Hey Guys! My name is Maggie and here are some tips on how to make a propagation box
for String of Hearts. Here is my Ceropegia Woodii ‘Variegata’ which is the variegated form of the
classic “String of Hearts.” The creamy dusty green coloured heart-shaped leaves actually develop a
pink blush with greater exposure to sunlight. I wanted to make a propagation box for it,
because mine was looking a bit sparse on top. To ‘propagate’ a plant, simply means to ‘reproduce’
it. Most plants will form roots readily with node cuttings, rather than leaf cuttings. The
node is a critical area on the plant, where there is potential for new growth. It’s identifiable as
a bulging bud at the base of a leaf where it joins to the stem. For the String of Hearts, you can see
the node between the two leaves. Time to collect some cuttings with a disinfected pruning shear.
By the way, JUST before you go and snip-snip your plant, ensure you perform ample research on how
your plant is best propagated. Here is an array of all the different types of plant cuttings I
did - butterfly nodes, stem cuttings of young supple leaves, and a leggy stem with multiple
nodes. It’ll be interesting to see which type of cutting will produce the best roots in the end. To
create a propagation box grab a jug of water, a bowl, a clean takeaway container,
and cutting utensils. The potting medium i’m going to use for the propagation box will be
sphagnum moss. It’s fantastic because it retains moisture of up to 20 times its weight whilst
being structurally airy and fluffy to prevent rot. I bought this bag of sphagnum from Amazon,
and realised afterwards that it was reptile and amphibian friendly too. How cool is that? Look
at those lush long strands~ Feel free to remove any hitchhiking twigs too. Submerge
the Sphagnum Moss in a bowl of water for a few minutes. You don’t have to use filtered water,
just make sure the water is at room temperature. Set that aside while you punch ventilation holes
into the takeaway container’s lid. (I totally thought I would start a revolution by using
a hole puncher - yeh nah) Good ol’ trusty scissors! Cut a handful of small ventilation
holes into the lid only, This will allow some fresh air to move into our propagation box,
without compromising the humidity. Now it’s time to squeeze out as much excess water - your bare
hands can manage. Squeeze until the moss feels slightly moistened, but not dripping wet. Then
top up the container with about 2 inches of moss. Remember to floof it up like your new
hairdo. Spread the cuttings evenly on top of the Moss. Maneuver the nodes gently into the moss,
but let the leaves face upwards. This is to encourage the leaves to keep photosynthesising.
Pop the lid on and - TA-DA - Your very own propagation box. The idea is that it acts as
a miniature greenhouse by keeping the humidity stable. Plants love fresh air as much as humans,
so feel free to remove the lid once a week. If you ever need to top up on the moisture, simply spritz
it with some water - don’t pour water in. THINK - morning dew, not torrential downpour. Finding
a place to put the box is key to encouraging healthy growth. The high humidity within the box
needs to be balanced with a bright sunny location, preferably by a window that would provide decent
hours of indirect light everyday. I hope you enjoyed this video. Everytime I say Sphagnum
I think of the name Steven with a P-H, and that dog meme PHTEVEN. Love it. If you want to find
out which type of cutting was most successful in the end, don’t forget to hit like and subscribe.
Let me know in the comments any neat tricks you use for your plant propagation boxes. Bye!