← Journal

Propagation

How to propagate houseplants (and get free plants)

5 min read · October 11, 2026

Propagating means growing new plants from pieces of old ones. It's one of the most satisfying parts of plant care, and it's usually easier than it sounds.

Stem cuttings in water: pothos, philodendron, monstera

1. Choose a healthy stem with a few leaves and at least one node, the small bump where leaves and roots grow from.
2. Cut just below a node with clean scissors.
3. Remove any leaf that would sit underwater.
4. Place the cutting in a glass of room-temperature water so the node is submerged.
5. Set it in bright, indirect light and change the water every week or so.
6. When roots are a couple of inches long, pot it in fresh potting mix.

Roots can take a few weeks. Be patient, and don't panic if a leaf yellows along the way.

Plantlets: spider plants

Spider plants send out long stems with tiny baby plants on the end. Once a baby has small roots forming, snip it off and pot it up, or pin it in a small pot of soil while still attached and cut it free later.

Leaf cuttings: succulents and snake plants

Gently twist a healthy succulent leaf off the stem, let it dry for a day or two, then lay it on top of well-draining soil. Keep it in bright light and mist lightly only when the soil is dry. Tiny roots and a baby rosette will appear in time. Snake plant leaves can be cut into sections and rooted too. Note that variegated snake plants usually lose their yellow edges when grown from leaf cuttings.

Division: peace lily, ferns and others

Some plants grow in clumps. When you repot, gently pull or cut the root ball into sections, each with roots and leaves, and pot them separately.