Propagating plants is easy with just a little investment of time. Dividing plants from existing plants grows the amount of plants you have around you. These extra plants decorate a new corner of your home, become gifts to friends or family, traded at plant swap events, or sold at local farmers’ markets. The methodology of plant propagation may seem complicated, but it’s extremely simple. You don’t need fancy rooting hormones to promote growth. Simple water will propagate plants over time and grow a healthy root base that will keep your plant thriving for all its life.

There are many reasons you may propagate your plants in water. My Red-Veined Maranta (prayer plant) has grown long vines that need to be clipped back about once or twice a year or it will cease flowering. Earlier this year, I divided my pot-bound Sansevieria (Snake Plant) and one of the smaller sections separated from the root base by accident. When my husband and I moved long distance, the only way to bring some of our beloved plants with us was to propagate them with cuttings small enough to transport in jars of water. Years ago, my mother gifted me with a bunch of cuttings from my cousin in Florida. Two of which survive in pots to this day because I rooted them in water.

With all the summer storms that have come into the region lately, it’s inevitable that my own garden has taken some damage. A few of the tomato plants in my beautiful raised beds emerged from the summer storm with branches snapped in the torrential summer downpours. I could throw them away as lost pieces of so much flotsam from the storm. Or I could save them and create new plants by rooting them in water. (In reading this post, I’m sure you know what I chose!)

How to Take a Plant Cutting

How you take your plant cutting determines a great deal of its success. Different plants need to be cut differently, but there are some similar rules of (green!) thumb.

Find the Root Nodes

First, look for a young branch near the outer edge of your plant about five to eight inches long. Young cuttings grow the best. Then, look for root nodes. Root nodes are located in different places on different plants, but are largely found at branches in the parent plant. These are spots where the leaf attaches to the stem. You may see knobby brown or white nodules, or they may be little, white bumps at this juncture of leaf and stem. Some plants show their root nodes clearly, while others are hidden. Some root nodes are high up on vines, while others are low to the ground near the soil. It all depends on what kind of plant you’re dealing with.

Take a sharp set of scissors or dedicated pruning sheers, and cut the plant below its identified root nodes. If possible, cut at a 45 degree angle to ensure that the stem will receive enough water while it grows in its rooting vase.

Prune any leaves that will be submerged in water in the rooting vase. Leave at least two, but no more than five leaves at the top so the plant receives sunlight. If there are any flowers or buds on the cutting, prune those as well. You want the cutting to use its energy to grow roots, not to propagate itself by fruit or seed.

Types of Rooting Vases

Plants will propagate in any kind of vessel, but clear glass is by far the best. Simple Ball mason jars work fine for a bit of folksy charm. Or you can get super classy with clear glass rooting vases in all shapes and sizes, from test tubes to fancy budding vases. I prefer budding vases myself. Budding vases have a lower open reservoir for water with space for the roots to expand yet they also have a narrow top which will hold your cutting upright while the roots begin to grow. In all cases, clear is best so you can watch the roots as they develop.

Companies will sell so-called propagation stations for all kinds of money. These are generally wooden frames where clear glass vials are hung or placed to keep them upright. Some hang on walls, others sit on tables. These propagation stations all do the same thing, and none of them are necessary. As long as you have a vessel of clean water to place your cutting in and a sunlit location, your plant will grow roots.

Fill with Fresh, Clean Water

Plants deserve filtered water as much as we do. Plus, this cuts down on nasty calcium, lime, and rust which can sometimes be in your water depending on where you live. Rust, calcium, and lime is the bane of all glassware. It will cloud your water and do your cutting no favors. Do yourself, and your new plant, a solid by cutting back on these hard water impurities.

I use filtered water from a pitcher filter when attempting to root cuttings. If you don’t have a water filter on your faucet or in a pitcher, you can still meet your plants half-way. Fill a pitcher or large vase with water from your tap and let it sit on the counter for 3 days. Particulate from your tap water will slowly settle to the bottom and leave (largely) clean water on top.

A half-teaspoon of sugar dissolved in the water may help your plant recover from its initial shock at being clipped from the parent plant. Sugar water also promotes good circulation in plant cuttings. You may also add a teaspoon or so of hydrogen peroxide to your filtered water. This will reduce the buildup of mold in the water as your plant works to produce roots.

Change the water every three to five days. You do not want mold to form in the same vase as your cutting or you risk killing it before it even has a chance to get started.

Make Sure Your Cutting Gets Light

Once you’ve placed your cutting in the rooting vase, it needs light. Set it in a place where it will get several hours of sun a day. Your new plant needs sunlight to photosynthesize which will give it the energy to produce roots. I put mine on my windowsills, but anywhere with good light will work.

What Kind of Plants Can You Propagate in Water?

Vining plants like marantas, tomatoes, and ivies are ideal for water propagation. Most succulent plants like basil, mint, and other herbs propagate well in water. Woody plants like roses and older bushes are more difficult to propagate in water. But if the cutting is taken from the younger, green parts of the branches, they too can have a new lease on life.

I have even successfully rooted a tree in water. One of the aforementioned cuttings from my cousin was a Dragon Tree (Dracaena marginata). It produced root nodes in water after only 2 weeks. 5 years later, my dragon tree is now 5 feet tall.

How Long Does It Take to Propagate a Plant in Water?

Most plants will begin to grow roots in about a week, though some take much longer. Snake plants, for example, can take up to 2 months to begin to grow roots. In most cases, it generally takes plants about 3-5 weeks to grow enough of a root system to sustain them in soil.  My general rule is to wait until the longest roots are as long as your index finger. Then, you’re ready to plant your cutting in soil.

How Long Can Propagated Plants Stay in Water?

Plants can stay in water practically indefinitely until you’re ready to plant them, as long as you change their water every few days. You may also need to change their rooting vase every few weeks and wash its vase fully every month or so. If you allow mold to grow in the water your plant is sitting in, that will be the end of your cutting, no matter how many roots it has in its vase.

Benefits of Propagating Plants from Cuttings

Propagating plants by cuttings is a method of asexual reproduction. The plant’s genes remain exactly the same as the parent plant. In fact, the plant remains its same age. This is uniquely ideal for propagating plants that need to be a certain age before they begin to bear fruit.

Indeterminate tomatoes, for example, must first grow to about four feet before they will begin to send out flowers for fruit. If you grow an indeterminate tomato plant from a cutting made from a plant that had already reached that height, the younger cutting produces tomatoes far earlier (and lower on the vine) than the parent. When grown each spring, this means more fruit earlier in the year.

There You Have It!

No fancy rooting hormones or propagation station required. Just your plant, some water, and a little know-how goes a long way. You’re ready to save your plants from accidental damage, root rot, root binding, cold weather, or just divide it to grow more! Let me know in the comments if you tried it and if it worked for you!