Propagating Stephanotis
The delicate and delightful stephanotis not only graces many bridal bouquets, but it also makes a suitable houseplant. When you give a stephanotis plant enough humidity, sunlight, water and fertilizer, it will thrive in a home environment to provide lush green foliage and sweetly scented blossoms. By using a healthy stephanotis plant, you can propagate a new stephanotis plant from a stem cutting. Provide the proper rooting environment and the cutting will become another vibrant stephanotis plant.
Cut a green and lush stem from the stephanotis plant with the pruning shears. Make the stem about 6 inches long and cut it off immediately above a leaf node. Trim the stem slightly shorter by cutting it off just under the next leaf node and remove leaves from the bottom 2 to 3 inches of the stem to ensure there will not be any leaves beneath the soil.
- The delicate and delightful stephanotis not only graces many bridal bouquets, but it also makes a suitable houseplant.
- Provide the proper rooting environment and the cutting will become another vibrant stephanotis plant.
Combine one part peat moss and one part perlite in the planting container and mix the two ingredients well. Spray the surface of the potting medium with the spray bottle to moisten it.
Insert the bottom 2 inches of the stephanotis stem in the rooting hormone and insert the stem into the center of the planting container, pushing it 2 inches beneath the soil. Firm the soil gently around the stem with your fingers to make sure it stays upright.
Insert the stake into the planting medium to keep the plastic bag from touching the stem. Place the plastic bag over the top of the container and secure it to the container with the rubber band.
Place the container in a location that receives indirect sunlight. If you lack a natural location like this, place the container beneath a fluorescent light.
- Combine one part peat moss and one part perlite in the planting container and mix the two ingredients well.
- Insert the bottom 2 inches of the stephanotis stem in the rooting hormone and insert the stem into the center of the planting container, pushing it 2 inches beneath the soil.
Remove the plastic bag every day and spray the soil surface with the spray bottle to saturate the soil. Cover the container again each time.
Check for rooting within one to two weeks. If you see new growth on the stephanotis stem, this indicates roots are growing beneath the soil. Tug on the stem gently and if the stem resists your tugs, this indicates roots forming beneath the soil. Leave the plastic bag open on one side after you detect roots forming to begin to acclimate the stem to less humid air. Continue to water the soil every day.
- Remove the plastic bag every day and spray the soil surface with the spray bottle to saturate the soil.
- Tug on the stem gently and if the stem resists your tugs, this indicates roots forming beneath the soil.
Remove the plastic bag one week after roots are evident. Allow the new stephanotis plant to grow in the same location for two more weeks, giving it water regularly to prevent the soil from drying out. Transplant the plant to a larger container filled with basic potting soil after the two weeks elapses.
Related Articles
Writer Bio
Kathryn Hatter is a veteran home-school educator, as well as an accomplished gardener, quilter, crocheter, cook, decorator and digital graphics creator. As a regular contributor to Natural News, many of Hatter's Internet publications focus on natural health and parenting. Hatter has also had publication on home improvement websites such as Redbeacon.
