Let’s Get Started! Free Houseplants From Cuttings! – Free Plants for Outdoors

This year I have been so much in love with my Flowering Maple (Abutilon) and since I was very successful in rooting some cuttings from the original Mother plant, I have two new starts for propagating more plants this year.

But I am not satisfied with just two! Not me.  I guess I could blame it one the original plant which is now very large. She is beginning another round of blooming and she has done this all fall and winter long. What is not to love?  So I have decided to trim her down and let her branch out more, but I will propagate all of her branches in water. Voila! Free houseplants from cuttings!

And as if you didn’t already know, this method of easy propagation can be done with many of your indoor houseplants. Many houseplants are propagated by cutting off  the stem or vine and putting it into water where it will grow some roots quickly.  In general, you’ll have roots in a week or two. Then your new free houseplant can be planted in soil and off she goes!

Houseplant Cuttings Root Easily

In general, houseplants can be rooted easily and just a short piece of the stem can become a large plant quickly. Once it is rooted, don’t let it set to long in water because it is harder on the roots to “evolve” into feeding through soil when they have been too long in water.

Once the roots are an inch or so, go ahead and plant in some loose soil and keep an eye on it for a while. This may sound silly, but I keep a giant empty clear pretzel jar around to use as a mini greenhouse if I see a rooting plant having a problem. It works so well. See this post where I am using it.

If you have a friend who has a lot of houseplants too, they might be interested in sharing some cuttings with you in an exchange. That way you both get free houseplants. (Saves you some money so you can buy more plants that you don’t have yet!)

Right now, I have Swedish Ivy, pilea glauca, pothos, wandering jew and creeping fig all rooting so that I can fill some planters on the deck this year. These can be free plants for going outdoors this year and save all the Mamas inside. (What will I do with all the plants next fall? Plant sale or giveaway at my house!)

This is the time to do cuttings in the late winter and early spring because it is coming into the growing season and everything is ready to take off with just a slight bit of urging. Use some rooting hormone if you like. It isn’t absolutely necessary, but may help if you are struggling to get a certain plant to root for you.

Don’t forget the spring Garden Club sales and Master Gardener Plant Sales that usually occur in the spring in different counties across the United States. I have purchased many nice plants there and it is fun to get together with a lot of other gardeners.

Here’s wishing for spring!