Propagating houseplants: the simple method

A stem, a glass of water, a little patience: taking cuttings is one of the joys of houseplants. A way to multiply your plants, give them away, or save a plant in trouble.

Updated on 9 October 2026

Why take cuttings?

To get new plants for free, to give them away, to rejuvenate a plant that has gone bare at the base, or to save a plant whose roots are rotting: a healthy stem, rooted again, starts from scratch.

You'll need sharp, clean scissors or a knife (wipe them with alcohol), a glass or a small pot, and light potting mix. Rooting hormone, sold in garden centres, helps difficult plants, but the plants in this guide do very well without it.

Stem cuttings in water

The simplest and most rewarding method, since you can watch the roots grow. It works very well with the pothos, the heartleaf philodendron, the inch plant, the monstera adansonii, the arrowhead plant and the satin pothos.

1. Cut a 4–6 in (10–15 cm) piece of stem with two or three leaves, just below a node: the small bump where a leaf or an aerial root grows from.
2. Remove any leaves that would sit in the water: they would rot.
3. Put the stem in a glass of room-temperature water, node submerged, in bright light but out of direct sun.
4. Change the water every week.
5. Roots appear in two to six weeks. When they're 1–2 in (3–5 cm) long, plant the cutting in a small pot of mix, and keep the soil lightly moist for the first few weeks.

For the monstera, the node is essential, and an aerial root already present speeds everything up: a leaf alone, without a node, will never make a new plant.

Leaf cuttings

Some plants can grow a whole new plant from a single leaf.

• Succulents (Echeveria, Jade plant and Burro's tail): twist off a whole leaf, let it dry for two to five days so the wound heals over, then lay it on dry cactus mix. Water very sparingly, only once tiny roots appear.
• Snake plant: cut a leaf into 2–3 in (5–8 cm) sections, keeping track of which end is up, let them dry for two days, then plant them bottom end down. Note: varieties with a yellow edge produce all-green babies.
• African violet, Baby rubber plant and Rex begonia: a leaf with its stalk, planted in moist mix or stood in water, produces little plants after a few weeks.

Offsets and babies

Some plants do the work themselves. The spider plant produces babies at the end of long stems, the Chinese money plant and aloe vera make offsets at their base. Once they're a few centimetres tall and have their own roots, separate them with a clean knife and plant them in a small pot.

Division

Plants that grow in clumps are multiplied when repotting, by splitting the root ball into two or three pieces that each have roots and leaves: that's the case for the peace lily, the calathea orbifolia, the cast iron plant and the Boston fern. The repotting guide explains how to unpot.

What can't be propagated

Palms, like the kentia or the areca, have a single growing point: they can't be grown from cuttings. Some can be divided when they grow in clumps, but carefully.

When it doesn't take

• The stem rots in water: cut off the soft part above the rot, and change the water more often.
• The cutting wilts: normal for the first few days. A clear plastic bag placed over it keeps the humidity in.
• Nothing happens: be patient, especially in winter. A warm, bright room speeds up rooting.

This advice is for houseplants in a temperate climate. Every home is different: trust your plant too, and the soil under your finger.