What Plants Can You Propagate And How To Do It?

by Becky Decker and Anita Shan · October 3, 2023

If you start growing any plant by propagating without knowing whether they can grow or not, it’s just a waste of time. So let’s not waste time and first learn what plants you can propagate and what the process of propagating them is.

Below, I have explained the easiest and most successful way to propagate different varieties of plants to grow in your garden. In case you have any further confusion about propagating the plants, you can ask me in the comment section.

How To Do It?

Propagation of houseplants can be done in three ways, and you can choose the one that you find easiest: cutting method, root division, and pups.

According to me, propagating plants with the help of leaf-cutting is considered as easy as snipping off a stem that should have leaves and needs to root it. Make sure to cut it with clear shears below the node of the stem and place the cutting in water. After the roots grow, shift the plant into the soil. You can also use rooting powder that will help in growing the root.

You can propagate the plant by stem cutting for that you need to cut off a stem of the plant having leaves on it and then place the cutting in the soil or water. It is considered the easiest and most common way to propagate plants.

In the case of multi-stemmed houseplants, you need to divide to create one or more new plants by potting them. To propagate the plant take the plant from the pot by tugging gently on the stem without breaking or hurting the roots. And by chance the plant is not separated you can cut the root with the help of a knife.

What Plants Can You Propagate?

Propagating plant is a good idea to fill the garden with lush flowers, and herbs and you don’t need to put more effort into growing the plant.

One of the easiest ways to propagate the plant is by taking the stem cutting from mature plants and potting them in soil or water. Basically, plant cutting for propagation is grouped into 4 categories such as softwood, greenwood, semi-hardwood, and hardwood.

Stem cutting:

The following are some plants that you can plant by propagating using stem cutting:

Arrowhead Vine:

The arrowhead vine is a plant having gorgeous leaves.
For propagation, you need to cut a 6-12 inch long section of stem.
Now put the cutting in the soil or grow it by putting it in water.
You will notice new roots coming out of the cutting within a week or two.
New leaves will start growing after a month.

What Plants Can You Propagate And How To Do It?

Chinese Evergreen:

This plant does have many fantastic colors that you can put in an adorable pot.
The Chinese evergreen plant can be kept in water forever after completing the propagation.
It is also named as Christmas cactus because it blooms at Christmas time every year.
Make sure to keep the cutting in a cool dry place so that the plant is able to take root.

Coleus:

For the propagation, you can just simply use any old cup.
Coleus plants can easily be propagated in soil and water.
The cutting will start to grow roots within 2-3 weeks.
It is considered one of the fastest and easiest plants to be propagated from a cutting.

Cordyline:

To grow cordyline you need to take a cutting from the tip or just take a piece of stem to grow.

Corn Plant:

It has been a popular plant in Europe since the mid-1800s.
To propagate the corn plant a normal stem cutting is enough.
You can also use an air layering method for growing in which the roots from the middle of the stem grow.

Cyperus:

The cyperus belongs to the papyrus family
It is also known as the umbrella plant.
To propagate the plant you need to cut the top 4 inches off a healthy stalk and then put in the soil.
You will notice new roots growing within no time.

Dumb Cane:

The plant is considered deadly to children and pets but it is a gorgeous plant.
You can grow the plant by propagating the cutting in soil.
Propagating in water is quite a faster and easier way to grow the plant.
You need to take care to give the plant a good amount of indirect sunlight.

Easter Cactus:

The Easter cactus is a fantastic burst of indoor color.
Before potting the plant in the pot make sure that the cutting should be dried out as it will increase the chance of the plant to survive.
Avoid over-watering while propagating the plant from a cutting.

English Ivy:

For growing the English ivy by propagating you need a 4 to 5-inch long cutting and rooting hormone.
You need to provide the plant with strong indirect and light for growing the cutting.

Epipremnum, aka Devil’s Ivy:

The plant cutting is done from root nodes from where the route grows for the new plant.
You can put the cutting in the water and notice the gorgeous roots growing through the cutting.

