How to Create a Wall-Mounted Propagation Station for Your Houseplants
Plus, some of our best tips for cultivating and multiplying your favorite varieties.
If you adore your plants but don't have acres of space, step up to this sleek propagation station. (Newbies, take note: You can duplicate favorite houseplants and herbs by snipping off a piece and sticking the cut end in water until it sprouts roots.) Living style editor-at-large Naomi deMañana was inspired by the custom cradles (from $28 each, thingsbyhc.com) that plant and interiors stylist Hilton Carter, author of the new book Wild Creations ($17.49, amazon.com), uses to organize his cuttings. For her DIY take, simply mount spice racks or slim shelves—Naomi used these Threshold picture ledges ($14 each, target.com)—on a wall that gets lots of indirect light, and line them with upcycled glass containers, like yogurt jars. Then just add water, and drop your babies inside.
As for what's thriving in her vertical garden, seen here? On the top shelf, from left, you will find Spotted begonia, string-of-pearls succulent, rex-begonia vine, Stromanthe sanguinea 'Triostar', Calathea setosa, and watermelon pellionia. On the bottom shelf, from left, discover Hoya carnosa 'Tricolor', Calathea picturata 'Crimson', silver-leaf philodendron, Swiss-cheese plant, burro's-tail succulent, and spotted begonia. Now that you know how to recreate Naomi's shelves, it's time to brush up on your propagation skills. Follow these steps to cultivate your cuttings. And remember: Aroid plants, highly adaptable types that grow on the forest floor and do well in lower light (think philodendrons and monsteras), tend to work best.
Clip It
Select a piece of stem or vine that's at least four inches long, and look for nodes, or bumps, on it. Cut about one-quarter of an inch below a node with a clean, sharp knife or scissors. Remove any lower leaves.
Put It In Water
Fill a clean, clear glass vessel with enough room-temperature water to cover the node (but none of the leaves), and pop it in. Change the water every three to five days.
Watch and Wait
It can take a few weeks to several months for roots to appear. Once they're at least an inch long, move your cutting to a small pot of soil.
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