Welcome readers! We’re super excited to have you here with us for our launch and first blog post of Keeping Green in Quarantine!
On today’s instalment, we bring to you our first series – Isolation Propagation. During this series, we’re going to work on expanding our plant collection from home! Mostly because we don’t have a choice, but also because why not!?
Our plant of choice for this first project is the ever-popular Monstera Deliciosa! Also commonly known as a Fruit Salad Plant, or Swisse Cheese Plant, Monstera Deliciosa plants are a favoured choice when it comes to houseplants – likely because they’re as easy to care for as they are to look at!
Follow our step-by-step guide below to propagate your own Monstera Deliciosa:
STEP 1 – Identify Your Cutting
Identify a healthy leaf and stem. Snip below the node and aerial root with sharp scissors or secateurs.
Translation:
- Node – /nəʊd/
the part of a plant stem from which one or more leaves emerge, often forming a slight swelling.
- Aerial Root – /âr′ē-əl/
A root that develops from a location on a plant above the surface of the earth or water, as from a stem.
STEP 2 – Prepare A Vessel
Your vessel can be literally anything so long as it’s large enough to house your cutting for a few weeks. Fill the vessel with fresh cool water. I used a wine decanter – like I said, ANYTHING works.
STEP 3 – Place Your Cutting in Vessel
Place your cutting in the water so that it is sitting upright. This may take a few minutes of fiddling around to position it right. Feel free to use a post to help keep your cutting propped up. Note: if the aerial root is quite advanced, you may need to gently bend or roll it up to fit in the vessel. Make sure roots are fully submerged.
STEP 4 – Find Your Cutting a Home
Place your cutting in an area that gets plenty of filtered natural light. Do not place in direct sunlight – this will cause the foliage to burn. Make sure to re-fill vessel with fresh water every 3-5 days.
STEP 5 – The Waiting Game
In about 4 weeks you should begin to see new roots growing and your cutting should be ready to plant in about 2 months! We’ll circle back to this part – so make sure to stay tuned!
Bonus: Your Monstera cutting makes for a beautiful sculptural centrepiece whilst you wait for those roots to grow!
We would love to see how your Isolation Propagation is coming along! Follow us on Instagram and tag @greeneventmelbourne to show us your progress! Please feel free to email us on plants@greenevent.com.au with any questions you have.
