How Can I Make More Plants?

There's something deeply satisfying about turning one plant into several — and the good news is, you usually don't need seeds to do it. Most houseplants can be propagated from cuttings, which means you can multiply your collection (or make gifts for friends) using plants you already own.

Cuttings: The Most Common Method

Taking a cutting means snipping a piece of a healthy plant — usually a stem with a node or two — and encouraging it to grow its own roots. From there, most cuttings can root in one of two ways:

• Water propagation — placing the cutting in a jar of water until roots form, then potting it up. This works well for plants like pothos, philodendron, and coleus, and has the bonus of letting you watch the roots develop.
• Soil propagation — planting the cutting directly into soil, sometimes with the help of a rooting hormone. This tends to suit plants that don't root as reliably in water.

Other Methods

Cuttings aren't the only route. Some plants propagate through division (splitting an established plant at the roots into multiple plants), offsets (baby plants that grow naturally at the base of the parent, common in succulents and spider plants), or leaf propagation (an entire leaf, not just a stem, can root and grow a new plant — succulents and some peperomias are known for this).

And Sometimes, Seeds

If you're lucky, some houseplants will even produce seeds on their own, giving you yet another way to grow something new. This is less common indoors but does happen with the right plant and the right conditions.

Here's the Thing

Propagation is one of the most rewarding parts of plant care — it's essentially free plants, made from what you already have. The method that works best depends on the specific plant, so it's worth looking up (or asking us about) the best approach for your species before you start snipping.

Bring in a cutting question anytime — we love talking propagation.