Separation is the easiest way to propagate not only garden plants, but also indoor plants. And it’s not just that even inexperienced growers can cope with the task. This is also the fastest method in terms of achieving decorativeness by the offspring of plants. Combined with transplantation, separation not only allows you to increase the collection of your favorite species, but is also an important tool for rejuvenating and restoring old indoor plants. Not all types of indoor crops can be divided. But for success, it is enough just to take care of accuracy.
Separation is an easy way to propagate indoor plants
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Which plants can be propagated by dividing?
Separation is the basic type of vegetative propagation of indoor plants, which involves dividing an adult plant into several parts and planting each as an independent plant. This method of reproduction is used both to produce offspring and to rejuvenate adult plants with the least effort and injury.
It is used for all crops, except for single-stemmed and non-rooted plants. In fact, you can divide any rhizome species growing “in width” (in groups or sods) and crops that produce daughter plants from mother tubers, bulbs and rosettes. In a word, they divide any plant that does not grow in splendid isolation, which has at least several points of growth and the ability to form shoots.
This propagation method is suitable for most indoor crops from bulbous to cereals, from ground covers to herbaceous perennials, regardless of their origin and degree of moodiness.
This is the best breeding method for many indoor pets: asparagus, sansevieria, tradescantia, salteyrolium, haworthia, zantedean, aspidistra, spathiphyllum, saintpaulia, clivia, streptocarpus, echeveria, aloe, agapanthus, ivy, ferns, cypress , pineapple and other bromeliads, calatheas, indoor bulbs, etc.
Separation does not apply to palms, most caudex, indoor shrubs and woody ones.
Read also our article 13 indoor plants that are easy to grow from seeds at home.
Benefits of separation as a breeding method
When they say that the reproduction of indoor plants is not such a difficult process, they first of all mean their division. Of all types of reproduction, even taking into account the ability of cuttings of many crops to release roots simply in water, division is the most accessible and easy.
There are many advantages to dividing indoor plants:
- as a result, it is possible to obtain a new plant with already formed roots, shoots and leaves;
- the adaptation of a new plant takes minimal time;
- this is the fastest way of reproduction – the cuttings will start to grow before the stalk takes root even in the “fastest” competitors;
- this is the least traumatic method;
- separation does not require special skills.
And the only, and even then conditional, disadvantages of reproduction of indoor plants by division are the loss of the mother bush and a limited number of new plants.
Separation as a propagation method is used both to produce offspring and to rejuvenate mature plants with the least effort and injury. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com fyta
How can a houseplant be divided?
Depending on the characteristics of the process, the division is of two types:
- Classical division involves the division of bushes, groups and curtains into 2-3 parts.
- Separation of offspring or daughter plants is carried out in species that produce side rosettes, babies and stolons, allowing you to simply separate a new plant while preserving the main bush. Sansevieria, Haworthia, bulbous themselves produce a large number of children, which are easily separated during transplantation.
The main principle of separation should always be the rule “do no harm”. It is necessary to separate indoor crops not only carefully, but also so that each part of the plant is equal and capable of taking root. You shouldn’t prefer quantity over quality. Except for the separation of bulbs and rosettes, large divisions with several points of growth, strong roots, healthy shoots and leaves are left during division.
Ease of separation in indoor plants directly depends on the sensitivity of the species to injury and contact with roots. For crops that are afraid of transplanting and preferring transshipment with the preservation of an earthen coma, this procedure requires more accuracy and special care.
Read also our article 10 houseplants that are easy to get from cuttings.
Dividing houseplants
Finding the right time to separate indoor plants is very easy: it is always spent with the transplant. For most plants, separation is carried out when it becomes cramped in the previous container, or flowering begins to suffer due to the large number of daughter plants. The separation of children from bulbous, tuberous, succulents and bromeliads is carried out after the release of their own roots and as they grow up.
The best period for separation is considered the end of February and March, but for crops that endure transplantation at other times, there are slightly more options. It is advisable to carry out the procedure at the end of the dormant phase or at the very beginning of the growing season; in emergency cases, separation is permissible during the active growth phase.
As with pruning, use only clean, disinfected tools and a dedicated area when separating. Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com Gardening Solutions
Basic rules for dividing indoor plants
As with pruning, use only clean, disinfected tools and a designated area. Containers with water, disinfectants for wounds, a sharp knife and containers for planting deeds should be prepared in advance.
For succulents, plant species with large daughter rosettes, bulbs and tubers, as well as perennials growing in large containers, you can do without transplanting, carefully “digging in” and separating daughter plants from the edge of the bush and filling the voids with substrate. But in most cases, you cannot do without taking it out of the pot.
When dividing indoor plants, the general rules for transplanting are observed, adhering to the standards for the timing and procedure for carrying out this procedure for a particular species. Trimming and cleaning, if necessary, is carried out prior to separation. The procedure itself consists of just a few steps.
After removing from the previous container, the plant is examined, the points of growth and the location of the shoots are determined. The roots of the plant are gently pushed apart in order to understand the direction of their growth and density of arrangement. The substrate can be carefully removed by hand or washed off (completely or partially, if the roots are large, not tangled, they are easy to see).
Having planned the separation lines and trying not to harm the roots, you should first try to break the plant by hand, without squeezing or tearing, but trying to carefully disconnect the parts with minimal injury. If the sods are not “stretched”, great efforts are required to separate and injuries are possible, it is better to immediately abandon the manual option and cut the sods and bushes with a knife. It will not be possible to manually separate species with powerful horizontal roots, stolons, thickened rhizomes and tubers. The cuts must be straight and clean.
Delenki and their roots are examined, if there are signs of damage or decay, the affected parts are removed, and too long roots are shortened. Old “bald spots” in the sod are cut out of cereals and ground cover.
Wounds on the roots and shoots must be treated with crushed coal. If juice is actively secreted or succulent species are separated, the delenki are dried.
Planting of cuttings and offspring is carried out in the same way as for adult plants. Having laid the drainage on the bottom of new containers, the diameter of which corresponds to the volume of the root system, the delenki are carefully placed on a mound of the substrate, filling the voids with soil and maintaining the same planting depth.
Despite the presence of their own roots, the dealerships need to be given time to recover, heal wounds and adapt.
Caring for the parcels after planting
Despite having their own roots, plants need to be given time to recover, heal wounds and adapt. Any extremes should be avoided until signs of growth appear. Observe the individual recommendations for the conditions of maintenance and care, but choose the “average” values of the parameters required by the plant.
Soft lighting without direct sun, slightly shaded compared to the usual place, moderate cool temperatures, gentle watering without extremes. Light, stable humidity and the maximum air humidity permissible for the species will allow plants to adapt faster. The plants are returned to standard conditions and to normal care after the appearance of growth signals. But the first feeding can be done only 4 weeks after the transplant.
