Blurst_Of_Times [he/him,they/them]
NTL;AR- All you need is a knife, some pumice-like stone and a decently loose pocket or bag. Once you find the plant you want, choose a stalk segment of medium thickness (too thin and they usually die, too thick and they have trouble adapting. So if you want to clone an orange tree, the ideal piece would be a thick green sprout that’s juuust starting to turn woody). Then, making sure your section includes at least two nodes (the lumps on the branch from which new leaves sprout, hotbeds of cell growth), cut just below the bottom node at a 45 degree angle. This maximizes the exposed area of potential growth, which will make it easier for your cutting to grow new roots and become it’s own plant.
Next, trim down the leaves to practically nothing-without the ability to draw water from the rest of the plant, the cutting will rapidly die of dehydration through it’s leaves unless we severely limit it’s respiration (it’s needs are small now anyways). Most of my transplant deaths have been from failing to remove enough leaf matter because I felt bad. Be harsh now, and plant has better chance. Finally, put it in a temporary pot filled with pumice or some other light, porous rock. It allows the water to drain quickly, which prevents rot in the new stem as it grows roots. The survival rate of my cuttings shot up dramatically after I switched from dirt to pumice. Still, cloning plants this way is always a longshot, so expect about 2/3rds of them to die. The ones that survive grow up into full-ass free plants though, so :shrug-outta-hecks:
Just a couple things I noticed:
-Tropical plants are more vulnerable to air dehydration when first cut, but resistant to it after rooting. Spraying them with water occasionally helps a little
-Most succulents hold their breath during the day (I’m not kidding) and breathe at night to mitigate water loss. This makes them very tough and very water-retentive as well as growing new roots easily. They’re ideal for beginners and how I first started. They are however vulnerable to rot from overwatering.
-If you want to turn a single stalk into a shrub, just keep cutting the tip off. That’s where the vertical growth hormone is produced, and if it stops, horizontal growth hormones kick in to compensate
And yeah, that’s about it for basics. There’s rooting gels and powders you can buy, but I never really noticed a difference. So just head outside with a pocket knife and see what looks good to you. Happy hunting!
Headlines from the background of a way-too-on-the-nose movie from the early 2000s, probably starring Ben Affleck or smthn idk
