Whether you are trying to propagate your Calathea Musaica to create new plants, give cuttings to friends or if you are trying to save part of your plant if it’s dying, the process is really rewarding and quite simple.
In this post, we will go through the entire process of Calathea Musaica (Network) propagation, as well as go through any problems you might face and share our top tips for success.
Is it easy to propagate a Calathea Musaica?
Propagating a Calathea Musaica is actually a fairly simple process and you can’t go too wrong following the steps. It’s also quite a quick process, unlike a lot of other propagation methods so you’ll have plenty of new Calathea Musaica plants in no time at all.
What methods can be used to propagate a Calathea Musaica?
Unfortunately, Calathea Musaica ‘Network’ plants can only be propagated through the division method. Whilst it’s possible to propagate through seeds, this is very difficult and takes a very long time. This is why it’s best to leave this to the professionals. Below you’ll find a detailed step-by-step process of how to propagate your Calathea Musaica through the division method.
How to propagate a Calathea Musaica through the division method
Take your Calathea Musaica out of its pot
Lift your plant out carefully so you don’t damage your plant. Never pull from the leaves as they can end up ripping. Check if the roots have started to grow out of the drainage holes as you might need to untangle these to prevent them from snapping.
Remove the potting mix from the root system
To be able to divide the plant, you’ll need to locate the various natural sections of your Calathea Musaica. To do this, carefully remove the bulk of the potting mix from the roots. A good way is to loosely run your fingers through the root system, shaking the roots slightly to separate them.
Separate the sections
The roots might need some delicate untangling easily but you should be able to pull the various sections of your plant apart. If your Calathea Musaica only has one central section, then you can slice this section in half to create two new plants. Use a clean, sharp knife to slice the plant in half.
Place the sections in fresh potting mix
The first thing to do is get your mother Calathea Musaica plant back in its pot, or a smaller pot if you have taken away a large section of the plant. Then you need to plant your new section into fresh potting mix.
Continue normal Calathea Musaica care
Now that your cutting is now in fresh potting mix you can care for it as you would your other Calathea Musaica. And that’s it – your Calathea Musaica (Network) propagation is complete! All that’s left to do is decide if you want to keep your new plant or if you want to gift it to someone.
What time of year should I propagate my Calathea Musaica?
We tend to recommend starting the process in Spring, once all the cold wintery weather is behind you. This then gives your offshoots plenty of warm sunny months to recover from the shock of propagation as well as mature.
Although, with Calathea Musaica propagation, because you are using the division method, it does mean that it’s possible to propagate your plant at other times of the year if you need to. This is because the offshoots will already have roots so root growth isn’t as important as with the other methods.
Is it possible to propagate a Calathea Musaica from a single leaf?
Unfortunately, you’ll need the cutting to include a node for roots to grow out from. If you were to propagate a single leaf, it wouldn’t be able to grow roots and would wilt and die pretty quickly.
To learn more about how to care for your new plants after propagation, check out our Calathea Musaica care guide.
