I Wish I Knew These Propagation Tips 5 Years Ago 

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Variegated plants have types of cells with two different genotypes, the green one and the mutated one ( which causing the yellow stipe). If you propagate with cuttings, only one of the greencell types (the green one) will grow into a new plant, losing the other cell type (with the mutant genotype). When propagating by division the roots remain intact (have the green and yellow cells ‘programmed’) and the new plant grows with variegation. Not a hero but I love snake plants and try to learn as much as I can about them. Sending love from my 🐍 plant corner 💚

If you watch his older videos and compare them to now, its incredible seeing his humour come to light, he seems less camera shy and these videos are just a joy to watch, its hilarious how entertaining you make having plants as a hobby be to watch, keep up the great work!

This dude is just the right amount of funny and snarky to go with his wonderful knowledge. As an American I chuckle when you say, "Pull its trousers down." Respect Mr. Sheffield, and you crack me up when you refer to Mrs. Sheffield.

We love Mrs. Sheffield!!!

I LOVE your sense of humor on how you described this. Very entertaining!

Alternate to the perlite prop box: moss and bark prop casserole dish. Take an old casserole dish (maybe decorative or made of glass), put a mix of chopped moss and semi-coarse bark into it , water it, cover it with cling film - tadaaah - harvest plants intead of lasagna.

I’ve never blushed listening to a propagation video before.

Place the glass jar into a terracotta pot. Blocking the light helps keep the slime from forming.

I love Saturday mornings waking up with Sheff and a cup of coffee - and seeing you reply! My new favorite Saturday a.m. tradition - with the same excitement as I had for Saturday morning cartoons as a kid in the US in the 80s!❤️😄

Hello, I live in USA and love tour videos. I am 76 sand have learned new information.. All your information is filled with common sense and entertaining. You are the first one I go to for great information. Thanks for being you.

Bless Mrs Sheffield! and Mr Sheffield and the lil Sheffield's 😂❤

Do you know that I'm watching your content not for plant care but for entertainment? keep it going!

I sometimes put a (water) snail or two from my aquarium into the water glasses for propagating. I've had a lot success with the th growing avocados with this method.

Love and Peace.

Mrs Sheffield knows best!! It’s good to see you got rid of those ugly boxes 📦 😂 Great tips 😊

The best plant channel on youtube😊❤ I laugh so much watching this channel. Great information and great entertainment😂❤

Inserted "Are you that hero?" puppy is one of the reasons I love your videos. And I like your plant info too:) I pick your videos over others because of the fantastic entertainment value, and my plants get the knowledge drop benefit. So please consider adding that puppy to more of your videos. My plants want me to watch you more:)

in sheffield we trust!!! thank you for the tips, I've been struggling with propagations🙏🙏

Thank you for your knowledge, Mr. Sheffield! As someone still semi-new to the hobby (caught the plant bug in May 2023), I'm observing a lot of what you point out in this video. My plants are at the point now where I have to chop and prop and I'm seeing that I'm only successful at propping about half the time. This video is so needed!

I add a bit of charcoal to water propagation, it keeps the water from getting slimy and gross (though it is black and gross unfortunately)

Hey guy your videos are getting funnier and I'm all for it! You're pretty sick eh get well soon😊

I'm half and half about rooting powder. I did a year of propagation at horticultural collage around 27 years ago, and things were a lot different back then. I'd say that back then, they told us we should use it for all cuttings, but I've found over the years that most don't really need it, either because I didn't bother to dip them, or I'd run out, or whatever. However, there are some things that I would always use it with, as most rooting powders contain a fungicide, which, as you know, is the biggest killer of cuttings in horticulture.. (followed by bacterial rot). So for things like Begonias, Streptocarpus and all Gesneriads, and other very 'soft growth' plants, I always use it, along with copper sulphate in the first waterings

I love babying water roots. I’ve especially enjoyed babying my lucky bamboo I got in August that had no roots yet and slowly grew them in water then transferred it to soil. So far so good! In fact today it’s time for a good watering.

Love your advice, and sense of humour, sir ❤

really like to propagate in water. .I always put activated charcoal in the water. It helps to keep the water fresh sometimes I forget to change the water and it never gets nasty . I just propagated a angel wing Begonia like like this and only changed the water 2 times in a month. It is now a healthy plant. Good video keep up the good work.

