My newest prop contraption

I had a rotting stem from a friend of mine who accidentally overwatered, and I decided to use a couple leaves to experiment!

Typically when I prop a zz leaf I simply put it in water like I did with image 1, but I only have about a 40-50% success rate with water propped zz’s. This is pretty uncommon for me personally as I’d say about 70% of my props thrive on average.

So, while I was removing the lower leaves from the stem, I got to wondering about other methods I could use, and the experiment was born.

I channeled my 7th grade biology roots so I could try and remember how we used to do experiments in class, so I can make it as accurate as possible. So far, here’s the experiment!

Control: water propped zz filled with just water and zero fertilizer. 75° water and left in a 66-70° room during propagation. Kept ≈ 1 foot from a 5W grow light.

Tester 1: soil propped zz with a mix of 50/50 soil and perlite. Watered with 75° water and left in a 66-70° room during propagation. Kept ≈ 1 foot from a 5W grow light.

Tester 2: perlite propped zz with only perlite, damp but not fully saturated. 75° water and left in a 66-70° room during propagation. Kept ≈ 1 foot from a 5W grow light.

Tester 3: water propped zz with osmocote, I used a single osmocote pellet as to not shock the plant. 75° water and left in a 66-70° room during propagation. Kept ≈ 1 foot from a 5W grow light.