Surely you have a beautiful plant that has grown to unsuspected levels thanks to your care and pampering (or its innate resistance, because there are almost immortal plants). It's great and you want to share its beauty or you need copies of it, because you never have enough. You feel like it's the ideal time to play it.
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Propagating a plant is a way to create new plants from an adult plant you already have. It is a wonderful and fun process, which will allow you to get to know them better, understand their processes, watch them grow, create your own mini-jungle or share them with your friends. This may seem complicated, but it's a process you can tackle with information on how plants reproduce and proper technique. It will take some time, but with practice you will be able to propagate all of your plants successfully.
How do plants reproduce?
The types of reproduction of plants depend on the characteristics of the species.
Flowering and seed-producing plants reproduce sexually. These plants produce two gametophytes, female and male, which are within the structure of the flower. For reproduction to occur, there must be contact between the pollen of a female gamete flower and a male gamete flower. This is known as pollination and is a work done by bees, butterflies, flies, hummingbirds, and others.
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There are other types of plants, known as non-vascular, that are more primitive. They do not have flowers, they do not produce seeds and therefore their reproduction does not fall within the typical classification. These are plants that reproduce by spores. This is how ferns and mosses reproduce.
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But it's not all about bees and flowers, if you're wondering how non-flowering plants reproduce the answer is simple: through asexual reproduction. This occurs in two ways, vegetative and apomixis. Asexual reproduction of plants by apomixis occurs in certain species that do not require pollination in order to produce seeds. An example of these is dandelions.
In vegetative reproduction, roots are used. This is used on plants such as lilies, garlic, potatoes, and ginger. Another form of vegetative asexual reproduction, which is the one we are interested in, is done by means of parts of the plant that, when stimulated in the right way, can develop roots and become a new plant. An interesting fact: by propagating your plants in this way, you will be creating clones, exact copies of the mother plant.
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How to reproduce
your plants at home
The first step is to effectively identify the type of plant you want to reproduce and from this decide on the appropriate method. This is essential, as there are plants that only reproduce by seeds, others by bulbs and others, such as succulents, that require only a healthy leaf and a little luck.
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- Plants of
the Araceae family reproduce very well with cuttings in water. Some of these plants are pothos, philodendron, Adam's rib, anthuriums and zamioculcas. This is because the ancestors of these hardy plants lived in swamps, so they adapt very well to these conditions. These are beginner-friendly plant species that are easy to reproduce and care for. It is also possible to put olive tree cuttings in water for reproduction.
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How it's done:
You need a sharp gardening knife or shears, a glass bowl and water. Start by thoroughly checking your plant, paying attention to the stems. Look for a mature, good-looking one. At the junctures of the leaves and stems you may find a small brown or white root. Cut a little further down from this sprung root. Cut stems of about 5 cm, which divide into two or three twigs. The technique of planting olive trees by cuttings is a little different, as you must choose semi-woody stems. This also applies to the Dracena lemon.
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Place them in water, without covering them completely. Leave them in a place where they receive indirect light and add room temperature water when the level drops. You should wait several weeks until you see long roots and new leaves, which will be the indication that you can plant it in the ground.
- Plants that reproduce by leaves
Herbaceous plants can reproduce with a simple leaf or a piece of leave. Sanservieria or mother-in-law's tongue is perfect for this technique. Likewise, many species of succulents can also reproduce very easily using their leaves.
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How it's done
You need a very clean and sharp gardening knife or shears, as well as a pot with cool, moist substrate. Select a healthy leaf, in perfect condition, that looks vigorous. In the case of mother-in-law's tongue, you should cut about 5 cm from the leaf. You can also cut the entire leaf and cut it into 5cm sections. You must mark which is the bottom of each section, as this is the part that will go into the earth.
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For succulents, you won't need a knife or scissors. Select the healthy leaf, take it between your index finger and thumb and gently rotate it gently. The leaf will detach gently, without breaking or harming the parent plant. In fact, you can take advantage of the leaves that fall when you transplant or move it. You'll need to place the cut part in the substrate. You can also stimulate root growth with water in a shallow container.
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- There
are plants, such as those in the Calathea family, that grow on stems that come together underground into rhizomes. To reproduce them, simply separate the roots of the plants and place each stem in different pots, where it will begin to develop new stems.
How it's done
Lay out newspaper or something to protect the surface, because you'll be watering some soil. Take the mother plant out of its pot, shake the soil very well, and start dividing the stems with your root. If they're together, you can cut them with a knife or scissors, but usually massaging them a little is enough. Plant each section in a pot with moist soil.
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- There
are species of plants that reproduce through suckers that sprout on the base stem of the plant. Examples of this are succulents such as echeveria, brazil trunk, aloe, ribbons, some bromeliads and the dwarf banana.
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How it's done
Carefully check the base of your plant. Let the seedling grow a little, much better if you already see small roots. Pick it up with your fingers, carefully peel it off and place it in a pot with cool, moist substrate.
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