Fiddle Leaf Fig:

You can grow the fiddle leaves fig from the leaves but it is difficult and has a high failure rate.
Growing the plant with stem cutting is easy and has a high success rate.

Hoya:

Hoya is a houseplant that can be grown in spring and summer by taking cuttings from the parent plant.
Taking the cutting during winter time is not good because at that time the plant is gone to sleep.

Impatiens:

It is universally loved so the plant has many different names.
For propagation, you need to make a cut right below the node of the plant
The stem should be a non-flowering stem having 2 leaf nodes.

Jade:

Jade is also known as a money tree.
The easy way to propagate the plant you need is a stem cutting.
For propagation, you need to use soil, moist sand, and water.

Jewel Orchid:

People love to grow this unique orchid not for the flower but for the foliage.
The stem of the jewel orchid falls off easily.
You can use fallen stems for propagation.

Lipstick Plants:

The lipstick plant does grab the attention of the visitor.
You can easily propagate the plant by using a single leaf which is a longer process.
The faster process to propagate the plant is by using stem cutting.

Monstera adansonii:

The plant is considered the easiest plant to propagate by using the stem cutting.
You will notice the development of new roots from the stem cutting within no time.

Monstera Deliciosa:

Monstera Deliciosa is a popular houseplant because of its attractive leaves.
To propagate you need to take cuttings, fenestration, holes, and tears.
When the new plants start getting new leaves on the stem you will see there having fenestration too.

Pink Princess Philodendron:

In case you notice the Pink Princess Philodendron does not look pink anymore then it’s high time to take a cutting from growing more new plants through it.
You can propagate the plant in water as there you can see the roots coming out of the cutting or you can also pot the stem cutting in the soil

Pothos:

You can easily propagate the pothos by planting the stem cutting in water and then you need to leave the plant in the water forever as transplanting them in the soil will damage the plant.
And you can propagate the plant by potting the cutting in the soil then the plant will not be able to survive in water.
So decide carefully how you want the plant to propagate.

Rubber Tree:

For growing the rubber tree you need to wipe the leaves of the tree regularly so that the tree gets more sunlight.
To propagate a rubber tree you need to make sure the cutting should have a bud.
In case to get more leaves on the new plant you need to take cuttings and have a bud on it.

Star Jasmine:

Star jasmine needs space to grow indoors.
To propagate the plant you need to take cuttings from semi-hardwood parts of the stem.
After that put the cutting in a sheltered spot consisting of a soil mix of perlite and peat moss.

String of Pearls:

This plant has many types such as String of Pearls, String of Hearts, String of Bananas, and String of Dolphins, and all you can propagate from cutting.
For stem cutting, you need a 4-inch strand and then place the end of the cut in the soil or you can also coil the cutting on the surface of the soil. Choose it according to what you prefer.
The new roots will start growing within a few months and till then you need to be patient and water the plant regularly.

Swedish Ivy:

Plantih Swedish ivy makes a centerpiece in your house.
To propagate the plant you need to wait for it to bloom and then take the stem cutting from the top of the stem.
Propagating this plant by stem cutting is the easiest when compared to others.

Tradescantia:

Tradescantia is also called Spiderwort.
For propagation of the plant is very beautiful in water.
You will see the tricolor of the plant in a vase of water so people prefer propagating them in water rather than soil.

Verbena:

In case to propagate verbena you need to be sure to plant it in a container that is at least 12 inches.
The right time for taking the cutting from the parent plant is in the summer morning as at that time the shoots are at their firmest.
Choosing the right time will make sure you get the healthiest plant through the cutting and the survival rate also increases.

Wandering Jew aka Inch Plant:

To propagate the plant you need to use fresh soil.
The jew aka is very sensitive to salt.
You need to take the cutting 3-4 inches long and then place the cutting in the water.
Within the weeks you see the roots start growing from the cutting.
Put the plant in the soil after waiting a few weeks more.

Yucca:

To propagate the yucca plant you need to cut it completely in half and then make the base of the stem to be potted in the soil to regrow the plant.
You will notice the new plant growing from the second plant’s top part that you removed.
The best way to propagate the yucca is by letting the cutting dry out by palace it in a shady place.
Drying out the cutting will help grow the roots quicker before potting them in soil and after that, you need to keep them in indirect light.

