How to: Grow your own indoor plants from cuttings
Alana Shinn from Threadbare Cloak guides us through finding your green thumb
Indoor plants really add something special to a space and even more so when you have lovingly grown them from scratch. I've taken this to a whole new level lately by propagating my own indoor plants from a simple cutting. This Chain of Hearts is my most recent, but there are many varieties that can easily be grown like this, such as: Fiddle Leaf Fig, Philodendron, Tradescantia Zebrina, Rubber Plant, Coleus and String of Pearls.
What you’ll need:
+ Indoor plant (to take cutting from)
+ Scissors/shape knife
+ Potting mix
+ Pot
+ Rooting Hormone (optional)
The first step is to find an indoor plant you love and want to copy. If you don't have an existing plant to clone, try finding a friend who has one, and who won't mind you taking a cheeky snip.
The second step is taking the cutting. Identify which part you will take the cutting from. Usually it is best to take it from a branch as opposed to the main stem. This avoids drastically changing the overall shape of the plant but if you don't mind a little change, take it from the main stem – it'll grow back quickly and you'll never know.
Using sharp scissors or a knife, cleanly cut the chosen piece from the plant at anywhere between 8-15cm.
Prepare the cutting for planting by removing all lower leaves apart from the top four or so. This allows the cutting to put less energy into the leaves and more into growing roots. Make sure the end of the cutting is cleanly cut – re-cut if you need to.
If you want to use a rooting hormone, this is the time to dip the end of the cutting into the solution, following the instructions of your particular product. This step is optional as many indoor plants will root on their own; but if you want to give yours the best chance, a little of this solution can help.
In a pot filled with good quality soil, make a small hole in the centre and place the cutting in deep enough so that it can stand up on its own and at least one of the leaf nodes (the place where the leaf was cut off) is covered. Pack the soil firmly around the base.
Place in a sunny spot and keep moist but not wet. Then wait for your plant to grow! This may take a month or two depending on the type of plant, so be patient – it's definitely worth the wait!
