Propagating a Schefflera
Scheffleras, native to the tropical forests of Asia and Australia, are grown for their lush foliage and easy care requirements. They make beautiful houseplants that can grow up to 15 feet tall with leaves up to 12 inches long. Propagation is one way to increase your collection of these plants without having to purchase them from nurseries or garden centers.
Gathering Materials
The supplies you will need to propagate a schefflera include: pruning shears or scissors; small pots; seed starting mix (or soil-less potting mix); rooting hormone powder (optional); perlite; plastic baggie; paper towels and water. You may also want some kind of trellis if you plan on training the new plants into a topiary form. A mister bottle or spray bottle might also be useful if your area has dry air as this helps keep the humidity high during propagation process.
Choosing Cuttings
When choosing cuttings for propagating schefflera, look for healthy growing tips with at least two nodes present above the cutting point. Make sure each stem you select is healthy and free from diseases or pests by thoroughly inspecting it before cutting it off the parent plant with sharp pruners or scissors – making sure not to damage other branches in the process! Be sure not to take too many cuttings so that you don’t weaken the parent plant either!
Preparing Cuttings
Once you have taken all your cuttings, prepare them for planting by stripping away any lower leaves near where they will be inserted into soil and trimming about 1/4 inch off their ends just below where there are no more leaves left on each stem segment – this ensures good root growth when planted later on! Then dip each cutting in rooting hormone powder (if desired) before inserting them into small pots filled with equal parts seed starting mix & perlite mixture – use enough pressure when pushing down so that they stay upright but not too much force which could damage fragile stems! Finally cover up containers loosely using plastic baggies overtop – creating an artificial greenhouse effect until roots start forming after several weeks time usually takes place here once temperatures remain consistently warm indoors throughout day & night cycles respectively
