How to propagate with or without a petiole?
Following on from our previous posts about propagation.
1. Whole leaf cuttings:
Now this is where propagation can get frustrating. Unfortunately, leaf cuttings are super specific and don’t work for every plant. What often happens is that the leaf will create a few roots but will never produce other plant material. Either that, or it rots and dies.
A short but not exhaustive list for plants that can be propagated with leaf cuttings:
Peperomia, Clematis, Rhododendron, Camellia, Jade plant, Devil’s ivy, Coleus, Ficus Elastica Ruby.
Methods:
There are two methods which are the same, the only difference is that one is used with a petiole and the other without. A petiole is the stalk that connects the leaf to the stem.
Methos described:
- Place your leaf cutting in your chosen medium.
- Place in a warm, light environment.
- When new plant material grows, you can seperate the existing leaf from the new material, and then go on to plant the new material. If you did the method with the petiole, then this can be reused to make another plant.
2. Leaf sections: used for plants with flat, long leaves.
Example: Snake plants, Begonias.
- Cut leaves into a few centimeter lengths.
- Place on dampened tissue paper in a sealed container, in a light place.
- Keep the medium moist for some days. You will see root growth very quickly, and soon after you will be ready to transplant them into soil. Don’t keep them in the first medium for too long as they can be prone to rot.
Once again, propagation with leaf cuttings can be really frustrating when your cuttings don’t root, but don’t get discouraged. If you have any problems or questions, please write to us and we will see what we can help with. We also have the gardening course from our community, specifically designed for all your burning questions on plant care and propagation.
Plant love,
Planteka Community Blog 
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