You could propagate a panda plant by using a couple of methods. They are by using stem cuttings or leaf cuttings.
To start off, panda plants are such great fits for both indoor gardening and for outdoors gardening too.
What are panda plant?
They usually comprise chubby fleshy leaves and require only a minimum of care from you. Hence, many people tend to grow this as a houseplant.
When it comes to propagation, it could be somewhat challenging particularly for someone who is into succulent gardening freshly.
You will sometimes fail when doing it so many times. There could be certain occasions where you complete the propagation properly but end up having disappointing results when they do not grow well.
When you come across such situations, you will have to do the propagation once again.
Before doing that, you need to do some investigation to realize what went wrong during the process and what are the reasons that caused it.
Once you learn the mistakes you made , you need to correct them and redo the process. Ultimately you will succeed with the propagation.
Let’s find out on how we should conduct a propagation properly and get the best results from the first attempt.
Panda plant propagation methods
Propagate a panda plant by Leaf
It is such great fun to grow panda plants using leaf cuttings. However, you need to make sure that you get the cutting in the right way so that you can get the best results.
When you take the cutting, you need to gently take it from the stem. Further ensure that no part of the leaf is remaining on the stem.
You might have to pluck several leaves from the plants. Having said that, do not remove a lot of leaves as it could badly affect the mother plant.
On the other hand, if you take only one leaf, there is only a little possibility of root formation, and you will have to redo the process.
Moreover, you need to always ensure that you are obtaining only the healthy leaves for the propagation. If you could spot any leaves which have signs of damages, refrain in using those for the propagation process.
Propagate a panda plant by Leaf Stem
Vegetative stems could form roots within a short period. You can always rely on the successful results of the stem propagation method.
When you select the stem, ensure that it does not have any flower growth. Further you need to make the cutting 2-3 inches in length.
After that you could take off a couple of leaves from the base of it. We will discuss this in detail as we proceed on.
Keep in mind that you need to conduct propagation always in spring or in summer. These are the seasons where the weather conditions would suit the best for the optimal growth.
Further they will give you successful results. Both stem cutting method and leaf cutting method are two easy ways of doing propagation.
However, many people tend to apply the stem cutting method since it will take only 15-20 days for the root formation.
Whenever you are conducting the propagation process, you need to be vigilant on the following.
- Obtain cuttings from healthy and disease-free plants always.
- Do not obtain cuttings aggressively unless it would lead to injuries and for damages to the plants.
- You need to cut the essential plant part only
- Best is to use sharp tools which are ideally sterilized and clean. Moreover, if you use unsharpened tools, that will lead to injuries in the plant unnecessarily.
Can panda plant propagation in water?
To answer the question, yes you can propagate the panda plants in water. To do that, you could simply first wither the leaf cuttings and let them callus for a few days.
You should place the leaves in a tiny bottle which you have filled with water. Further that bottle should ideally have a narrow neck.
Keep the leaf cutting ends slightly above the water surface. In case they tend to fall off, try covering the top of your bottle whilst using a plastic wrap. After that, make a hole in it and place the leaf right across it.
After some time, you could locate those cuttings somewhere where they could gain bright sunlight.
As the time passes, you will see how the leaves are forming roots right towards the water. Chances are that they could already form baby plants.
When they form healthy root systems, you could plant them in a succulent or cactus potting medium.
When all leaves are dry, you could take them off without harming it. Unless you may wait until they fall off on their own.
Propagation kit
Arrange the following tools before proceeding with propagation.
- Scissors to prepare leaf or stem cuttings
- Clean pots
- A potting mix
- Clean water in a vessel
How to propagate panda plant
This is such a simple process to follow. Trust you are now aware of all the prearrangements. Now it is the time to start off the process.
Wait until either spring or summer season arrives and take off the leaves or stem cuttings gently without harming the mother plant.
Let them wither for one weeks’ time maximum. Avoid letting them get dry for more than that. When you let them wither, it will allow the cut wounds to heal.
Obtain a clean pot which consists of a pre moistened potting medium.
Dig a hole in the soil and stick the cuttings in the soil mix. make sure the cuttings are well established in the soil mix. when they stay firm in the soil mix, it would help them to grow upright.
Water them lightly so that it could fasten up the growth of the plant. I would encourage you to mist them several times on a daily basis.
After that, you could cover the pots whilst using polyethene sheets and that would be beneficial for the moisture retaining of the specimen.
Next, you need to keep the containers somewhere they can gain indirect and bright sunlight., but do not expose them for extreme sunlight.
It will take about 15-20 days to form roots. However you could keep checking how they develop roots on a weekly basis.
When you see the roots have developed, you could try taking off the cuttings, when you feel like it is hard, that is an indication of a firm root formation.
So, as the final step, you could transplant them in a new pot which you have filled with a succulent or a cactus soil mix.
When you complete this process, you could continue taking care of the plant like you usually do with the regular plants.
How to care after propagation
Once you complete the propagation, you are still not finished. Do not ignore the plant unattended and ideally you need to take care of them a little extra during the first two weeks.
In case, if you fail to take care of them properly, it is very unlikely you will get the successful results.
As such you need to keep observing your pots whilst providing the necessary care treatments once you complete the propagation also.
Water requirements – once you stick the cuttings in the pot, you need to water them lightly which will consequently help to keep the soil moist.
You may also start misting them several times daily at the start. As they establish, you could reduce misting them.
Further when you spot the top surface of the soil is dry, you need to consider watering them. Just like with other succulents, always water them only when their soil is dry.
Avoid over watering them as that could be the biggest mistake you could make when growing them.
Light requirements – You need to expose them for indirect and bright sunlight only. The ideal temperature should be 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Best is to place them in a spot where they get ample sunlight. Refrain in exposing them for direct harsh sunlight.
Unless, it would have a bad impact on the root formation. If you consider them growing outdoors, you need to place them in a spot where they get indirect sunlight for some time and shade for some time as well.
Potting and repotting – when the cuttings have developed roots, you could consider in repotting them. To repot, the length of the roots should be ideally about 1 inch in length.
When you repot, make sure that you repot them in a slightly larger pot. Further, when choosing the soil mix, ensure that you are selecting a soil mix which is sandy.
Once you transfer them, you should take care of them as seedlings for some time which will consequently allow them to establish well in the new growing conditions.
Do not expose them for intense sunlight. In terms of the frequency of panda plant repotting, it should be ideally once every couple of years.
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