How to Propagate From Leaf Cuttings

Views: 18845 | Last Update: 2009-02-04
To propagate from leaf cuttings, snip the leaf right where it meets the stem, cut the leaf at an angle, and plant it back in the soil to start a new plant. Use honey as a natural root toner with information from a sustainable gardener in this free video... View Video Transcript

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Yolanda Vanveen

Video Transcript

Hi, this is Yolanda Vanveen, and in this segment we're going to talk about how to propagate from leaf cuttings. Now, plants grow in so many different ways, whether we plant them by a bulb or a seed, or you can also start many plants by leaf cuttings. It's just like taking a part of a plant, a leaf, and re-starting it on it's own, to make a whole new plant. So, it's really quite simple. Now, this hanging plant was just started from a leaf cutting. And, a rule of thumb is, never cut a plant to the ground. Only cut the leaf where it meets up to the point of another plant. And when you're cutting it, make sure and cut it at an angle, and then that way, it will make it's own plant. And, a good way to start it, is to put it right back in the soil where you found it. And it'll start a new plant. But, I found, by putting some type of a rooting element on the bottom, it grows much quicker and much easier. So, I found that honey is one of the best root toners that you can use, because it works so well. It gives the plant sugar, and it also gives it something to grab onto. Now, all I do is put a little bit of honey in a shot glass. As easy as it is. And then I take the plants, and where I've put it, I'll dip it right into that honey. So that there's a little bit of honey on the end. And then I turn around, and either put it right in the same pot or start more containers. You can also put 'em in seed trays and get the plants going. And once they have a really good root established, then re-plant them. But a lot of times, even within the plant, just to make it fuller, I will just put it right back in the soil. And then that way, it'll grow right away. And you can do that with Christmas cactuses and roses and geraniums, and there's so many different types of plants you can start from cutting. And a lot of them, that you might not think that you can do that with, it'll actually work. So, if you go over to visit someone and they have a beautiful plant that you like, don't feel afraid to take a cutting. It's the easiest way to get plants into your home and your garden.