Do Propagation Boxes Improve Propagation? Pros and Cons | Do's and Don't! 

I really love how you prepare your videos months ahead, the amount of planning! Appreciate the effort you put into this, well done!

I would recommend setting up prop boxes with a full layer of moss at the bottom, instead of pots. Your humidity will remain constant, and I add a bottom layer of leca under the moss to ensure the water loss is less dramatic. These also tend to do better with grow lights, with less risk of sun damage as you have experienced in the past

I feel like you just have ideal growing conditions where you live lol where I live in Wisconsin, humidity boxes are a huge help especially in winter. But you are correct about plastic waste. Aaand I just got to the end where we share the same thoughts 😅

I’m in Chicago. Right now all of my plants are in my basement with grow lights because it’s winter here. I absolutely have to use a prop box every time I propagate. It just helps with my complete lack of humidity. But I bet in Indonesia it’s probably not as much of an issue.

To be fair Sean, I think your outside humidity is more than most people have while their trying to propagate their plants, so I’m thinking a persons climate has a lot to do with whether you need a propagation box or not. My plants struggle during the winter months with only 16 percent humidity and that’s with a humidifier running. Granted I keep our home warmer than most because I’m an old fart and get chilly easily. So while you have great success without a propagation box my cuttings would turn into cinder. P.S. I LOVE YOUR EXPERIMENTS ! Thank you! 🌷💚🙃 AND NOW MY APOLOGIES, I agree climate matters 🌷💚🙃

I like your plant related contents. I learn and enjoy watching you doing updating❤️

Sean, I never water my prop box at all and it's been almost two years. I just stick the cuttings in there long enough for roots to grow an inch or so before I transplant. I use sphagnum moss or perlite. I like using prop boxes because I don't have to water the cuttings at all...it's a set and forget method. I do something similar with direct to soil propagations, I put them in old ziplock bags or reuse the clear plastic bags from online shopping purchases so I don't have to remember to water

What a healthy and lovely Plants.... Thank you for sharing...Sean. Happy Monday...

Now, Sean. If I lived in paradise, I wouldn’t need prop boxes either! 😉😂😂😂 my props root so much better in my prop box, but I also have a heat pad under them, which I really feel is the key. We have such low humidity here in Ohio, USA, about 6 mos of the year. I love your videos! Thank you for what you do. Stay safe and be happy!!! 💚💚💚

Well prop box propagations depend on : first your climate region , whether you have it in shade indoors, the medium with which you propagate plants in them.etc. I grow my anthurium silver Blush, my Crystallinum, a philodendron Furcatum( most finicky plant ever) a monstera siltepicana and some Verrucosum cuttings during winter in a prop box in moss and perlite and they love it! When they outgrown the box I'll gradually acclimate them by opening the lid for a certain amount of time till late spring comes. Thank you for your video and the effort you put in it everytime!! Cheers Sean!!

Good morning 🌄. Watching from the Philippines. It's 1:05 am.

Thank you for the good information. It was very helpful.

Omg vids 2 days in a rowwwww woooooo love ur propagation videosss

I live in a semi arid climate, so prop boxes are my saviors. Great video as always!

So true about waste, i try use what i have, this was really helpful, thank you

I think a main consideration with this is that where I am (northeastern US) I don't have the high humidity you have where you live. I have always found it very difficult to root most things without some sort of humidity (large plastic bags, prop box, etc). I do always gradually open the humidity tent/box to allow the plants to harden off, so yes, that's something you need to think about but it's really not a big deal. I love propagating things, and do it a lot. With regard to your comment about plastic, you're right... I like using trays that I've gotten things in from the grocery store or restaurants when I can.

New sub here and I really appreciate your videos. So interesting, informative and thorough. I'll be binge watching...

Depending on where the grower is in the world, the propagation box works very well especially for the rest of us in areas with very long winter seasons.

I tried a propagation box recently for the first time with mix results. I used an old food container and put some pink princess cuttings in there and they did quite well! However, I also did a BUNCH of pothos cuttings and after a few months they only had a few nubs poking out which I found puzzling since pothos typically grow like crazy for me when I plant them directly into soil or put in water. I ended up just throwing the nodes into a pot with some potting mix and they're starting to push leaves out now. The pink princess's did really well though and grew quickly so I'm pretty excited about that! I just recently potted them up with the mother plant and added a moss pole and the babies look so cute! Can't wait to watch it grow into a beast! I just wanted to add that I love your channel and I could listen to you talk about plants all day! I went backpacking in south-east Asia for 2 months and whenever I see all the tropical plants growing everywhere it reminds me of how beautiful and lush everything is there! (I'm from Canada, and I miss those tropical vibes:)

It is very helpful here, but we use either moss or perlite on the bottom. These are extremely so much better for me than any other method.

