How to take cuttings from houseplants

Houseplants are incredibly easy to propagate and it’s a great way of saving money, extending your collection and greening up your home. They can be great gifts, a fun hobby and even a design trend when used in home design.

Explore the basics of taking

A method of growing new plants from parts of an existing plant, such as sections of root, stem, leaf or bud. When prepared correctly and planted in the right conditions, they can produce roots and eventually become independent plants. There is a wide range of different methods for taking cuttings, depending on the plant and time of year.

Create an endless supply of your favourite plants to build your houseplant collection

How to take houseplant cuttings

• Choose an existing houseplants. Find some long stems that the plant won’t miss. Go for healthy stems, free of pests and diseases
• With some sharp clean scissors or secateurs, make a neat cut just below a leaf joint on plant stems. Aim for a cutting of about 8–10cm in length
• Remove the lower leaves on the stem and leave just 2–3 leaves on the top. Your cutting is now prepared
• Fill a pot with a 50:50 mix of peat-free multipurpose
  Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.

  compost and perlite
• Make a hole into the surface of the compost around the side of the pot. Insert the cutting so that the leaves are just above the surface and water well
• Keep the compost moist, but not soggy
• Alternatively you can just pop prepared cuttings directly into a glass or jar of water and it will develop roots. The water level should be just below the leaves.
• Keep all cuttings in a bright but not directly sunny spot and it should root in 3–4 weeks
• Pinch out the tips to encourage them to bush out more, rather than growing leggy
• When the cuttings in water have developed roots, and start to grow, pot them up individually into a small pot (about 8–10cm wide) filled with peat-free multipurpose compost

When should I take cuttings?

The best time to take cuttings is in late spring, or early summer, when the plant is in full growing mode, but they will work most of the year so if a bit falls off your plant, pop them into some water or soil and just see if it grows.

Where should I store my cuttings?

• Cuttings like to be warm and bright where possible, and kept just moist. They will do well on the countertop near a bright windowsill in a kitchen
• Consider using them in a wall gallery where they can double as a feature before you pot them on and share with friends or increase your houseplant collection

Chinese money plant (Pilea peperomioides) rooting in water

Gallery wall of houseplant cuttings on display

How to propagate houseplants

In this video, see how to propagate your houseplants after taking cuttings – perfect for gardening enthusiasts of all levels. Whether you have a sprawling garden or just a windowsill, these easy-to-follow tips will help you grow your plant collection.

How to propagate spider plants

Spider plants (Chlorophytum) send out long trailing runners with a new baby at the bottom. These are very simple to propagate. Simply snap them off the stems and either add to a plate of water so the roots can develop or plant straight into a pot of compost.

Cutting plantlets of spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) for propagation

Rooting spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) in water

How to propagate succulents like jade plants

Jade plants (Crassula ovata) and other

A group of plants that have thick, fleshy leaves or stems that are able to store water. This allows them to survive in arid habitats with low moisture.

Propagating jade plant (Crassula ovata) succulent leaf cuttings into pots

How to divide established plants like ferns

Many houseplants can be divided, giving you more identical plants to grow and share. The easiest way to tell if a plant is suitable for dividing (splitting) is to look at the base near the surface of the compost and see if there are lots of stems growing up individually.

• To split the houseplant, ease it out of its pot
• Use an old pruning saw or kitchen knife to cut down through the compost, from top to bottom, cutting off a clump of leaves with roots
• You might get two good clumps, but take a good look as there might be more! If you can see an obvious place to divide again (try drawing a line through the base of the leaves), make 3–4 clumps instead

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Foxtail fern (Asparagus densiflorus ‘Myersii’) being divided with a saw and replanted in a bigger pot

Potting up houseplant cuttings

When the plants get bigger and need more space, you can pot them up into bigger pots with more peat-free multipurpose compost. This is your chance to maybe make even more plants by dividing them as, let’s be honest, you can never have too many.

Using fun pots to plant up houseplants adds a touch of interest

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Put houseplants of varying sizes together to create a vibrant display