Good personality. Funny.❤

Thank you for your tips and tricks. Your information is very useful and your humor always gives me a good chuckle!

You can also use sphagnum moss if you don't wanna use perlite. I'm not 100%, but I think changing the water for cuttings will make them grow slower. The "old" water is better for them. So, if you wanna change the water, you shouldn't change more than maybe 50% of it.

Tips and thoughts: At some point I read an article about the development of Sansevieria leaves, which explained the different patterns of variegation and why variegated leaves almost exclusively produce normal green plants or completely white ghosts. Unfortunately, I can't find it anymore, but if you know where in the leaf cell division takes place during growth, what you observe behaves according to very logical rules. It helps some plants to get only sparse light during the rooting phase. They do not yet have the opportunity to drink water through the roots, as you said, and photosynthesis mercilessly drives up transpiration. We have observed in our Hɔ͡ya group that cuttings even root particularly quickly when they are in complete darkness but at a good temperature. We came to this conclusion because cuttings in plastic bags had often already developed roots during a longer shipment by post, while their sister cuttings, which rooted in a normally bright environment, had not even started yet. Without light, the development of microorganisms is also slowed down, which brings me to the next tip. Against slimy water propagation it helps to use RO water, prevent light penetration and a few drops of H2O2 from time to time. Slime consists of microorganisms that settle on dead tissue. Without light energy and in an environment that is as sterile as possible, they will not multiply that much in the first place. Rooting hormones in gel form can stimulate cell multiplication even before cutting. Otherwise, the rooting speed is purely dependent on the auxin level or is controlled by the apical dominance. If you know how apical dominance works, you can intervene very effectively and direct the development according to your own ideas. The fact that cuttings with more light often root faster has to do with the fact that light is a factor in auxin level development. Try a few comparative rootings where the leaves do not receive any light, but the growth points on the stem do. (This way you can save yourself the trouble of cutting the leaves smaller). As always, thank you Richard!

I was just propagating my silver pothos yesterday. I always propogate via water or division. I have never had luck with perlite boxes.

I found this with variegated Peperomia too. Propagating with a stem cutting, it will keep the variegation. But propagating with a leaf cutting, the new plant will be reverted. Which is ok if you want to get a different plant you don’t already have. 😉

Well great. I bought rooting powder because you said so. And here I am looking forward to my snake plant family trying to grow from the original plant per one of your episodes. I've done a couple other things following your direction . I started watering my two plants from the bottom rather than from the top but I see here you're watering from the top! I've learned a few good lessons today.

I’ve had a lot of success rooting cuttings by putting them in my little £19 IKEA greenhouse! I’ve positioned it near a south facing window and even in the not-so-sunny England, my cuttings are shooting out roots like mad! I imagine that pairing that with a grow light might as well be wizardry!

Thank you for cheeky planting advice! I think I will try the perlite prop box. I've heard you talk about it but we're propagating basil, mint and rosemary in an attempt to winter them over since winters are sometimes brutal here in Hardiness zone 7 in the USA. At least brutal for simple outdoor plants.

'A slime fest of epic proportions'😂😂😂😂😂

Not only do snake plants lose their verigation when propagated by leaf cuttings, but my cylindrica, star fish, and fernwood make pups that don't look like the parent plants at all. My cylindrica is having African spear babies.

I just used your cling film hack on a tiny Jewel Orchid that my local plant shop was throwing in the bin. Fingers crossed she'll grow 🙏 Thanks for great content!

I love those clear spinach/arugula/greens salad containers when I buy greens at the produce department of my grocery store. They're little and allow more light because they come with a clear lid. They are so much more convenient. I love your channel, Mr. Sheffield. All the best to Mrs. Sheffield. She may like the containers better too.

Man I had to stop at 1:15 cracking up 😂 no you didn’t say that, I hope I make it through the whole video without wetting myself 😂😂 Blessings 💜💜

I always enjoy your videos! I was surprised at the tossing of rooting powder!

