Houseplants Seeds and Cuttings Tips

Purchasing your desired species of houseplant from a reputable nursery and caring for it has many benefits. Not only are you adding beauty to your home, you are also providing a sense of color and life to the whole décor scheme. However, there are also added benefits to growing your plants from seeds or cuttings.

Houseplant Seeds
Selecting a good quality seed is essential. However, there is no guarantee that the seeds you purchase are going to be of good quality. The best way to increase your success is to buy from a reputable nursery or gather seeds from your own personal healthy plants.

When starting your plants from seed form, another important element to ensure successful growth is good quality soil. Sterile soil is the absolute best way to ensure the health of your plant. Using soil from outside your home can contain many problems that can spring up to impede the growth of your plant. Weed seeds, insect larvae and other ground contaminants can be an annoying and unhelpful additive when trying to start from seed.

Seed trays are an excellent tool for growing plants from seeds. These trays contain capillary mats which allow for water to be soaked up from below to feed the seeds as well as keep the surrounding dirt moist. The first few months of growth are critical and these trays are the perfect size to protect the tiny plants while they strive to become substantial. The soil in the trays must be kept warm. A temperature of about seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit is perfect. It is important to ensure that the temperature of the soil does not drop below sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit at night. If the temperature does drop, a heating lamp can be implemented.

Proper light is another essential element for these brand new evolving plants. If the area you have chosen does not provide adequate light and heat, artificial light may be implemented. Placing the light a few inches away from the soil will heat the soil allowing the seeds to grow. When the plants have begun to sprout, the light will help provide the plants with photosynthesis, which is essential for all plants existence.

As the new plants grow and start to produce leaves, a small amount of diluted fertilizer can be added. At this point, it is time to transplant your hardy seedlings into a pot or container.

Houseplant Cuttings
Most of the rules discussed for healthy seed growing also apply to growing plants from cuttings. The first step in this process is to choose a good quality cutting. Make sure that the stems are a healthy green and have not begun to turn woody. It is also important to choose stems that contain a node. The node is the part of the stem where a leaf would evolve. This node, when planted in the soil will begin to become the new plant by producing roots.

To plant a cutting, simply remove all but one or two leaves from the nodes. Before the nodes are able to sprout roots, the leaves will provide the necessary nutrients the stem need s to thrive. After removing the leaves, prepare the soil in the same manner as described for seeds and gently place the stem into the earth.

Just as the soil for seeds needs to be kept moist, so does the soil for cuttings. However, root rot from excessive watering is the most common mistake made, which can then lead to the untimely death of newly growing plants. These little wonders of nature also require a substantial amount of sunlight. If the sunlight available is not sufficient, artificial light may be implemented.

After the plant has grown a substantial amount over a few months, it can now be transplanted into a longer term pot or container.

         

Indoor Houseplant Care