Zamioculcas Zamiifolia (ZZ Plant):

To propagate the plant you need to make sure to use a sanitized knife to make a cut in the ZZ plant.
The cut is done at the base of the plant which is the sensitive part of the plant.
For growing new ZZ plants you need to have a lot of patience level as it will take a few months to grow in water and after that, you can plant them in the pot.

Zig Zag Cactus:

To propagate zig zag cactus is the easiest process.
You can also give the cutting of the plant to others and make them grow new plants of zig-zag cactus in their houses.

Leaf Cutting:

Not every plant can be propagated or grown with stem cutting there are some plants you can grow with just a single leaf such as:

African Violet:

I will suggest you not to grow the African violet from seed as it will take a long time. To propagate the plant you can grow it from the leaf cutting which is a very easy and quick process.
You need to make sure to dip the tip of the leaf in a rooting hormone.

Begonia:

For propagating begonia you need to protect them from the root rot that can be caused in the cutting.
To propagate begonia you need to cut off the tip and separate it from rhizomes.
The begonia plant is able to form a new plant from the vein of their leaves which will look like magic.

Echeveria:

For growing a new plant you need to just cut off a leaf and then place the cut leaves in the soil and water it regularly.
The Cutting will easily take root and continue to grow.

Haworthia:

The propagation of the plant is very difficult from a cutting.
There is a very high rate of failure to grow new plants even if it is a growing season.
You need to make sure the plant has rounder and thicker leaves that will increase the chance of success.

Snake Plant:

You can easily propagate the snake plant from a single leaf as it can become several plants.
You need to cut the leaf into several pieces and then put the leaf in the soil and wait until the new plant grows from it.

Side Shoots:

The baby plants are given the name of side shoots.
The side shoots can also be called a pup.
You will find they look like a new plant but in the end, are attached to the mother plant.
To propagate you need to cut them away from the mother plant.
Make sure to protect the cutting from the surrounding dirt.

Air Plants:

The air plants start to bloom the pups between 1 and 3 after planting.
Leaving the pups as it is will make a cluster.
If you want to propagate you need to separate the pups.

Aloe:

The aloe plant does come in different types.
To propagate the plant you need to wait until the side shoots gain some size and then dig them into another place to get the new plant.

Dwarf Banana:

In the case of the banana when you take a cutting from the parent plant you will notice it will look rough for a couple of weeks.
I will suggest to you not to worry too much as it will come back soon in a healthy way.

Pink Quill Plant:

The name given to the pink Quill plant is perfect for them as when the pups of the plant grow at least 3 inches long that indicates they are ready to cut it from the mother plant and you can move them into a porous medium.
The other way to propagate the plant is to leave the pups attached to the parent plant but in that case, the parent plant will die.

Urn Plant:

You need a way to propagate the plant for the flower to bloom.
After that you need to wait for the pubs to pop up and let them grow to about 6 inches and 5 months old Then you can separate them from their parent’s plant and grow a new plant from it.

Plantlets:

Plantlets are those that are used to grow their babies away from the plant.
The cute little plants are called plantlets.
For growing new plants you can grow them by cutting them off and then putting the cutting in the soil to root.
The plantlets are quite simple and easy to grow.
There will be some cutting which already have the roots on them

Moth Orchid:

Planting a moth orchid does seem that you are on another planet.
The plant that grows from the Orchid is called Kiekies having stems and spikes.
To propagate is very easy by removing them and turning them into another Orchid plant.

Pilea Peperomioides:

To propagate the pilea you need to wait for plantlets.
Make sure the plant is in a pot having a lot of space.
The plantlets will grow through it within no time if the plant is maintained carefully and is healthy.

Spider plant:

It is quite easy to grow spider plants in your house.
Taking good care will give a good result.
After the roots start growing on the plantlet you can then only cut it off and then out the cutting in the soil.

Conclusion:

Hence from the above list, I hope it is clear what plant you can propagate in different ways such as leaf cutting and stem cutting.