Division and layering

Some plants do not grow from one main stem but from several crowns clustered together. Spider plants and cast iron plants grow like this. They can be divided.

Ease the plant out of its pot, as you learned in the pots unit, and look for natural breaks between clumps. Gently pull the root ball apart so each piece has its own shoots and roots. Use a clean, sharp knife only where roots are too thick to separate by hand, and aim to damage as few roots as possible. Pot each piece in a pot that fits its roots, not an oversized one.

Layering lets a stem root while it is still attached to the parent. For trailing plants, pin a stem onto the surface of a second pot of mix with a bent wire or a small stone, so a node touches the mix. Roots form at the node, and then you cut the link.

Air layering does the same higher up on thicker stems, and it is one way monstera is propagated: a wound on the stem is wrapped in moist sphagnum moss and plastic until roots grow, which can take weeks to months.