Even a beginner can handle it: which houseplants are easy to propagate by leaves

Home gardening enthusiasts have a belief that those plants that have been stolen and rooted on their own grow and thrive best in a pot. In fact, this is nothing more than a superstition. After all, some species are quite difficult to propagate on their own, both by leaf and cuttings. But this does not apply to the plants that will be discussed below.

OBOZ.UA decided to find out which home flowers are the easiest to propagate using a pinched leaf. In any case, this is one of the most difficult ways to get a new plant. It requires quite a long time, patience, and certain skills.

Saintpaulia

Usambar violets are the first to come to mind when we talk about leaf propagation. For the most part, this is how amateurs breed new plants of this species. The easiest way is to put a carefully pinched off leaf in a small container of water and let the plant take root. The container should be in a well-lit place without direct sunlight, and you will also have to monitor the water condition, because the violet is very sensitive to stagnant liquid.

Sansevieria

Despite the fact that representatives of this group of species easily and very generously produce "babies" that can be simply pulled out of the ground and stuck into a new pot, some hobbyists propagate sansevierias from a leaf. To do this, cut off a healthy leaf with a clean, sharp tool and cut it into fragments about 10 cm long. Note which side of the fragment was located closer to the ground on the whole leaf and place the plant on that side in water or a substrate made from a mixture of coconut fiber and sand or ready-made cactus soil. After a few weeks, the leaf pieces should be able to take root.

Zamioculcas

To propagate this hardy plant from a single leaf, start by choosing a healthy stem. Use your fingers to tear off a couple of leaves along with part of the stem. The cutting is ready. Simply root it in a small tray filled with seedling mix. Bury only the lower part of the leaf in the soil so that the rest does not rot. Rooting in this way can take quite a while, so be patient.

Ficus

This houseplant is best propagated by leaves. Use a sharp and clean tool to cut off a fairly large and healthy leaf, rinse off any sap that starts to stand out, and then leave the piece to dry for a few hours. Then, you will need to make several longitudinal cuts on the leaf plate to help grow more roots. Place the prepared fragment of the plant in a jar of water so that the cut part is under water and the whole part is above the surface.

Begonia

To propagate begonias, choose a large leaf with many veins. It should show no signs of disease or damage. Turn the cut piece over so that you can see its underside. On this side, use a sharp blade to make small cuts 2-3 cm long along the veins of the leaf, concentrating on areas closer to the base. Turn the leaf back over and place it on a seedling tray filled with suitable potting mix. Secure it to the substrate with wire or toothpicks and keep the soil thoroughly moist until you see young roots that are about 2-3 cm long. When they have grown to this length, the plant can be planted.

Schlumbergera

The Christmas cactus is also quite easy to propagate from leaves. Wait until it has faded and make a cutting from the plant's leaf segments. Cut the leaf sections into 3-5 fragments and leave them in a cool, dry place for several hours to allow them to dry. Next, fill a seedling container with succulent growing soil and insert each cutting into the soil to a depth of about 2-3 cm. Cover the improvised cactus plantation with a bag and wait 2-3 weeks. During this time, the plant should be rooted and ready to be potted.

Epipremnum

A living house vine can easily turn into a whole forest even from one relatively short stem. The main condition is that each cutting with a leaf must have a stem fragment with at least one aerial root. So cut off a piece of epipremnum to the length you need, divide it into several fragments according to this principle if your goal is to get several young plants, and place them in water so that the aerial root is submerged. It will begin to grow back in about a week - at this point, the plant is ready for planting in the ground. But you can also wait a little longer to get stronger roots.

Chlorophytum

You can't propagate this spectacular bush by simply cutting off a leaf. You will have to wait until the chlorophytum releases a mustache, at the end of which there will be not one leaf, but a whole rosette. In fact, this is a ready-made young plant. It will need to be separated from the mustache with a sharp tool without damaging the lower part and put in water to start roots. The plant will release them quite quickly, but give it a little time for them to grow 2-3 cm long and get stronger. Immediately after that, the young chlorophytum can be planted in a pot.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA told you how to grow a coffee tree at home.

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