My prop box has a black lid and I just keep it in my bedroom. Now the weather is getting warmer in the uk, I put it outside and take the lid off and mist it regularly. I’m trying all the propagation methods to go to my first plant swap and I’m hoping they’ll work out🤞🏽🤞🏽

I am using prop boxes with moss for my cuttings to root. Sometimes water propagation. I live in Germany and my prop boxes are easy to maintain. A layer of moist moss at the bottom of the box and cuttings on top. Nearly no watering necessary. Regardless of the seasons. Works best with a warmer surrounding but even on a colder (10-20°C) windowsill. And if I don't use the boxes for my propagations, I can use them for other things.

Terimakasih pelajarannya..kereeen dan aku akan mencobanya..

Right on time! 😍

I haven’t visit your Chanel in a few months. Saw you exceeded 100k subscribers. Congrats 🍾🎊🎉🎈

on my balcony the humidity is about 40-50% only. while in the prop box i can get it to 70-80% constantly. so thats where i root my cuttings in small plastic cups with sphagnum moss. used to be a bed of moss with cuttings on it. but the use of plastic cups will limit the range of root growth. makes it easier to clean out the moss from the roots later on.

Hi Sean, love your videos. I was wondering if you could do a video on philodendron hederaceum’s. I struggle with this for some reason.

I live in Jakarta. Well yeah we already have high humidity and its easy for plants to thrive even we just put them outside. But I find prop boxes are quite helpful with my fussy plants. It's like a plant ICU for me :D I can just put it in there and forget it for weeks and they are thriving

Hi Sean! Ticoplantguy here :) I agree with you about everything you said and your conclusions! At the end the result is practically the same, and it might be fun for experimenting and that kind of stuff, but the final result is always very similar, at least in countries like where we live with high humidity outside.

i’m curious to know what the roots look like in comparison.

On point!

I use so many prop boxes because my overall humidity is low. My home humidity is about 50% always which is good for mature plants but baby plants need more help. I do use a humidifier.

I live in a dry climate and prop boxes definitely help. I re-use plastic food containers and use perlite, put only a tiny layer of water on the bottom and only add water once there is no more condensation. Light is bright indirect. If I lived in your climate I wouldn't bother with prop boxes either!

I did this method with perlite, and like you said, the plant will shock if you immediately move them from propbox, so during their process, every 2 3 days i always open the lid, let the actual air came in. As you know in Indonesia the sun is reaallyy hot right😂 so always keep in mind, let them get usual with our condition, not in that extra humid condition

I live in a hot dry climate outside Nairobi. My garden is native but my container plants exotics. I start my fern spores, rhipsalis and epiphyllum seeds in these boxes- some native species seeds too. Though most native species cuttings tend to rot in the boxes if kept too long. I also start my schlumbergera, african violets and carnivorous plants cuttings in these boxes, usually in vermiculite. I grow my ferns and mosses all year round in these boxes and use these boxes to revive struggling plants. I have lived in more humid places where I did not use these boxes. You are lucky that you can grow a wider range of plants. I hate that I am contributing to plastic waste. I am not willing to give up my exotics but as I garden organically, maybe I am helping the planet a little?

I use my prop boxes to propagate cream splash, Scindapsus silver lady, syngonium milk confetti wet sticks with very positive results. All single node/single leaf. I didn't individually pot then tho. I layer mine with spaghnum mixed with perlite on top of leca balls. Basically just stick a bunch of cuttings into the spaghnum and let them grow out roots in that setting. I'll repot them only when they grow at least 1-2 new leaves and adapt them to normal environment. I get to propagate more cuttings this way.

You are totally right, why using a box if humidity is already high. my humidity is 40-50% so i get an advantage of a prop box where i live

I'd put perlite directly in the box and the plants in the perlite. But I guess the 4" pots your using are okay, I just haven't seen that before.

