Do It Gorgeously: How to Make Less Toxic, Less Expensive, and More Beautiful Products (48 page)

HOW TO

1.
Pick out your “mother” plant—the one from which you want to create many plants—and, using a sharp pair of scissors, cut through the center of the node.

2.
Fill your pot or container with potting soil and jab a pencil into the soil, creating 2-inch-deep holes. Try to fit 3 or 4 cuttings in one pot (spacing them 2 inches apart).

3.
Dip the stem of the cutting in the rooting powder and then drop it into the hole, firming the soil around the stem.

4.
Water gently, then place the pot in a plastic bag and either seal the bag or tie the top of it with a rubber band.

5.
Cuttings will take root in warm, humid conditions. You could set the pot on top of your fridge or in a warm laundry room. Every now and then, open the bag and test the soil to see if it’s still damp. If not, add water. A cutting can take anywhere from 10 days to 3 months to take root, so be patient. My mom tests by gently pulling on one of the plants.

Scientific Method

This is more fiddly, for sure, but might be more your thing.

HOW TO

1.
Pick your “mother” plant. This should be a plant with plenty of greenery.

2.
Look for the node.

3.
Sterilize your scissors in the rubbing alcohol and snip the stem just below the node.

4.
If you are taking your cutting from a friend’s yard, pop it into a small, clean plastic bag with a wet paper towel in it and seal it until you get home.

5.
Sterilize the razor blade and cut a clean cut through the center of the node.

6.
Remove all but a couple of the leaves on the stem.

7.
Have a small plant pot ready and filled with potting soil. Push a pencil down a couple of inches into the soil to make a hole for the stem.

8.
Pour a little water into one glass and the rooting stimulator into another. Dip the cut node into the water first, then into the rooting solution. Tap off any excess liquid (less is more).