How to propagate Calathea Plants

Does this method of propagation work for all Calathea types?

Although there are many different types of Calatheas, you can propagate them all in exactly the same way. Division is the best and most successful method of propagation for all Calatheas.

What’s the best time of year to propagate a Calathea?

We always recommend propagating houseplants in spring, and you want to do the same when propagating a Calathea. This gives your Calathea plants the best chance at a successful propagation. Try to make sure that any wintery cold weather is behind you so that your new Calathea plants are growing in warmer brighter months.

Propagating in autumn or winter will mean that your new Calathea plants will be trying to grow in the dormant period and you won’t see much growth. Cold temperatures can lead to an increased risk of root rot which can kill your plants quite quickly if their root system is delicate. If you really want to go ahead, we strongly recommend using a heat pad to keep the temperatures up.

Propagating your Calathea in spring gives quite a few months of sunshine and a warm environment which will encourage new roots and leaves to grow. It will also allow the mother plant to recover quicker from the shock of propagation.

Should I use a rooting gel or powder when propagating my Calathea?

Whilst it is not essential, you may wish to use rooting gels or powders to increase the success of your Calathea propagation. Rooting hormone products help to stimulate root growth on new cuttings. This helps to speed up root growth as well as produce stronger, healthier roots.

You can buy rooting hormone in 3 forms: powder, liquid or gel. When using a powder rooting hormone you dip the cutting into water and then into the powder before planting directly into fresh potting mix. The moisture helps the powder to stick to the cutting. You only want to cover the bottom section of the cutting where the roots will grow out from. Gel and liquid forms work in a similar way but are great when choosing to propagate your Calathea in water before potting mix.

Should I use a grow light for my Calathea propagation?

Grow lights are great to use when propagating houseplants as they provide ideal light conditions for young seeds, cuttings and plants. LED grow lights can help avoid problems such as slow and leggy growth caused by a lack of sunlight.

Grow lights are also a great investment beyond just propagation. If you don’t get much natural sunlight in your home then you can use these to help all of your plants grow stronger. We use them during autumn and winter when the days are a lot shorter and darker.

Why is it important to use clean tools when propagating?

It’s important to clean all of your tools before and after contact with any plant to stop cross-contamination between your houseplants. Scissors and shears can transfer pests and diseases across plants without you even knowing.

Another crucial reason to clean your tools after touching the plant is that many houseplants are toxic. Therefore you want to make sure that there is no trace of the plant on your tools as this can be harmful to you and anyone who might come into contact with your tools. Although Calathea plants are largely non-toxic, it’s a good habit to get into!

Can I propagate a Calathea plant from a single leaf?

Unfortunately, you won’t be able to propagate a Calathea from just a single leaf cutting. This is because there is no node for roots to grow out from. Division is the most successful method of propagation for your Calathea plant!

Do I need to fertilise my Calathea cuttings?

We never recommend fertilising your cuttings until they are around 1 year old. However, because you are propagating your Calathea through division and each of the sections will already have an established root system you can fertilise after a few months.

You’ll need to give your new plants a few months to get over the shock of propagation before fertilising.

How many divisions can I make from one Calathea plant?

The amount of new plants you can divide depends entirely on the maturity of your mother plant. When dividing, you want to make sure that each section has a good amount of the overall root system. This will help speed up the growth of healthy new leaves.

Why isn’t my new Calathea plant growing any new roots?

After dividing up your Calathea into several new plants, it’s totally normal for them to feel shock. Think about how stressful humans find it to move home, well it’s kind of the same for plants. It will take them a few weeks or months to full settle into their new home and grow new roots.

As long as the environment and care are right for your Calathea, then you should start to see new roots and leaves growing. If you are trying to propagate when the temperatures aren’t super high in your home then this may be the cause of the lack of growth. You can help to speed up root growth by using a heat pad that you place underneath your plant. This warms up the area and provides an ideal environment for new growth.

Why is my cutting turning mushy?

If your cutting is turning brown and mushy then unfortunately this isn’t a good sign. This is usually due to overwatering of the new younger Calathea plant. You want to make sure you are letting the potting mix dry out between watering. We recommend trimming away the mushy parts of the cutting and hoping that it can still recover and grow roots.

Why are the new leaves on my new Calathea plants small?

After propagating your Calathea it’s totally normal for some of the new leaves to start off smaller. This is completely natural and simply due to the root system being less mature than that of the larger plant. Give it time and slowly the new leaves will start to get bigger and you can trim away the smaller leaves to encourage new healthy growth.

Why is my Calathea turning yellow?

If the leaves on your Calathea are turning yellow then it may be due to too much direct sunlight which has burnt or scorched the leaves. Root rot could be another cause so inspect the roots closely.