How To Make A Propagation Box For Houseplant Cuttings

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Inside: Learn how to make an easy propagation box for your houseplant cuttings, with household items you already own. This propagation box will aid in the rapid growth of your houseplant’s root system.

Caring for houseplants not only takes time and dedication but also requires a good bit of willpower. When you begin your journey as a houseplant parent, you’ll soon find it’s a rather addicting hobby. Hense the willpower.

how to propogate houseplants using a plant propagation box

You’ll go from being a plant hobbyist to a full-blown crazy plant parent whose plant collection may soon resemble a rainforest. Hey, there’s nothing wrong with that. Most of us want to go for the whole jungle theme.

All plant lovers know, how amazing it is to receive a plant but what’s even better than a plant you picked up at the nursery, big-box store, online, or from a seller on Etsy?

Free plants!

Ordering plants online can turn into an expensive investment. You have to contend with the ridiculous cost of shipping, and the occasional price gauging from some of the sellers.

Then comes the shipping times.

Once your plants have been shipped out, you could be waiting 4 weeks for them to finally arrive. Of course, this isn’t anything the seller did. It’s the mail carriers.

It boggles the mind how your junk mail can arrive at your home in a timely manner, but your new plant baby is forced to go on a cross-country journey. That would be totally understandable if you lived on the East Coast and the seller lived on the West Coast, but when both you and the seller live in the same state, that’s flipping absurd!

Today, I’m going to show you how you can get free plants by propagating plant cuttings.

There are different ways to propagate, such as water propagation and planting your cutting directly into the soil, but by far a propagation box aids in quicker root growth.

How to make a propagation box

Disclaimer: The links listed below are affiliate links, meaning if you click a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. You can read the full disclosure here.

Items needed:

Clear plastic container with lid – You can use any size plastic container. It can even be the plastic container that you bought salad greens in.
Sphagnum moss
Cup for water
Mosquito bits
Plants

what are some common types of growing medium used for rooting cuttings — Heartleaf Philodendron (top left), *Philodendron Birken* (lower left), Anthruium Pedato-Radiatum (top right), Philodendron Narrow Tiger Tooth (lower right)

Step 1:

Put the sphagnum moss in a large container, bucket, bowl, or even the container you’re planning on using. Add water to the moss and watch it triple in size. Add the moist sphagnum moss to the bottom of the container. Keep it around 1″ deep.

Step 2:

Fill a cup or small bowl with water. Place it in the corner of your container. You may have to move the sphagnum moss to the side to accommodate the cup.

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Step 3:

Add as many mosquito bits as you’d like to box. This will keep the gnats at bay.

Step 4:

Add the plant cuttings you wish to propagate. Place the base of the stem under the sphagnum moss.

Step 5:

Optional: Make holes in the top of the plastic cover. Although this will maintain airflow, there won’t be a lot of moisture in the propagation box.

how to make a propagation box and propagate plants from cuttings

If you chose not to put holes in the cover, make sure you open the lid for 1 to 2 hours daily to ensure it’s getting air. Lack of air equals a lot of mold growing on the plants and moss.

Step 6:

Place in a location that gets indirect light for at least 8 hours a day.

The plants noted above were in the propagation box for a little over a month. There was one plant-cutting causality. The string of bananas didn’t do too well and died. RIP little banana.

how long does it take for plant cuttings to root

what plants grow from stem cuttings — Lemon Lime Philodendron

Is it better to propagate in water or soil — Lemon Lime Philodendron

Step 7:

Once your plants have rooted, you can either place them directly in the soil or place them in another propagation vessel. I opted to put them in water since I enjoy watching the root structure develop.

If you love this propagation vessel, you can get yours here.

Without a doubt, this is one of the easiest ways to propagate your existing plants. You can utilize this method all year long.

As you can see, my propagation box is located on the floor adjacent to a South facing the door and my fireplace. The only light the box gets is indirect light from the door.