We have the same kind of weather, Singapore and Jakarta and we have no issues with propagating out in the open. However I do have an Ikea rack that has a cover, for those sick plants that need a bit of help. Unlike a propagation box, the cover has a zip at the front and when closed, it still lets air in from the bottom so it doesn't overheat as much.

In my zone there is less humidity so i use prop box and lid is not transparent... my thai node that dint had any roots for an entire year grew a root

I think in SE Asia like you said the humidity is already high. I live in NV desert 🌵 and humidity is about 20 percent. One thing i know for sure is you don’t need to water plants in box as often as outside the box

I use prop boxes a lot. I am in LA, CA so no high humidity ever here. I do a layer of leca on bottom then about 2” of perlite. On a heat mat. 99% success rate!

I'm from Canada, I think prop boxes are best for regions with more than 1 season/outer wear requirements. We don't have the luxury of tropical conditions year round. I've also almost always seen prop boxes with Sphagmoss as the bottom layer, even mixed with orchid bark - plant cuttings just laid on top. This gives you another video you could make - different types/ways to set up prop boxes - you can compare it to your overly simple version.

I want a Calathea zebrina care, leaf burn,wilting, repoting video please please please 😭😭😭😭😭😭

In what kind of substrate you potted up those cuttings?

Well your environment is basically a prop box, so I can see that you don't need one..but being semi-arid, it definitely helps here...

Make a roots comparison please.

Hi there, I have been researching for weeks now but still can't come to the right conclusion.......I am doing the same thing as you to save my plants in winter and I give them humidity. I place my Hygrometer inside the box and it reached above 100. Will this infect my plants, create root rot and bring spider mites?? I tried this for one night and I see nothing on the plants. I am too scared to close the lid for a week with 100 humidity for my Alocasias. Otherwise Outside Weather is 13°C Precipitation: 4% Humidity: 82% Wind: 23 km/h But I have them indoors so much warmer usually 15o C. Will get Colder during the next month or so. Kind Regards for you help. Thank you

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Hey Sean! What kind of monstera is that behind you, the one with the LARGE leaves? I've always found it quite beautiful :)

will this type of propagation be suitable for adansonii? Newb planter here 😅

Lol you live in Jakarta where the humidity is already higher. So you already have success in propagating outside. You lucky duck!! Us poor folk in dry environments need our prop boxes 😂😂

Tp aku kemaren baru aja beli bonggol dari akar Melano crysum bisa saya coba kah .disubgkup

You could have used other plant species. Micans are like pothos that can thrive wherever you put them. Try to propagate humidity loving plants. They put out leaves almost 50% faster

To be fair. Most of us dont live near the equator like you so you might have to compare prop-box results to 30-50% humidity conditions in that case. I would assume your indoor humidity is way higher than ours since temperature and humidity outside also are way higher than most places.

❤☘️

A prop box is to get roots on a cutting, why would you leave the plants any longer?

I found that the size of the propagation box also affect the growth of the plant… smaller pot needs a slightly smaller propagation box than the bigger ones, or it will not give you the best result

I think Indonesia has enough natural humidity, so need no prop boxes there 😊

This is really climate dependent - if you live anywhere but the tropics, you NEED prop boxes to get tropical plant cuttings going. I'm in southern Australia and could never get things going without them even though my humidity is pretty good (50 - 70%). It's not just humidity, its just keeping the climate stable around the baby plants. I use a layer of moss on the bottom, not in pots, and never water them, except for a light mist on the moss once or twice over summer if they dry out. They definitely can't be left in the direct sun...unless you want to cook the cuttings for dinner using passive solar lol! I also use them as rehab for things that need a head start. I don't find any issues bringing them out of the boxes at all, as long as they have a good root system on them.I think anything grown with grow lights as additional lighting does better. I also tend to find re used plastic boxes - if they already exist and are being used for something else anyway, it does no further harm to re use them. Op shops here commonly have clear plastic food boxes which work well. Of course old fish tanks and similar work too, just impossible to move around! :) :)

What will be the result if the humidity is around 30 percent. In that situation I think propogatiion boxes may be a better option. Please throw some light on this.

Lordy, Sean, your natural environment is a prop box by comparison to the environment for many of us in the world. 😂😂😜

Just a joke: where you trying to milk a cow when you said stay safe and made that hand gesture ? 🌷💚🙃

Ivy will root great on spaghum moss and plastoc bins