When winter drops a blanket of snow on your lawn or sprinkles icicles across your shrubbery, you might assume gardening season is officially over. While, yes, frigid conditions aren’t necessarily conducive to a bustling outdoor garden, winter weather doesn’t mean you have to hit pause on all your plant projects until spring comes around.
If you have a green thumb and are itching to use it, why not try propagating houseplants this winter? If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, plant propagation simply entails taking a piece of an old plant and growing a new one out of it, rather than starting from scratch by planting a seed. While propagation can be a bit more challenging during wintertime (thanks to less daylight, colder temperatures, and drier indoor air), with a few adjustments and some tender love and care, your houseplants can grow beautifully, no matter how cold it gets outside.
Wondering how? Here are 10 tips to help make winter plant propagation a success.
Can you propagate houseplants in the winter?
Yes, you can absolutely propagate houseplants in the winter. That said, the colder months aren’t always the easiest or most effective time of year for propagation. In the winter, plants tend to sprout more slowly than they do during the active growing seasons, which can raise the risk of cuttings developing rot before they take root (which is already trickier in the winter). But by following the tips below, you’ll increase your chances of growing your collection.
Tips for propagating houseplants in the winter.
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While the elements might be stacked against you, these houseplant propagation tips will help your cuttings root faster and rot less.
Propagate the right plant.
Some houseplants are easier to propagate in the winter than others. Think: vining plants and succulents, such as spider plants and snake plants, which root well in water or soil, even during dark, dreary months. Some other great picks are aloe vera, English ivy, and African violets.
Choose an effective method.
The propagation method you choose can either hurt or help your chances of success. Taking a piece from the stem, rather than the root, of the parent plant is generally the more effective technique for winter propagation. The same goes for water propagation: Propagating your cuttings in water is typically faster than propagating them in soil.
Take healthy cuttings.
During the winter, you don’t want to take your chances by securing cuttings from a plant that’s dead, decaying, or struggling in any way. Cuttings from a healthy plant that’s well-watered and pest-free are more likely to root.
Look for active growth.
When you think about your cuttings, you’ll also want to seek out healthy stems with signs of active growth. Scope out stems with fresh nodes and firm leaves, not ones that are woody or dormant. This will help the cuttings grow more quickly in the winter.
Fine-tune your cutting technique.
The likelihood of propagating houseplants in the winter also depends on how you cut a piece off the parent plant. The best technique is to take a pair of sharp shears or a knife and making a clean cut just below a leaf node, which is where the leaf meets the stem. The cut should also be anywhere from two to six inches long and include healthy leaves on top.
Give them enough light.
Since wintertime means less daylight, you’ll want to move your cuttings near a window that receives the most sunlight. If natural light is tough to find inside your house, you can supplement it with a small grow light.
Keep them warm.
For houseplants, anywhere between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit is the best temperature for growth. When your thermostat is set to a relatively warm temperature, your cuttings will root much better. That means drafty windows and doors are off-limits.
Protect against dry air.
During the winter months, the air inside your house tends to turn dry, thanks to indoor heat. Luckily, there are steps you can take to promote root growth, such as grouping them together, adding a pebble tray, or using a humidifier.
Figure out a watering schedule.
Watering plants in the winter is a lot different than in the spring and summer. Without the sunshine and heat, soil dries more slowly in the colder months. So, make sure that you’re only watering your plants when the top layer is dry. That way, you’ll ward off rot.
Be patient.
Since rooting takes longer in the winter, it’s normal to feel frustrated or assume that you’ve done something wrong. But remember that slow growth is completely normal—even expected—so there’s no need to blame yourself or let impatience get the best of you.
Fill Your Home with More Houseplants
Lilly Blomquist is the associate editor at The Pioneer Woman, where she writes lifestyle stories across a wide range of topics—including news, entertainment, holidays, food, and more.
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