-intuitive or ‘dangerous’ to cut them however this actually isn’t the case. I’ll hyperlink final weeks’ blogpost right here the place I’m going into some suggestions for a Publish-winter plant pep up, mainly serving to your houseplants to look their greatest!
Let’s have a better take a look at a few of my houseplant propagation initiatives and the way issues have been doing… Oh and in every case, I’ve written the propagation technique within the heading for reference.
Epipremnum aureum ‘Marble Queen’ Pothos: propagation from cuttings
Of all my Epipremnum gang, Marble Queen is my favorite. The creamy variegation appears to be like wonderful towards mild partitions and every new leaf is sort of a shock. What is going to the variegation be like this time?! When I’m hooked up to a specific plant like this, I really feel the urge to make a again up plant…or two, or, ahem.. three…
Fortunately, Pothos propagation is a breeze and my desire is rooting cuttings in water till the roots are a number of centimetres in size earlier than transitioning to soil. I at all times advocate selecting the propagation technique that fits you and your way of life. Some plant lovers would possibly take pleasure in success with soil propagation too (significantly these in hotter climates I’ve discovered). There’s extra on that right here.
2018 + 2019:
Within the bounce from 2019 to 2021, you’ll be able to see that the little pot has change into an precise trailing houseplant now! The variegation is gorgeous as at all times and this pot at the moment lives on prime of my fridge. I’ll have do a ‘fridge plant tour’ quickly because it’s modified somewhat since this photograph…
2021:
Associated publish:
Pilea peperomioides plantlet: propagation from cuttings
Subsequent up we now have a few of my ever rising assortment of Pilea plantlets. I’ve misplaced depend what number of of those I’ve propagated through the years! With these, I’ll usually go down the water propagation technique, although if I take away plantlets which have developed some roots, I’ll stick them straight into potting combine.
It is a good instance to indicate that crops actually can tackle their very own personalities over time! Pilea crops are available all sizes and styles and I believe my favorite stage of those crops was how they appeared in 2019 under. The following chunk of time concerned shifting home twice, durations of neglect and less-than-ideal circumstances.
2018 + 2019:
So though these two pots are wanting fairly sculptural and stylish now, I do yearn for some extra compact development like we see within the {photograph} above proper. This Spring I’m planning on eradicating a few of the child crops across the base, which look ripe for propagation.
Within the photograph under, the 2 crops from above (proper) are the ‘medium-sized’ pots in between the entrance two smaller pots and the bigger fundamental plant behind:
Associated posts:
Fern leaf cactus / Selenicereus chrysocardium and Selenicereus anthonyanus: propagations from cuttings
I’ve included two plant propagation initiatives collectively for this one as they’ve an identical look and got here as a plant swap from Sweden again in 2018. Should you’ve been studying the weblog for a while, you would possibly recall the story of misplaced plant mail the place these have been caught in a publish workplace for quite a lot of weeks earlier than touchdown on my doormat! The {photograph} under left exhibits how they appeared on arrival.
Clockwise from left, the crops within the photograph listed here are Selenicereus chrysocardium (fern leaf cactus), Selenicereus anthonyanus and Hoya publicalyx (extra on that later):
2018:
On account of their lengthy stint in transit, I opted for water propagation for all these to assist hydrate the cuttings. As you’ll be able to see, above proper marks the purpose the place each crops put out their first new development since planting up. That is at all times an thrilling second to look at, and doc in fact!
Quick ahead to the Selenicereus anthonyanus in 2020 (under) – it’s wanting like an actual plant now!
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Subsequent, propagation progress of my beloved Fern leaf cactus. I’d coveted this plant for AGES! Almost 4 years later it nonetheless feels so particular to me, which is commonly the case with plant swaps. Apart from that, the expansion behavior may be very cool and it’s now acquired massive sufficient to path. Of all my ziggy-zaggy crops, this one is definitely probably the most distinctive and my private favorite.
Clockwise from left… 2018 – 2019 – 2020 – 2021:
Stromanthe triostar: propagation by division
My fundamental Stromanthe plant, under, has been a staple in my plant assortment for some years now and I grew it from fairly a small pot. Again in 2018 while repotting, I took a small division of the plant and potted it up.
Right here’s how the plant grew in it’s new little pot over 2018:
You may see it nestled to the left on my plant shelf right here in 2019, it was a beautiful color then:
After 4 years, the little pot is just not so little anymore! I’ll admit it’s wanting bedraggled after a winter of dwelling in a renovation web site, but it surely actually wants repotting and I’m hoping it’ll perk up this yr with some extra consideration. I’ve a sense my bigger plant can also be attending to the purpose the place it might take pleasure in a pot that’s one dimension bigger – I’ll make sure you test come Springtime. If it does, I believe I’ll look out for a smaller division once more as I’ve actually loved the method of rising a smaller Stromanthe. I’ll doc and share the method in fact…
While I believe it’s problematic to consider crops as merely ‘decor’ gadgets, there’s no hurt in curating a set – you’ll be able to definitely design your house with crops. For extra, you would possibly prefer to learn A conscious method to maintaining houseplants. With my Stromanthe, I’m envisioning a pot of pink leaves on my espresso desk! Apart from the aesthetic consideration, I additionally suppose the sunshine circumstances will swimsuit it there. Don’t overlook about this when planning the place you’re placing your crops!
