There’s more than one way to propagate a Rhaphidophora
A large piece of my Rhaphidophora Decursiva recently broke off, and this prompted me to go down a propagation odyssey with this beautiful climber.
I wrote a Rhaphidophora Decursiva care guide a few months ago which can be found here:
I’ve had this plant for quite some time and propagated it successfully with the water method quite a few times. I’ve always wanted to try the perlite method, and I decided to also try just plain soil. This mini-experiment allowed me to see the efficacy of each method.
Steps:
- I decided on the propagation methods I wanted to follow
- I prepped the propagation medium, this (well-draining soil, perlite, and water).
- I cut the big piece of stem into smaller pieces.
- Placed them into the growing medium.
- I made sure the perlite and soil propagations were moist
- I decided to enclose the perlite and wet stick soil propagations to encourage node development.
The propagation methods I decided to try:
Perlite: Perlite is a natural volcanic substrate that is usually mixed into potting mixes to help improve drainage. I recently read that perlite can also be used as a great propagation substrate. The reason for this is that perlite contains a lot of air, which helps to encourage root growth. Often when propagations fail it is due to decreased oxygen which leads to root or stem rot.
I ended up enclosing the perlite propagations to raise the humidity and encourage growth. This worked really well!
After I enclosed my Rhaphidophora cuttings shoots appeared within a week. The extra humidity was just the thing to get the nodes fired up!
Once some leaves start to form I’ll move these into a 50/50 mix of perlite and potting soil.
Soil: In recent years I’ve steered away from direct propagation in soil mainly due to the fact that if the soil is kept too damp it creates the perfect environment for rot to set in. There’s also no way to monitor the root development.
Soil propagation is best suited to cacti and succulents because they prefer to be kept on the dry side.
The leaved cutting rooted successfully in soil. I had to tuck on it to make sure roots had indeed gone into the potting medium.
The wet sticks I placed in soil didn’t produce any roots even after I enclosed it in a plastic bag. This could indicate that the pieces didn't have any viable nodes on them.
Water: Water propagation is really the old favourite for houseplant enthusiasts. As a child, I can remember that my grandmother would have a few vases filled with cuttings lined up on the kitchen windowsill.
When attempting water propagation, it is best to change out the water about once a week to keep it fresh and to replenish the oxygen supply in the water.
My attempt at water propagation was also very successful. Roots appeared within two weeks. I changed out the water every week to replenish the oxygen.
When the roots were three inches long I potted them up into well-draining potting mix.
Reasons your Rhaphidophora cuttings might be failing
- The piece that you are trying to propagate might be too big. If you’re trying to propagate a big piece of Rhaphidophora it might struggle to grow well because the piece might be too big for a small root system to sustain. Cutting it into several smaller pieces might yield more success and it allows you to experiment with several methods.
- The nodes might not be viable. Sometimes the nodes are not viable and they fail to produce roots or growth. Older pieces of stem might be more likely to have non-viable nodes. Try to select fresh new growth when propagating your Rhaphidophora.
- Cuttings rooted in water or soil might be more susceptible to rot due to stale water or overwatered soil. When rooting in water change out the water every week and remove any sheaths, or leaves in the water as they will start to decay and change the ph and oxygen level of the water. When propagating in soil try to keep the medium moist but never soggy of water logged.
I hope you enjoyed this propagation guide!
Corbin
