The radiant aralia is enjoying increasing popularity as a houseplant in this country. If you plant an entire room with it, you will feel like you have been transported to a tropical rainforest. To make this possible, you don't have to buy dozens of copies. You can easily propagate this plant
How can you successfully propagate a Schefflera?
The Schefflera can be propagated by head cuttings, leaf cuttings or seeds. Top cuttings are the most successful: cut off a 10-15 cm long shoot, remove the lower leaves and place it in water or potting soil. Roots form in 4-12 weeks.
Propagation options: cuttings and sowing
There are various propagation options for the Schefflera. On the one hand, there are offshoots in the form of head, trunk or leaf cuttings. On the other hand, you can use seeds to propagate. With all methods, it is generally important that the new plants grow in a bright and warm location. Spring is ideal for propagation.
Use cuttings for propagation
The best way to propagate Schefflera is by cuttings. This is how you proceed to propagate the plant using head cuttings:
- Cut 10 to 15 cm long, he althy shoots diagonally from the mother plant (e.g. when pruning)
- Remove leaves in the lower third
- slightly cut into the underside of the head cutting with a knife
Now it continues as follows:
- Place the cutting in a glass with water
- or: put it in a pot with potting soil (€6.00 on Amazon)
- when growing in pots: keep the substrate moist
- when growing in glass: change water twice a week
At a normal room temperature between 18 and 23 °C, the cuttings root after 4 to 12 weeks. Remember to place the cuttings in a bright place in the apartment! If new leaves appear, they can be potted or repotted in nutrient-rich soil.
Growing from leaf cuttings
The radiant aralia can also be grown from leaf cuttings. To do this, you should cut off a he althy and strong leaf and stem from the mother plant. A thin strip is cut away from the lower part of the stem with a sharp knife. The roots should form there.
The next step is to place the leaf cutting 1 cm deep in a pot with potting soil. The substrate is kept moist. Rooting also takes 1 to 3 months with this method.
Sowing is also possible
Sowing is also possible, although it takes more time. You can purchase the seeds from specialist retailers. This should be noted:
- sow between February and March or in midsummer
- Dark Germ
- germinate fastest at 25 °C
- Keep substrate slightly moist
- Germination time: 3 weeks to several months
- Repot into a new pot when the first leaves appear
Tip
Head cuttings are preferable as a method of propagation for radiant aralia. They usually root most successfully.