piggyback plant propagation

has anyone ever tried this. the books i have say to cut the leaf off and put in moist soil and the baby plantlet will root. the plantlet dries out and dies before rooting even thought the soil is moist. should i try it with the leaf still attached to the plant?

db

That method has worked for me. Actually both ways. Are you making sure the base of the leaf is in full contact with the soil? I usually leave a half inch or so of the stem on to keep it stable. My problem is keeping the plant happy for more than 1 year. That's why I have experience starting ships.

i did leave a stem, i thought it was pretty well connected to the soil. maybe i should have covered the big leaf a bit with soil. i will probably see if i can root it still attached to the mother. i hate to keep snipping just to have them die.

db

I have a piggyback that I keep getting cuttings from and I don't think it hurts the mother plant any at all to snip and snip. I give mine ( what I call ) a haircut every year and it just keeps on growing. I like the mounding shape of it so when it starts growing over the sides of the pot I just take the scissors and trim everything that is on the outside of the rim and plant them. I usually stick about a quarter of the leaf in the soil and have good luck with propagating them ( 85-90 % ) , I could probably get a higher rate but I sometimes forget they are there since I do it about now when all the other gardening chores take place. Although I will say, most of the cutting I take don't have the plantlets attached already they are mostly just single leaves. I don't know if that makes a difference or not. I do always make sure though that the leaf itself is in the soil, I usually cut off the stem as close as possible with just an 1/8th to a 1/4 inch attached. Good luck.

hmmm... interesting. i'll have to keep trying.