Propagating my houseplants in water and Perlite
In January, I did a batch of plant propagation, and it was probably too early. It took a long time for the cuttings to root, especially the Hoya. Neon Pothos rooted the fasted and the easiest. I have potted it with my Marble Queen Pothos, and it keeps on growing even without much light.
Hoya Chelsea took over a month to show roots, and after I potted them in soil, they didn't do anything for months! I have one under my grow light, and the other one is enjoying the summer sun on my patio. Interestingly, they both started to put out new leaves about the same time, as if they have a biological clock telling them what to do.
Philodendron Panduriforme also was quick to root, and it is really an easy plant to grow. I now have so many that I may have to start selling some. This year, I am putting many of my plants out there, and Panduriforme was one of them. It's under the shade with some morning and evening sunlight. Most plants love the outdoor life, and it was a surprise to find the Philodendron Panduriforme started to grow blueish leaves with the outdoor light and humidity. The color looks identical to what we usually see on Cebu Blue.
Most of my Monstera Adansonii cutting grew roots quickly, except a cutting of Monstera Friedrichsthalii. I gave it good light like the others, but it was in the water for months and did nothing. About six weeks ago, I decided to put it outside to make rooms for more plants. I planted it in the soil even though there were no roots on the cutting. I left it by the Oak Tree with some of my other plants. After a few weeks outside, it started to grow new leaves, and when I tried to move it, I was shocked to find the root had grown into the ground! I don't think I will ever fully understand my plants.
A couple of weeks ago, I was gearing up for my propagation project again because of my Philodendron Panduriforme. It was getting too tall and needed a haircut. Once I picked up my plant shears, it was hard to stop. I started to make cuttings from plants in my office because my office had begun to look like a coir totem pole forest. My Philodendron, Monstera, and Syngonium grow fast, and they want a pole like that's their destiny. However, they can be picky, and they were not too into the coir totem pole I bought for them. They kept growing but didn't put out bigger leaves or better variegation. I decided they were spoiled, and they needed to start over! Some of the plants also kept growing tall, but bare at the bottom. I wasn't a fan of the look and thought if I cut them down, they would have new growth points down there.
I started with Panduriforme, and my shears were just kept on going! The list includes Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma, Syngonium Steyermarkii, Syngonium Podophyllum Albo-Variegatum, Philodendron Brandtianu, Philodendron Silver Sword, Philodendron Grazielae, Philodendron, Melanochrysum, Philodendron Mayoi, Philodendron Pedatum, Philodendron Tripartitum, and the latest on my chopping board was my Philodendron Burgundy Princess.
Usually, I start the cuttings in the water. Before I put them in, I rinsed the bottle with the Hydrogen Peroxide mix. After a week or so, almost all the cuttings started to out roots. Once the roots were about an inch long, I moved them to perlites. With Perlite, I give them about half an inch of water sitting at the bottom to provide moisture and humidity the plant needs. With this setup, the roots grow in a similar condition to the soil but with more aeration and humidity. I am using glass jars and reused drinking cups, they are transparent, and I can observe all the fantastic root growth happening in Perlite!
This is the first time I propagate using Perlite. Maybe it is summer, or the grow light, I am getting excellent results with this batch of propagation. If this continues to go smoothly, I will have more amazing plants before the end of summer!
