Gardening glossary
Propagation
Propagation is how gardeners multiply plants without buying more. The method depends on the species, but four techniques cover almost everything you'll grow at home:
**Stem cuttings.** Cut a 4–6 inch piece of stem just below a node (the bump where leaves emerge). Remove the lower leaves, optionally dip the cut in rooting hormone, and place it in water or moist soil. Pothos, philodendron, monstera, tradescantia, and most aroids root readily in water in 2–4 weeks. Once roots are 1–2 inches long, pot up in soil.
**Leaf cuttings.** Some plants (snake plants, succulents, African violets, ZZ plants) propagate from a single leaf. Let the cut callus over for 1–3 days, then lay on or insert into dry-ish soil. Roots and a tiny new plantlet form at the base over weeks to months.
**Division.** Plants that grow in clumps from rhizomes or offsets — peace lily, spider plant, snake plant, calathea, aloe — can be physically separated at repotting time. Each section needs its own roots and at least one growing point.
**Seed.** Tomatoes, peppers, basil, and almost all vegetables start here. Houseplant seed is rarer because many cultivars don't come true from seed.
A few rules that apply broadly:
- Propagate in spring or early summer when the parent plant is actively growing — success rates double versus winter cuttings. - Use clean tools. A dirty knife is the fastest way to introduce rot into a cutting. - Water-rooted cuttings sometimes struggle to transition to soil because they grew "water roots" that aren't ideal for soil. Pot up while roots are still short. - Bottom heat (a seedling heat mat at 70–75°F) speeds rooting significantly.
Failed cuttings usually mean rot from cuts that weren't callused, water that wasn't changed, or pieces taken from a stressed parent. Healthy mother, sharp cut, warm spot — and most cuttings will root themselves.