Propagation, by method

The "right" method isn't the same for every plant

Most propagation advice treats every houseplant the same — cut a stem, stick it in water, done. That works for some of these and fails completely on others. Here's what actually works, grouped by technique, with links to the exact steps for each species.

Method 1

Stem cuttings in water or soil

The classic method, and the fastest one: cut a section of stem with at least one node, then root it in water or moist soil. This works well on vining and climbing aroids, but not on rosette-forming plants that don't have a vine to cut.

Method 2

Leaf cuttings

No stem needed — a single leaf, sometimes with part of its stalk attached, is enough to grow an entirely new plant. The technique differs more than you'd expect between a succulent and an African violet.

Succulent leaves are twisted off and left to callous before touching soil. African violet leaves keep their stalk (petiole) and are planted at an angle, and the new plantlets grow from the buried stalk, not the leaf blade itself.
Method 3

Division

Splitting an established root ball into separate sections, each with its own roots and growth point. It's the only method for plants with no vine and no leaf that roots on its own — and sometimes the only method that preserves a variegated pattern.

Snake plant will technically root from a leaf cutting too, but a cutting from a variegated plant almost always grows back solid green — division is the only way to keep the colored edge.

Don't see your plant yet? The field guide currently covers nine species — browse the full list.