Who else is over these chilly days and nights? I know I am, and so are your plants. While it’s officially spring, it’s still being coy in terms of temperature and we’re all getting a little anxious to spring to action.

Maybe you’re the type that’s been waiting for this moment to do some spring cleaning? Or maybe you’ve been looking forward to getting your outdoor garden going? I’m the type that gets excited about propagating my houseplants. Spring is the start of growing season for plants, and it’s the perfect time to start propagating them. And you can do it from the comfort of your warm home.

Propagation means you’re taking one part of the “mother” plant to create more of that plant. If you’re familiar with the film, “Gremlins,” the way you could propagate a Mogwai, was to feed it after midnight, put it in bright light or get it wet. Those are some of the same steps to propagating your houseplants, except you won’t have to fear that they’ll become angry, mischievous little monsters. Unless you’re a glutton for punishment and have decided to propagate a calathea. They’re all little finicky monsters, but that’s a tale for another time.

(Courtesy of Ryan Rhodes)

The gift

You might not have even been aware that you’ve been in the presence of a propagating houseplant. What did you think that mason jar with the vines growing out of it, cascading down your grandmother’s kitchen shelf, was? Yes, a propagated plant. And most likely a golden pothos. For me, at least, it was the golden pothos that started me on this journey.

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I like to call propagation “the gift that keeps on giving” because you’re able to receive a plant cutting from someone, care for it, and watch it develop, and then take a cutting from that and gift it to someone else. The process continues over and over again and that initial plant, the “mother” plant, has offspring spread throughout families and friendships.

Creating a clipping to propagate.
Creating a clipping to propagate. (Courtesy of Ryan Rhodes)
Propagating in water.
Propagating in water. (Courtesy of Ryan Rhodes)

It’s one thing to purchase a plant from a plant store and gift it to a friend or family member, but when you gift them a part of a plant that you’ve cared for, spent quality time with and have an attachment to, the cutting will mean so much more to the recipient. They know how much you care for that particular plant and in turn, they will provide it and value it with that same sort of care. The bond one has for a propagated plant is deep and helps us all become better at plant care.

A plant that has been prepared for propagation.
Now she’s ready to be shared. (Courtesy of Ryan Rhodes)

Short cuts

The process of propagating shouldn’t be intimidating because for most plants it only requires a sharp, clean tool, like a pair of shears, scissors or knife, and a vessel filled with lukewarm water. The difficult part is knowing where on each type of plant to make the cut.

For instance, on a vining plant, you’re looking for a node to indicate where you’ll want to make the cut, also known as the “Stem Cut Method.” The node can show itself as a little bump or as a little root, right below a new leaf growth. Wherever you see a node, you can make your cut below that, submerge that node in water (or moist sphagnum moss) and watch as magic unfolds and roots develop.

Look for a node to propagate.
Look for a node to propagate. (Courtesy of Ryan Rhodes)
Use clean scissors when making a cut.
Use clean scissors when making a cut. (Courtesy of Ryan Rhodes)

For plants that are more “tree-like,” you would propagate using the “Tip Cut Method.” Whereas vining plants have nodes that are more noticeable, tree-like plants like ficus or dracaena, have nodes that are a little more discrete. So for best results for a tree-like plant, you want to make the cut at the tip of the branch, anywhere where the branch is still brownish-green up to the newest tip.

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For both methods, you’ll want to make sure you take the cut with a sharp clean blade. For the stem cut plants, feel free to make a cut however you like, but with tip cut plants, it’s ideal to cut at a 45-degree angle to ensure that there is extra surface area for roots to develop since roots grow from where the cut was made.

I know what you’re thinking: What will happen to the other part of the vine or branch that I’m cutting it from? Will it die?!

Don’t fret, my friends. Where you make a cut on the mother plant actually encourages it to push out new growth. So right below where you made the cut, a new vine or branch will start to develop.

Like us, plants are resilient and want to thrive, so never fear taking a cut from a plant … unless you think it might turn into a gremlin. I don’t have advice on how to deal with gremlins.

For more tips and tricks on propagating houseplants, check out my new book, “The Propagation Handbook.”

Hilton Carter is a plant and interior stylist, artist and author from Baltimore.

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