If you are looking for the best houseplants to propagate in water, here are 27 plants that I’ve propagated over the years. I’ll show you step by step with my own pictures, and also include additional resources on the care of these plants. Keep reading to learn more!
Table of Contents
BEST PLANTS TO PROPAGATE IN WATER
1. Aglaonema (Chinese Evergreen)
Aglaonema, commonly known as Chinese Evergreen, is a houseplant staple. There are many varieties, and they are all easy to grow. If your Aglaonema has gotten bare at the bottom and you don’t like the look, water propagation is a good way to make a new plant!
Simply cut off a cane, stick it water and place it in front of a window. It can sometimes take a while to root, but it will happen!
Begonia maculata is a stunning begonia that goes by the common name Polka Dot Begonia for obvious reasons. To propagate, simply snip a cane off and place it in water.
You will want to get one or two nodes under the water line. Nodes are simply where the leaf meets the main stem. If you still have a leaf at the node, remove the leaf from the bottom node of your cutting and place it in water to root.
Coleus is one of the easiest plants ever to propagate. Simply snip some small cuttings and place them in water. For more detailed information, check out my coleus posts:
The Fishbone Cactus, also known as Ric Rac Cactus or Zig Zag Cactus, is an unusual plant and it is easy to grow in water! Just like any succulent plant, you’ll want to allow your cuttings to air dry for a day or two in order to create a callous where it was cut. This helps prevent rotting. At that point, you can place your cuttings in water.
Yes, there are other orchids other than moth orchids! More than most people realize. And the Jewel Orchid (Ludisia discolor) is a terrestrial plant, so it grows in soil unlike many orchids that are epiphytes like Phalaenopsis, Cattleya, and many others.
And better yet, you can easily propagate Jewel Orchids by simply snipping cuttings and rooting them in water.
Simply snip a small cutting, remove the lower leaf or couple leaves (these are where the nodes are) and place the nodes under water.
Did you know lipstick plants are in the African Violet family? Lipstick plants are super easy to propagate, and in the photo above, I show how you would prepare your cutting to place in water. Simply snip off a small cutting, remove the lower couple leaves, and place in water. Make sure the areas where you took the leaves off are under water.
For more resources, see my other lipstick plant posts:
Monstera adansonii couldn’t be easier to propagate. Just snip a few cuttings, remove the lower leaf or two (where the nodes are) and place the cuttings in a jar of water. Make sure the nodes are under water because this is where the roots will grow from.
Don’t miss my other Monstera adansonii content for a deeper dive:
Whether you have the variegated version, or the plain old green Monstera deliciosa, these plants are among the easiest to propagate and grow. You can make cuttings of the tip of your vine, or a single node cutting like I show above. Just make sure the nodes are under water.
I have a ton of resources on Monstera deliciosa, but you may want to start with:
Peperomia caperata is so simple to propagate. Simply snip a leaf off like I showed in my photo above and place in water and wait. Soon after, you will see root formation just like in the photo below.
Roots will grow first, followed by small plantlets! Check out my resource guide below for more information:
Water propagation of Philodendon ‘Brasil’ is identical to propagating Pothos plants. The most efficient way is to snip single node cuttings that contain one leaf and a portion of the vine. Simply snip on either side of the vine where the leaf attached to it. Then place in water and wait for rooting.
You can also just snip longer cuttings with 3 or 4 leaves. Remove the lower leaf and place the cuttings in water (making sure that the bottom node where you removed the lower leaf is under water).
There are multiple ways to water propagate Pilea peperomioides, commonly known as Chinese Money Plant. If your stem has lost its lower leaves, you can simply snip it and place it water like I show above.
And did you know that you can also propagate from single leaves (you do have to cut off a piece of the stem though).
