Propagating Plants

I use two main methods to propagate plants: water or spaghnum moss. It can be as simple as cutting a two or three node section, taking off the lower leaf and putting it in a glass of water. It can also be as tricky as the water method rotting the stem but damp spaghnum moss providing a gentler way for roots to develop. Some plants are harder to propagate than others.

The main ‘trick’ up my sleeve is to use CCS (Clonex Clone Solution) by Growth Technology. I sell this as part of my shop because it is a product I believe in. I’ll put the pictures below of a little experiment I did where I compared plain tap water to tap water with 5mL/litre of CCS in it. The results speak for themselves, and due to this I’ll be using it for propagation from now on. I have a picture below helping show the difference.

I use water for most cuttings, especially tip cuttings or thinner stem cuttings where there is at least 1 leaf and the stem isn’t old and woody. I usually transfer to spaghnum moss after roots develop so that regular roots can grow and the transition to soil is more gentle. 

If the stem is old or chunky or woody then spaghnum moss is my go-to method. I use spaghnum moss in a tray, dampened with CCS in water, and then put on a lid or put the tray in a sealed plastic so that the humidity stays in and the moss doesn’t dry out so fast.

Something to note is that cold weather isn’t the best time of the year to propagate plants. You will need to find a warm spot – ideally a heat mat to put a mini greenhouse or jar of cuttings on.

You can make your own makeshift greenhouse from a deep tray, plastic container or small plastic crate. As long as humidity can be kept up with a lid or plastic bag and you open it up to air out every day or two you should go alright.

Just remember that patience is key. Practise on less expensive plants first and it doesn’t always work, so do try again if it fails.