Looking for a Zero-Cost Way to Add More Plants to Your Apartment?

Indoor gardening can often be expensive but appreciating the personality they bring to our spaces is joy and fun enough when it comes to it.  If you are ready to take your plant parenting to the next level, making plant babies is not hard as it sounds.

Many of the most popular houseplants are easy to propagate through one of three ways – cuttings, root division or pups.  Check out some tips on how to get to it and some ideas about what you can do with your plants’ offspring.

Plants that are easy to propagate with cuttings

Propagating plants from leaf cuttings is as snipping off a stem with a few leaves and rooting it.  Make sure to cut with clean shears just below a node.  By placing the cutting in water as a root may form and then transplanting into soil.  You may use rooting powder to encourage root growth when planting a cutting in soil.

See the following plants that are easy to propagate from leaf or stem cuttings:

• Pothos
• Umbrella plant
• Rosemary
• Prayer plant
• Tradescantia
• African violets
• Philodendron

Plants that are easy to propagate with root division

Take the plant from its pot and pull gently at one stem to separate the roots.  If you have difficulties, cut through the roots with a knife.  Re-pot and keep out of bright light and evenly moist until the new root is established.

See below that respond well to propagation with root division:

• Boston fern
• ZZ plant
• Peace lily
• Snake plant

Plants that are easy to propagate with pups

Often, the plants that produce pups or small offshoots of themselves will do most of the work of propagation for you, which is less work for you to parenting.  In order to get the most success, let the pups grow to about three inches before cutting them with sharp, clean shears.  Then plant them directly in their own pots.

See below for some plants that product pups:

• Aloe vera plant
• Ponytail palm
• Spider plant
• Bromeliad

Now that you have successfully propagated your plants, you can multiply the number of plants you have without buying new ones.  If you think you have too many plants, giving them away as a gift is a great idea.  Planting them in a pretty pottery or in simple pots wrapped in ribbon is a thoughtful, appreciated and inexpensive gift.

Good luck and have fun!