Propagate houseplants? Anyone who has ever attempted this experiment knows that it can be quite difficult to reproduce these mostly tropical plants. But with the Schefflera, propagation through cuttings is very easy
How to propagate Schefflera by cuttings?
To propagate Schefflera through cuttings, cut off he althy shoots in spring or late summer, remove the lower leaves and place the cuttings in water or potting soil. Under ideal conditions (20°C, good lighting conditions) they will form roots within 4-12 weeks and can then be repotted.
Cut the cuttings: when, with what and how?
If you shorten your Schefflera or cut it back heavily, you will get shoots that you can use for propagation from cuttings. It is important that they are he althy.
You can use different parts of the Schefflera as cuttings. You can cut leaf cuttings, head cuttings or stem cuttings. The best time to cut cuttings is in spring between January and March or in late summer.
Stem cuttings are cut with secateurs (€14.00 on Amazon). Head cuttings and leaf cuttings can be cut with a knife. Make sure that the cuttings are 10 to 20 cm long! The leaf cuttings should keep their long stem - this is used for rooting.
Water or plant the cuttings
So it continues:
- remove the lower leaves from head and trunk cuttings
- Leave 3 to 4 sheets
- either prepare a glass of water or pots with potting soil
- Place cuttings in the glass or stick them 3 to 5 cm deep in the pots
- for the glass version: add charcoal ash (prevents rot)
- for the pot variant: water and keep moist for a while
Time until rooting
Now it's time to wait! Depending on the ambient temperature (ideally 20°C) and lighting conditions, it can take between 4 and 12 weeks for the cuttings to root. If rooting is successful, you will see the white root threads in the glass. With the pot cuttings you can recognize the rooting by new shoots/leaves.
Repotting and caring for cuttings
After the cuttings have rooted, they are potted/repotted. Repot the cuttings that you have grown in pots when they have grown 3 to 5 cm. Once the young plants have grown to 10 cm high, they can be fertilized for the first time. From now on, it is important not to neglect watering.
Tip
Growing the radiant aralia cuttings in pots is preferable to growing them in glass, as this means the fine roots are not damaged by placing them in soil.
