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Article By: Carla Hinsey
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Propagating New Plants From Parent Plants
One of the easiest houseplants to propagate a new plant from is the variegated Pothos Ivy, Epipremnum aureum, Maple Queen. This is a strikingly beautiful cascading plant with dark green heart shaped leaves. The variegation ranges from a light cream to deep gold. They are a lush and thick hardy plant that grows well in medium light. An east or north facing window is perfect for them. Avoid direct sun light.
A friend of mine gave me a variegated Pothos Ivy a few years ago. It was a small plant in a small hanging basket. It was spring so I put it outside in a shady spot. It took off growing like a rocket. After a few months it had runners almost four feet long. The funny thing was it only had four runners on it. It looked funny, and it was long and skinny.
Deciding to trim it, I was hoping to improve its appearance. I cut the stems just below two leave sections leaving the runners about eight inches long. Well, now it looked awful. Not knowing what to do with it, I decided to just leave it.
I had heard somewhere, that if you put plant trimmings in a glass of water and put them in a bright window they would root. I didn't have the heart to just throw them away so that's what I did. I cut the long runners into foot long sections. I trimmed a few leaves off to make a longer bare stem. Then I put them in a glass with water and put them in a bright window without direct sunlight.
A few weeks later I was outside, and decided to take a look at the plant my friend had giving me. I was Feeling bad about the whole thing, but to my surprise I was delighted at what I saw. Thinking I had ruined the plant, I discovered trimming it was the best thing I could have done for it. What I found was that it had stopped growing long and had started new growth at the soil level. For every runner I had trimmed the plant started two new stems. In just a few weeks the new stems had already grown about four inches with a couple of sets of leaves.
I kept it watered, and I fertilized it about once a month. During the summer months I trimmed it a couple of more times. I kept the trimmings and put them in water as I did before. By early fall it had grown into a totally awesome plant. It was lush and thick. The length was well over four feet.
With the nights turning cooler I decided it was time to bring it inside. Our kitchen has a northern bay window. I hung it there so my husband and I could enjoy it while we sat at the dinning table. After a couple of days, my husband asked if we could trim some of it off. He said he was having trouble seeing out the window. Cut some off, I thought. I already have two new plants started and trimmings rooting in a glass of water. I had to admit, he was right, even I was having trouble seeing out the window.
The funny thing is, it's been over two years since I received that Pothos Ivy as a gift. I sometimes wonder about that. At any rate, every one of our windows has a Pothos Ivy hanging in front of it. So, if you know of anyone that might like to have one of their own, please let me know. I know where they can get one.
Article Source: ArticleZones.com
About the Author
I am a freelance writer. I write for adults and children. I write both fiction and non-fiction stories and articles. Being from Native American decent, I hope to change the life's of people, both young and old, from my writings and experiences. I was shown the old ways as a young person and live my life accordingly. In my writings, I hope to show people another way to live their lives. Visit me at http://carla.info451.com
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