Left prime + backside: 2019 / Proper: 2022:
A repotting video from the final time I repotted my smaller Stromanthe in 2020:
Associated posts:
Epipremnum aureum ‘Neon’ Pothos: propagation from cuttings
This lovable little pot of neon is an efficient instance of the fun of propagation. First up, somewhat plant in a pleasant planter is gorgeous to take a look at! Second of all, to look at this neon pothos because it develops and grows is a facet of propagation that brings me infinite enjoyment. I took these cuttings from my bigger plant as a little bit of a durational development experiment.
That is from 2018:
And leaping ahead to 2021. the plant has actually grown right into a zingy pot of chartreuse foliage of a lot bigger proportions:
As with all Pothos crops, they’ll begin to look straggly over time and also you would possibly determine to prune them again or propagate some stems to return into the highest of the planter. For me, I needed to pot my two pots of neon collectively to create a fuller plant. On the time, I used to be beginning to put together to maneuver home, so I used to be attempting to amalgamate pots the place potential to make the duty of the plant transfer barely extra manageable!
Beneath exhibits the brand new ‘merged’ plant in 2021. From a styling perspective, I at all times love a neon in a black planter like this as the color actually pops!
Aspidistra elatior: propagation by division
My beautiful Aspidistra is one which I shared a blogpost about not too long ago within the context of heirloom houseplants. My two crops are divisions of my grandparents plant that was a key function of their corridor method for so long as I can bear in mind.
After my Grandpa handed away, it was my process to are likely to Nan’s houseplants, together with their much-loved Aspidistra elatior. These crops dislike frequent repotting however in 2017, I seen the plant was needing way more frequent watering. It even flowered too! There was hardly any potting combine left within the pot and it was severely root sure. Because of this, I divided the plant into three divisions in order that the plant might return in Nan’s jardiniere, albeit with extra space to develop. I introduced residence one of many divisions and my mum took the opposite pot. One Aspidistra was now dwelling with three generations.
My division in 2017:
Some years later, after Nan handed away, Mum and I shared her Aspidistra between us. The crops are very particular ones in my assortment and I really feel a duty to take excellent care of them! I’ve since made an extra division which implies I’ve three pots from my grandparents plant now. Because of their development behavior, propagation by division works very well with Aspidistras, however don’t fiddle with their roots too usually. As I stated above, they actually don’t like being disturbed!
2022:
Associated posts:
Hoya publicalyx: propagation from cuttings
Again to the plant mail now and one which I discussed earlier within the publish. The Hoya pubicalyx was the opposite one within the trio of cuttings Hillevi kindly despatched to me. This one took fairly some time to propagate because the woody stem is just not as fast to root as, say a Pothos or Philodendron.
2018:
Regardless of the wait, I’m glad to share the way it settled into potting combine and leaping ahead to 2021, has began to path! Hoya’s aren’t the quickest growers but it surely’s at all times fascinating to see them begin to mature and look extra like a plant in its personal proper.
2021 / 2022:
Associated publish:
Monstera adansonii propagation from cuttings and by division
Lastly, my Monstera adansonii propagation experiment. With its skinny foliage, this plant is usually a little troublesome! Mine did NOT admire shifting throughout Winter into a chilly cottage and so I opted to divide up the plant the next Summer season. It had been rising round a cane help so I opted to make a number of smaller crops and chop up some stems too. There’s an entire publish right here on the method in case you’d prefer to see extra.
Among the cuttings I made in 2020, rooting in water:
As you’ll be able to see under, in 2021 a few of the crops I propagated by division have been trailing and the cuttings above have been rooted and shaped a smaller plant:
Right here within the new place, one of many crops in 2022:
I’ve discovered Monstera adansonii to propagate properly by each division and from cuttings. It’s usually dependant on the ‘look’ of the plant in query and if the division has roots. When the renovation has settled down, I’m planning on filling out this plant a bit on prime by taking some cuttings of one of many different trailing crops. I really like the way it appears to be like trailing from the shelf like this!
Associated posts:
Conclusion
So there we now have it, I hope you loved a better take a look at a few of my propagation initiatives. For brand spanking new plant lovers seeking to dabble in propagation, I hope this publish affords some inspiration. From tiny cuttings to full crops over the house of some years, propagation may also help us to apply endurance and encourages us to take time to develop the crops we love. For some extra plant progress, I’ve acquired a devoted Monstera publish about that right here because it’s a ceaselessly requested query round these components: Plant progress: 5 years with my Monstera.
If you wish to see extra propagation progress, I’ll depart the hyperlinks to my socials: right here’s my fundamental plant instagram and also you’ll discover my Pinterest right here!
