Vegetative propagation (cuttings, leaves, layering) is an easy way to breed favorite indoor plants. Even a novice florist can handle it. There are quite a few ornamental crops, new specimens of which can be obtained in this way. We bring to your attention the top of the most common ones.
I recommend reading: Distances between tomatoes - what is important to know in order to improve the harvest
Saintpaulia (uzambara violet)
This plant is very often found in florist apartments. It is popular due to its rapid growth, unpretentiousness, variety of colors, shapes of flowers and leaves, and, of course, beauty.
You can propagate a violet using daughter rosettes, part of a leaf or leaf cuttings, and all year round. However, the most appropriate time is spring or summer.
Experienced growers often resort to cuttings. It is advisable to take a sheet for this purpose not too young and not too old - best of all from the second or third rows of the outlet.
Before proceeding with the procedure, you need to disinfect the pruner or knife, prepare containers: one opaque with distilled or boiled water (add any root stimulant), another one suitable for violets substrate. A vial of medicine is good for rooting. Its narrow neck will not allow the leaf plate to submerge in water. Further:
- choose a well-formed sheet;
- cut off together with a handle at least 3 cm long;
- lower the leaf with a handle 2 cm into the water (the leaf plate should not touch the liquid);
- place the container in a bright place without direct sunlight.
When the roots appear (after 2-3 weeks), the leaf is planted in loose moist soil and covered with a bag to create a greenhouse effect for the successful development of the seedling.
Zamioculcas
Zamioculcas is a spectacular evergreen with glossy dark green leaves. Large, well-developed leaf blades from an adult plant are suitable for propagation of an ornamental culture with a leaf. In addition, they must be even and smooth, evenly colored, free from damage and stains, and free from pests.
Zamioculcas can be propagated in two ways. The first one is similar to that described above with violets and consists in the separation and rooting of the leaf plate, only not in water, but immediately in the moistened soil under the film. But before being placed in a pot with a substrate, the leaf must be air-dried for 10 hours. The procedure is best done in spring or early summer - during the active growing season of the succulent.
The second way is to divide the rhizome. The plant is watered abundantly, then carefully removed from the pot along with an earthen lump. The rhizome is divided so that each part has roots and a growth point. Places of cuts are treated with charcoal and new plants are planted in individual pots.
Phalaenopsis
Epiphytic flowering culture - phalaenopsis - easily multiplies at home. The main condition is that the mother plant must be mature, healthy, with a well-developed root system and at least four large leaves. Only a faded plant is suitable for reproduction.
At an air temperature of + 28-30 degrees and a humidity of 50-80%, all varieties of phalaenopsis periodically, instead of flowers on peduncles, form children, which eventually grow their aerial roots. When their length reaches about 5 cm, the stem offspring are separated from mother plant, the cuts are treated with crushed coal and planted in separate pots with a suitable substrate.
Aloe
Aloe vera (real aloe) is one of the most unpretentious, easily adaptable to external conditions, plant. At home, succulent is propagated:
- Children. At the base of the plant, miniature bushes are formed - children with their own root system. They are carefully dug out, so as not to damage the roots, and planted to a depth of no more than 1 cm in a separate pot. The substrate must be moist.
- Sheet. A fleshy leaf is removed from a mature plant (at the very base) with a disinfected instrument. It is dried in a cool dark place, sprinkled with crushed charcoal or activated carbon and planted in soil mixture for succulents.
- Cut off the tops of the plant. The top is carefully cut off so that at least 8 sheets remain on it. The resulting shoot is kept in Kornevin's solution for 40 minutes, and then placed in a container with water at room temperature for rooting. When the roots reach 6 cm, they are planted in the ground.
Dracaena
Dracaena palm is a very popular showy plant that reproduces quite easily. The most suitable time for this is planned pruning or the formation of dracaena. In this case, shoots are used that appeared on an unattractive trunk that was elongated over time.
With a sharp, antiseptic-treated instrument, the shoot is separated from the mother plant (as close to the trunk) and placed in a container with water, adding 2-3 drops of "Zircon" or any other stimulant growth. An activated carbon tablet is also added to keep the water from spoiling. The container is placed in a place protected from direct sunlight. After the completion of the rooting stage, the shoot is planted in a universal soil. The young plant is regularly sprayed and watered.
Petunia
The most common summer plant in gardens and flower beds can be easily propagated by cuttings of shoots, without resorting to the troublesome seed method of cultivating an ornamental crop. After 3-4 weeks you can admire a pretty decent bush. Cutting process:
- Tanks with drainage holes filled with nutrient soil are prepared in advance. Peat tablets or a general container will also work.
- Apical shoots 5-10 in length are cut from the mother plant (cuttings should have at least 3-5 leaves and at least two internodes).
- If there is a bud, both it and all the lower leaves are cut off, leaving a bare stem 2-3 cm long below.
- The bases of the cuttings are dipped in a rooting stimulator and immediately immersed in moist soil to a depth of about 1 cm, gently compacting the soil at the base of the plants with your fingers.
- The container with the planting material is covered with a transparent lid with holes, it is regularly moistened, and the greenhouse is additionally ventilated. Keep young plants in a warm, well-lit place.
Having familiarized yourself with the procedure for vegetative propagation, you can always create a copy of your favorite plant yourself, but it has lost its decorative effect.
Do you like indoor flowers?
Original articleand many other materials, you can find on ourwebsite.
Read also: How to say goodbye to ants in the garden