When you have a plant that you adore with all your being, the last thing you want is for a pest, disease or the like to attack and kill it, right? To avoid this, many resort to cuttings to propagate the plant, but how do you grow cuttings indoors?
If you want to learn how to do it and enjoy the new plant that he will grow little by little and be like the “mother”, so take a look at all the advice we have compiled for you.
Contents
what are cuttings
First of all, we would like to clarify what cuttings are, so that you have no doubts about this type of plant reproduction.
A cutting is a living part that has been cut from a plant.in such a way that it is treated for the purpose of developing roots and forming a new plant, just like the first one, but instead of growing from a seed, it does so from a part of the plant.
The usual thing is to do it from stems, but there are plants that you can also reproduce through leaves or even roots.
When to make cuttings
To make cuttings indoors, it is not necessary to wait for a specific time. Because houseplants have better temperature control and are always at a stable temperature (in addition to having humidity), it’s normal that you can take cuttings all year round. However, the most common times to take them out are in the spring or fall.
How to grow cuttings indoors
Surely, if you like plants, you will have friends related to this hobby, or you will follow the social media accounts of other people who have plants and take cuttings (or sell them). But you haven’t encouraged yourself to do it yet, or you have done it but with negative results.
You should know that propagating a plant by cuttings is quite easy to do. Once you realize the cut has taken hold, you will have no problem removing it. But for this, the previous steps can be decisive in achieving this.
And these are:
Know which plant to cut
We start from the fact that not all plants of the vegetable kingdom are reproducible by cuttings. Most of them do, but not all of them. Therefore, when using this method of multiplication, you must consider whether you can really do it or not.
How to know? Do a search on the internet or if it comes from a crèche, ask the manager because they will be the person who can help you and even give you advice.
Another option is to try. Note that you will only cut off a piece of the plant, and that, hopefully, will give you back a new plant. So you don’t have much to lose and you have a lot to gain.
cut cut
Once you have the plant to cut, everyone chooses which part is going to be cut. In the case of succulents, for example, it can be branches or even leaves. In other types of plants, it is normal for them to be healthy and active stems.
look at this the cut does not exceed 20 centimeters in length. You must cut it with previously disinfected scissors (or other tools) to avoid disease or pest problems (and we advise you to treat the plant after cutting so that its health does not deteriorate).
Growing cuttings indoors
You have already made the cuts and cuttings of the plants you want. But now, just as it happens with the mother plant, you have to treat them so that they come out on top.
Here it will very much depend on what you have, i.e. what type of cut you have made. For example, if it’s the leaves of a succulent, you don’t have to treat them but put them directly in a container with water for the roots to develop (and they do quite quickly in most cases).
If it’s rods, the normal thing is to remove the shorter leaves so that you can put them in the water and make them take root over time.
Now, in this case, you need to consider the following:
The type of container you will have
By this we refer to how you will try to root it. And there are three effective methods:
- Water. In other words, place the cuttings in a container (like a jar, bottle, etc.) filled with water. This is a very effective method and in most cases it works.
- pearlite Another option, perhaps intermediate between this first method that we told you about and the one that we will tell you next is this. It consists of filling a container with perlite and water so that the perlite protects the stem and at the same time provides it with the humidity it needs.
- Ground. It’s most commonly used in plants like roses, but it can be effective in others as well. It basically involves planting the stems directly into the ground and waiting for them to start showing signs of new growth.
Master your needs
Cuttings are much more delicate than adult plants, and you have to be a little more aware of that, but not too much.
In general, what you should keep in mind is the following:
- Flash. Don’t put them in direct sunlight as that will kill them in no time. You should place them in an area where they receive light, but no direct sun.
- Water. Depending on the method you have chosen, water will be essential or not. If you put them in water, you must make sure that it does not evaporate, as this will harm the roots that are born (to the point of losing it); if it is perlite, it will be necessary to ensure that it is always moist. And if it is on land, it will need to be watered often to keep it moist (but be careful if you flood it).
- Fertilizer. We don’t recommend applying it for the first few days, but after a week it wouldn’t be a bad idea to add some liquid fertilizer to the irrigation water (or container) to promote the growth of the plant. Others also use rooting. Both products are good and can shorten the waiting time for root formation.
There are two small tricks that you should also know. The first has to do with the oxygenated water. And the thing is, if you notice the cutting starting to rot, one way to try to save it is to put a few drops of hydrogen peroxide in the water so that it kill any bacteria or fungus that appeared (it is also recommended to clean the cut with it).
The second trick is cinnamon powder. If you apply a quantity to the water, you not only protect it from pests and diseases, but it is also used to develop more roots in the plant (and in this case in the cutting).
Is it clear to you how to grow cuttings indoors? Do you dare to do them?