Propagating Sanservia

I tried propagating my Sanservia by leaf cuttings, as I've read is possible in several houseplant books. I cut some healthy leaves into about 4" lengths and cut them with a bit of an inverted 'v' shape (so it was pointy on top and the inverse of that on the bottom). I moistened the bottoms, dipped in rooting hormone, and planed in potting soil.

I then misted the leaves daily and kept them under a ziploc to keep the humidity high. This was done with several leaves in several pots. After about two weeks I noticed a leaf or two were starting to look waterlogged. Further examination found that there were basically rotting. After three weeks I pulled the rest. None had formed any leaves whatsoever, and all were in the process of rotting out.

What did I do wrong?

The humidity worked against the cuttings- the misting should not have been done, and they should have had air circulating around them and should have been watered only when completely dry. Also, it takes A LONG TIME for them to root- I don't think there is any way a sansevieria cutting could root, much less send up new leaves, in three weeks. These plants come from a very arid region and that's what they like- in fact, have to have. Too much water is the problem with 95% of the plants that die. Watering mature plants once a month should be plenty in Illinois, assuming they don't catch rainwater if they are sitting on a porch or some steps.

A more sure way to get more plants is to let the plant you have put up enough leaves that it becomes crowded in the pot and then tip it out and divide the "roots" with a sharp knife. You should get three plants out of one. LET THE WOUNDS CALLOUS OVER and then pot them up, water once, and leave them alone.

Leaf cuttings of Sansevieria should be kept on the dry side, so I agree with dp72 that your cuttings were too moist, and thus succumbed to rot.

Many house plant cuttings need high humidity and consistent moisture to produce roots but succulent type plants are especially prone to rot with excess moisture and humidity. The plastic bag and daily misting worked against your efforts, but don't give up!

If you decide to try again, leave the cuttings out in a shady, dry location, no direct sun and remember to keep the soil just barely damp. You should have roots in about a month but the plants are very slow growers and will take probably eight months to a year to gain any height.

Scroll down this page to find info about propagating Sans from cuttings: http://mrec.ifas.ufl.edu/foliage/folnotes/sansevie.htm

And here's a link to the Plant Files database with listings for several different Sansevieria's: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=sansevieria&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&searcher%5Bgrex%5D=&search_prefs%5Bblank_cultivar%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search

Thanks for the info. When reading about leaf cuttings I clearly missed the fact that succulents shouldn't be misted. I'll try again with your tips. Thanks!

Additional question regarding propagating Sanservia!

Can it be done in early March (now) in a northern state (Ohio) where the house gets a little chilly (60 degrees C) about 12 hours of the day?

I ask because we had a warm spell (go figure) for a few days and my snake plant took his cue to just explode out of of the pot. Okay, I'll admit it, I put a little fertilizer in its water last month.

One shoot basically started curling outside the pot and growing upside-down!

I want to cut and place in soil and propagate but I am worried about the cold.... What do you think?!

[When I tried in the spring a couple of years ago I had the same problem as above and also found more success without the plastic bag trick...so I think I'm ready to go as long as the time of year is okay...]

Thanks!!!

OneWindow, your plant looks really tight/smushed in the pot. Are there some roots attached to the parts leaning out of the pot? If so, those should be able to be separated and potted up. I would also repot the rest of it. If you separate about half of it, that should be more than enough to put back in this same pot. Sans need a little room in the pot or the pups (new rosettes) will have a much tougher time finding/squeezing their way to the surface. The more space there is, the more pups they will make.

When the temps are lower, very little water is needed. Be sure to let your Sans dry out well before watering again during winter, then also make sure no excess water stays in a drip tray or outer cache pot. The extra water needs to drip out of the pot, away from the roots, or the roots can rot.

Hopefully your plant will look like these under the surface, full of plump healthy rhizomes, new pups.

Wow Purpleinopp, those look healthy, and I'm certainly planning to make your recommended changes asap.

I'm nervous about the temperature right now for re-potting and/or propagating. But to your point, the plant is jammed in there. The paradox is that once it gets warmer, spring-time, god willing, the plant will want to grow more...but I feel the urge to re-pot now, and risk the current March temps...

What do you think? Should I go ahead and separate despite the 60 degrees average in-home here? ... I just read taht 70-75 degrees is ideal... so maybe I'll just bring out the space heater!

Totally nervous about making changes but the plant's nature is forcing me to do something.

Thanks for your reply!

This message was edited Mar 6, 2014 12:40 PM

This message was edited Mar 6, 2014 12:46 PM

Sorry for the delayed reply, was not on computer much the past few days, suffering a pinched neck nerve, which gave me a serious headache.

As long as your plant is going to stay above 60 degrees, that's fine. Just don't saturate after watering, and if the soil is moist, don't water at all until it dries. Try not to pack the soil into the pot, so the rhizomes have an easier time roaming.

If you have space for some in the ground for summer, you could really see what they can do!

Oh my, Purpleinopp, I hope the pinched nerve has subsided!! Those are real nasty I have heard from those close to me. Sometimes these plants make life look easy! Maybe that's why they're nice to have around...

Well, I took your advice and dug out the rhizome of the twisted shoot and put it in a new pot. I don't have my hopes up, because frankly the rhizome was not looking nearly as good as yours and the plant that came from it looked like an afterthought for the plant: the original stem I cut last spring to trim, and that's when the new stem budded out in a twisted fashion.

Anyhow, I had to cut the plant off of the rhizome because it was only holding on by a thread (enabling it to swing around outside the pot). So basically the plant and the rhizome are separated but sitting in the same pot now. I threw some rooting hormone on them. Again, my hopes are not high, but I think that my original plant pictured above is at least happy to have some more room. I will re-pot later in the month!

Thanks so much!! Now I'm off to look for a thread on "air-layering rubber plants"! Apparently I'm earning some stripes on the most sturdy house plants for beginners!

Thanks again --- oh and planting some of these outside sounds like a GREAT idea!

Take care -

Sounds great! It's easy to propagate rubber plant (Ficus elastica, I'm assuming) from cuttings, though I would definitely suggest it for learning air layering also. Not all plants are as easily propagated from cuttings, so that's a good thing to know.

I've never had the urge to try it on indoor plants, but if you also do some gardening outside, many shrubs can be propagated by bending a branch to the ground or a pot if it won't bend all the way to the ground, laying a brick or rock on it to hold it in contact with the soil, then forgetting about it for a while. Works most quickly in the spring for most plants. By fall, you should have a baby to separate from the mama and move to a new spot. Or the next spring, whenever it's taken root and you're ready to move it. Hydrangeas and roses do great this way.

Also, for those with access to a suitable spot in the ground, putting any cuttings in the ground instead of a pot can often work better, be easier since there's very little risk of under/over watering, can't spill or blow away, or get baking hot from the sun. When ready, pop it out, pot it up.