Great video my friend! 👍

Dang. I nearly spat my tea out when you said "they look pretty darn ugly". 😂 I'd just been thinking the exact same thing. 😂

I found these really nice small suction cups I use throughout the sides of my aquariums to propagate leaf cuttings. However the propbox is my go to for stems!❤

They propagate some orchids with just like an inch long stem piece in a box with wet paper towel or spaghnum moss. Might be a convenient experiment for other plants too.

Thank you!

Rooting indoors use lots of light but rooting outside you want to keep it out of direct sun.

I've seen your videos where you mention rooting powder. Now I'm glad I never got around to buying any 🙂

You are the perfect you tuber 😂😂😂... I so enjoy looking at your videos ❤.. love the faces you do and the way you describe things.. I learned a lot and I have so fun doing it.. greetings from Sweden ❤

Great timing, I just recently propagated my own snake plant through one of its little still growing rootballs/leafs-to-be and trying to get my rubber tree cutting to grow a single root 😂❤

Mr Sheffield i❤ your videos ,always make me smile

Wow! Love this vid 😍

Great video... You're a real inspiration! Cheers

Brilliant! This helps a lot.

I have been watching youtube videos on propagation for months! Might I add, I have not been successful at it (Tried soil, water, and moss). Now that I found this video, I understand why!!! LIGHT!!!! Nobody mentions light, really. So, I went to the link you provided and ordered Sansi grow lights!!!! I also ordered Perlite. Thank you! You are truly the best plant parent out there. Thanks for sharing your wisdom and doing it with humor!!! Love it. Now I'm going to look up your videos to learn about pruning (I hate doing it. I feel I'm hurting the plants!) and when to do it.

I'm going to a plant swap today, bringing a bunch of cuttings and some wet sticks that I can't wait to share 😊

Your tips are excellent! Your channel is full of entertainment and educational value! 😂

Once I used this to get the green plant, because it was nowhere to be found for sale. So I bought this variety, and got my green one after some time. 😀

I use an air stone (aquarium bubbler) in a jar of water. I haven't had any rot yet 🤞

omg ive never heard of cutting large leaves to get them to root faster! tbh i've never tried to prop anything w large leaves until my fiddle leaf fig. i've heard of pulling extra leaves off + leaving 1 leaf. i have 2 fiddle leaf fig props, each w 1 giant leaf, that haven't rooted in months, but aren't rotting. i will cut them up tomorrow as I am sick of them not getting a move along lol

Great 👍

Love your videos Mr. Sheffield. Would putting perlite in the jars help with the slimy roots and allow increased laziness? Are perlite roots sturdier? I am just getting into house plants. I also live in a light-averse part of the world and enjoy laziness and plants.

I’ve learned a lot from this one video Blessings 💜💜

Briiiiilliant! Thank you ✅✅✅

Thanks for sharing this great tricks🤩🪴

Would you show us how to propagate calathea?

🤣🤣🤣 Deja vu! I think we just had this conversation 🤔

Sideways crate or bin open side facing the window and can double as a shelf for other plants for the prop box. Does Mrs Sheffield approve? 😊

I kinda of wanna try and see if they get roots faster with many or fewer leaves now. 'Cause I've heard both. Cut away the leaves so there's less loss of water. And keep the leaves because they photo-synthesize and speeds up the growth of new leaves. Hmm...

Great information. I love this topic. 😊

Great video, acting and facial expressions that came with it also 😊 😅

Would love to see a video of Mrs Sheffield’s favorite plants 😊 And maybe a list of some of her least favorites and why 😉

The cheek is strong in this video and I love it

an alternitive to a prop box is to put your propagations in a small moist pot, and then get one of those glass cloches/ domes , put the pot in the dome.

Great video! Very educational.

bro you make some really really good content, keep it up

Not sure about leaf cuttings, but you absolutely get variegated snake plants from propagating from lost/broken leaves.

