Can You Take a Cutting & Root a Hindu Rope Plant?

Preparation

• For cuttings, use a 3- to 4- inch pot with drainage holes. Scrub the pot with hot, soapy water and then rinse thoroughly. If the pot has been used before, rinse it with a mixture of 1 part household bleach in 10 parts water. Fill the container with a well-draining potting medium, such as coarse, clean sand, vermiculite, or a mixture of half perlite and half peat moss. Plants with succulent stems and leaves, like Hindu rope plant, rot quickly in poorly drained soil. Water the potting mixture until is evenly, lightly moist.

Cutting

• A leaf from a vibrant, disease-free Hindu rope plant is the best candidate for rooting because unhealthy plants are unlikely to root. Cut a plump leaf, along with about 1/2 to 1 inch of stem, using a sharp, clean knife or razor blade. Dip the tip of the stem in liquid or powdered rooting hormone to encourage rooting. Plant the leaf upright in the moist potting soil with the bare stem planted in the soil and the leaf above the soil. If you plant more than one leaf, make sure the leaves don't touch.

Caring for Cuttings

• Hindu rope plant is a tropical plant that roots well in a warm, moist environment. To provide this environment, place the pot in a resealable plastic bag. Seal the bag but leave about 1 inch open to provide air, as too much humidity may cause the leaf to rot. Place the container in bright, indirect light and a warm spot with temperatures between 68 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Leave the cutting undisturbed until you see new growth that indicates the cutting has rooted, then remove the plastic bag. Rooting usually occurs in two to three weeks.

Care of Rooted Plants

• Although Hindu rope plant tolerates light shade, the it performs best in morning sun or indirect light from an east- or west-facing window. Never allow the potting soil to become either bone dry or sopping wet. Water until water drips through the drainage hole whenever the soil feels dry to about one-half the depth of the container. Allow the pot to drain and never let it stand in water. Feed the plant once every month, using a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer mixed at a rate of 1/4 teaspoon of fertilizer mixed in 1 gallon of water.