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Many years ago my grandmother showed me how to start a new plant from a small piece, or cutting, from her favorite houseplant. Since then I have started hundreds of plants in this manner.
Choose a nice healthy piece of the plant and break it off. Place the cutting in a clear glass container and fill the glass container almost to the top. Place the glass container in a sunny window. In about a week you will notice small roots beginning to sprout from the cutting. You should wait until the cutting has roots that are at least two inches long before you plant it. When the cutting is ready, fill a pot with potting soil.Soak the cutting in a little plant food for about half an hour prior to planting. Make a hole and put the cutting in. Push soil in around the cutting. Water the new plant and put the pot in a sunny window.To keep the moisture in and help the cutting take root, you can place the whole pot in a large plastic bag and seal it with a rubber band. After a week or so you will notice that your plant has taken root and has started to grow.Remove the plastic bag.
In the case of the spider plant, you remove the little spiders that grow from the shoots that emerge from the middle of the plant. Place the entire new spider plant in potting soil and in a matter of about a week you have a new spider plant. These little spiders also root very well in peat moss mixed with potting soil.
Some plants such as a jade plant can be started from a single leaf of the plant. To do this, find a healthy leaf and break it off. Place the leaf with the pointy side down in a pot of potting soil. Push the leaf into the dirt slightly. Water the leaf and put the pot in a sunny window.Place the pot in a plastic bag to keep in moisture. In about two weeks you will notice that the leaf has taken root and has begun to grow. Remove the plastic bag.
There are rooting hormones that you can purchase to make your cuttings root faster. These hormones can be purchased in your garden center.
Temperature is also important when you are rooting your cuttings. The temperature shold be between sixty-five and seventy-five degrees. They will root at a lower temperature but it just takes longer.
Your new plants will need to be watered about every other day until they have developed a good root system. You will know that they have developed a good root system when you notice new shoots comming up from the soil. After that water once a week. Plant food is recommended and should be given once a month.
The benefits of rooting your own cuttings is that you can make a lot of plants from one plant. It is a very inexpensive way to obtain additional plants at no cost.
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