Top Tips For Propagation

Spring has finally sprung, the days are getting longer, the temperature is getting warmer, and it's time to plant for summer. We've compiled our top tips to get the best out of your cuttings.

• Use a sharp, sterile blade to take the cutting. Sterility is essential with cuttings – you don’t want to increase the chance of diseases by using dirty implements.
• Take your cuttings at the healthiest node you can find. The node is where the leaf meets the stem of the plant.
• Using a rooting hormone helps to ensure success. Make sure to tip some of the rooting hormone into a separate vessel. Then dip your cuttings into that – this way, you aren't contaminating the entire bottle of rooting hormone.
• Place cuttings in a well-draining mix – such as perlite or vermiculite. You do not want the medium to be sodden.
• Keep cuttings moist, and do not let them dry out. But be careful not to overwater them. You want them to be damp like a sponge you would wipe the bench with, not a sponge you need to squeeze out.
• Tall cuttings tend to fall over, so place supports around them to prevent this.
• Do not store your cuttings in direct sunlight and keep them covered – old water bottles cut in half can be used to do this if you don’t have a propagation dome. 

If you are new to propagating and want to hone your skills before hacking up your precious monstera, try taking a cutting from one of these easy-to-propagate plants:

• Pothos
• Tradescantia (also known as Purple Heart)
• Rosemary
• Philodendron
• Hydrangeas
• Succulents

If you want to take your propagation to the next level, we recommend an Ez-Cloner. An Ez-Cloner does exactly as the name suggests – makes cloning(propagating) easy. These are an aeroponic unit that constantly provides a gentle mist of water to the root zone while keeping the rest of the cutting suspended in the air from the top – this leads to maximum exposure and oxygen utilisation, giving you the most robust and most successful cuttings.

Whatever plant you are propagation this spring, follow our tips, and you'll be sure to have success.

If you want to know more, visit your local Hyalite store. Our team will be happy to assist you.