To the slimy roots while propagating in water: Like you said too, the roots a plant creates in water are different than the ones in soil. So when I put my snake plants in water (they were baby plants I got from a friend and not knowing that their roots are very slow growing my pot was too big and too moist, their roots weren’t doing well) I got very worried at first too because they went all slimy too. They didn’t rot though but I am also changing the water and rinsing the roots every 5-7 days. I then proceeded to gently remove the slimy bits when they weren’t really attached to the plant anymore and by now they have grown wonderful white roots :) Some of them come from inside a slimy one. Maybe the slimy part is just some layer that needed to be there while planted in soil 🤷🏻‍♀️

I literally was happy dancing because the variegated snake plant leaf I found in Home Depot is shooting out a pup after 4 months😭😭I had no idea it will be plain green!

Do you ever have this problem and how did you solve it? Every time I get a plant where they need the soil to stay moist, i.e. Begonias of any kind, Meraculus Maranta all kinds, Caladiums every kind, it waffles between rotting and crisping and sometimes both rotting and crisping at the same time.

I was propping all my pothos in water to root first, but I’ve gotten lazy and just started sticking them right in the dirt, and they actually do better. Just have to keep the cutting nice and moist! And funny thing, I do have a pothos single-leaf cutting that kept the leaf when it started growing! First time that ever happened! No hormone, either! And with things like African violets, rooting hormone will delay plantlet growth.

I thought the loss of the yellow was something ! The snake plant cuttings did well, though. I wii buy a new yellow-edged one and divide at the roots. Thanks!

I also love perlite propagation boxes, but my cuttings are more prone to rot when I have the lid closed. Have you had that happen? I keep it open and just make sure to moist/wet the perlite bed often.

An effective method to keep the water of water cuttings clean for an extended period, and prevent the cuttings from rotting is by placing a small piece of charcoal in the water. Nonetheless, do not use charcoal meant for barbecues and instead opt for a piece sourced from a wood stove or wood fire.

I think you get better results if you sift the perlite,as it contains too much fine dust that block air circulation

Thank you for all the tips on propagation! I am trying to propagate my zz plant, God bless my patience. The stems keep starting to rotten, even though I change water twice a week. Do you think dipping stems in honey or adding honey to water would help?

Mutiny! I hate the yellow variegation 🤣 it reminds me of the actual snakes we have and i have a homicidal fear of them. It took me FOREVER to find a zeylanica 🤣

I change the water every 3 days or so and the root still has some sort of brownish slimey stuff on it. Seems perfectly fine though 🤷🏼‍♀️

I like both snake plants, but fortunately I like the green non yellow ones more, so I propagate away!

It took me less time to let the snakeplant self propagate via rhizomes than for leaf cutting to actually survive and grow out a new plant lol. Some plant "hacks" just aren't worth it.

I composted orange pumpkins with other stuff to fill a new vegetable bed. To everyone's surprise that Fall, we had big, beautiful "white" pumpkins!!! The seeds contain the genetics of the parent plant. Isn't gardening amazing 💚

Do you have any videos on the Purple Persian Shield plant?

For my plants that usually rot instead of propogate I've found putting root hormone in the water helps prevent loss and o get roots super fast. Ive used a qtip to apply rooting powder to nodes on the chonk sticking up above the soil on my alocasia and every node now has a bupil or whatever it's called that will sprout a plant. Ive also done this on monstera nodes just to see what would happen and they have got swollen like they may actually branch which i don't think normally would happen even on the wild. I want to cut the top off and i can easily see where the new growth will come from now on the part i leave... Rooting powder def has uses but i think you're correct in that it's not necessary to dip 30 cuttings in it, that kinda becomes an overdose esp when you stick em all in the same cup of water.

Ha ha😂. I have some that are rooting in water and some are very stubborn, no roots at all. I will see how this all turns out in a couple of months. Have a blessed day.

I have a rooted cutting about 8 inches/20 centimeters, I was taught to cut it into a ^ shape let it scab then stick it in the soil. I’m very curious now about how her pups will look. 🧐

Variegated plants revert back to type, this is all to do with the chlorophyll cells within the leaf structure. If you look at variegated plants down the street you will see it happening everywhere.

I learned from this video to never water, always use terracotta esp with water roots and that slime is caused by invisible snails not old stale water.

Hahaha the quick disclaimer in case the wife is watching 😂

💚

You made me laugh ! Try to add a Louis Vuitton, Chanel or Hermes logo (well ok I'm French) To your propagation box, in case Mrs S likes it better !