Check out my resources below for all the details and important information:
Did you know that you can grow your own pineapple from the leafy top of your grocery store fruit? It’s easy and fun! And after a few years, your plant will even set fruit! I’ve done it and have explained all about how to do it below:
In the photo above, I show you exactly where to cut your Philodendron Pink Princess Plant above to make your cuttings. Then, you simply stick the node in water and wait for rooting to occur. Don’t miss my detailed posts below on Pink Princess:
Pothos, or Devil’s Ivy, is one of the easiest plants to water propagate. Single node cuttings like I rooted above will give you more bang for your buck because each of those small cuttings will form a new vine. But you can make slightly longer cuttings as well to root in water.
Check out my informative blog posts below with photos and details:
At first glance, Peperomia polybotrya (Raindrop Peperomia) looks very similar to Pilea peperomioides! But you can see that Raindrop Peperomia has a point at the end of each leaf. Propagation is just as simple. Cut a stem off and place it in water and it will root.
I’ve never tried propagating this from a single leaf, but my hunch is that it would work too. Check out my post below for more information:
Another super simple plant to propagate. You can use the same strategy as Pothos or Monstera to make your cuttings. Check out my guide below for more detail on propagation and care:
Rhipsalis are one of my favorite plants. They are easy to grow and propagate, and they are true cacti. But they are jungle cacti and grow on trees. Check out my propagation guide below to see how easy it is!
No those white spots in the photo above are not mealy bugs. They are the beginnings of roots. New roots do look a little weird on Ficus plants, but as they get longer, they will look more like roots that you would expect.
Do you have a single trunk rubber plant (Ficus elastica) and want it to branch out? You can prune your rubber plant to help it branch out and then use the cuttings to propagate. Check out the resources below:
With so many Peperomia types out there, this is one of the trailing ones and is super easy to propagate in water. Simply snip some cuttings, remove some of the lower leaves, and place them in water to root. Read my guide below for more details:
Has your Schefflera gotten bare at the bottom? This will be a perfect time to take some cuttings to propagate and start a new plant. Find out all the details in my post below:
In my opinion, snake plants (also known as mother in law’s tongue) are one of the most fascinating plants to propagate in water! Typically, you’ll see root growth first, and then the formation of perfect little pups like you see in my hand above!
Many people have issues with their snake plant cuttings rotting, but have no fear, check out my first blog post below with a step-by-step method to be successful. And you’ll also see some other helpful snake plant content that I’ve written for you:
Spider plants may be the easiest of all to propagate in water. Simply snip a baby plant off of the mother’s stolon and place it in water. Often times, they already have small roots when you cut them off, so they will grow quickly in water. After the roots are about an inch long, you can pot them up into soil, or leave them in water to grow!
Who doesn’t love String of Hearts? Whether you grow the plain green version, or variegated String of Hearts, they are easy to propagate. For water propagation, simply make a small cutting, remove the lower leaf or two, and place in water to root.
Regardless which of the Syngonium varieties you may have, they all propagate the same way. My blog post below shows how to propagate your Syngonium, or Butterfly Plant, step by step with photos. I demonstrate using a variegated Syngonium.
There are a few varieties of Tradescantia, and they’re all lovely and equally simple to propagate. Check out exactly how, with step-by-step instructions, in my blog post below:
Did you know that you can propagate ZZ plants with a single leaflet? It’s so fun to do! I propagated all the leaflets in the photo above in water. Find out how simple it is by reading by instructional post below:
Propagating African Violets is as simple as snipping a leaf off and placing it in water, like I show in my photo above. First, roots will grow at the end of the petiole, and then baby plants will appear! Take a closer look at the photo below where you can see two baby plants growing.
Debbie
Sunday 21st of April 2024
Do any of these plants need rooting hormone? Thanks!
Raffaele Di Lallo
Sunday 21st of April 2024
Hi Debbie! It's not necessary to use rooting hormone. It can help, but it's not required!
Pamela
Sunday 31st of March 2024
Love your plant sharing
Raffaele Di Lallo
Monday 1st of April 2024
Glad you're enjoying my site :-) Have a great day.