Lesson 2. “Babies,” air layering, and division

Some plants do almost all the work for you, sending out ready-made little plants — “babies.” — The spider plant sends out long, hanging runners (stolons) with little plantlets at their ends, already starting roots. Just wait until a baby has little roots, then pin it down on the potting mix in a small pot (without cutting it from the parent right away), or cut it off and root it separately in moist potting mix or water. — Many succulents and bromeliads produce “babies,” offsets (pups), at the base of the mother plant — you separate them when repotting. — Bulbs (for example, some members of the amaryllis family) form bulblets next to the mother bulb. This is the easiest propagation method for a beginner: a baby is almost a finished plant; you just need to let it root.

Air layering and division are techniques that give you a strong plant with roots already formed. Division. Plants that grow “in a clump” of many shoots (snake plant, peace lily, cast-iron plant, many grass-like plants) can be carefully divided into parts when repotting. The main rule: every division must have its own roots and its own leaves or shoots. Then each part is an independent plant. Divide with a sharp, clean tool; you can dust the cuts with crushed charcoal. Air layering. A method for large, woody plants (ficus, monstera) that have “gone bare” at the bottom. Make a cut in the stem or remove a strip of bark, then wrap the spot in damp sphagnum moss and plastic wrap. After a few weeks, roots form right on the stem while it's still attached to the plant — then cut off the top with its new roots and pot it separately. Both division and air layering are reliable because the new plant gets ready-made roots instead of growing them from scratch.