Propagating a Strelitzia: a simple step-by-step plan

ALL ABOUT PROPAGATING

How do you propagate a Strelitzia?

A Strelitzia is, next to the Musa, perhaps one of the most famous Jungle plants there is. The plant can grow to the ceiling in living rooms, and in most cases also makes small babies. And you can take cuttings of those babies! Because it’s easy with the Strelitzia.

Je hebt bij het stekken van de Strelitzia niet per se gereedschap nodig. Het stekken doe je namelijk met je handen. De beste periode om de Strelitzia te stekken is de lente. Wat je dan doet? Lees het hieronder!

Supplies

Strelitzia (Nicolai or Reginae)
Knife
Flower pot with fresh potting soil
Optional: cutting powder

Propagating a Strelitzia in 4 steps

1. Disinfect your tools

It is important to start working with clean tools. When cutting the Strelitzia, use a sharp and clean knife. This does not only apply to the Strelitzia! Clean and good tools are important when cutting any kind of houseplant.

You can disinfect the knife by washing it thoroughly with hot water. You can also use disinfectant or pure alcohol.

Don’t you have this close by? Make sure the knife is clean. If this is not the case, you can easily and especially unnecessarily transfer bacteria to the plant. And of course you want to prevent that!

2. Dig out the cutting

Dig out the mother plant and the baby you would like to cut. It is best to remove the entire plant from its flowerpot. The digging out not only makes it easier to remove the cuttings. It also reduces damage to the roots, the cutting and the mother plant.

If you are digging the plant out anyway, you can also repot the mother plant immediately after taking the cuttings. When repotting, we recommend using a pot that is at least 20% larger than the previous one. Fresh potting soil is also important.

3. Scheuren maar!

Een Strelitzia deel je door te scheuren. Scheuren kan alleen best voor wat schade zorgen. Hierom raden wij aan om een scherp mes te gebruiken.

Snijd de stek die je zou willen los van de moederplant. Doe dit erg voorzichtig.

Haal de stek niet direct van de moederplant af. In de meeste gevallen zitten de wortels goed in elkaar.

Het is belangrijk om de wortels goed van elkaar los te halen. Dit kun je het beste doen met lauw stromend water. Hierdoor raakt de potgrond los en kun je de wortels beter uit elkaar halen. Het is belangrijk dat de stek van de Strelitzia wortels heeft.

4. Patience will be rewarded

Do you happen to have cutting powder in your house? Then apply this powder to the ‘open wound’. Both on the mother plant and the cutting. Let the powder dry well.

Don’t you have any cutting powder? No problem! With cutting powder root growth and recovery is stimulated.

After this you can place the cutting in fresh potting soil. Important: do not water for the next few days. This way you give the cutting and the mother plant time to heal the wound. After about a month the roots will have strengthened and grown. So be patient!

Taking care of the Strelitzia

Always keep the soil of the cutting slightly moist during the week without water. Once a week a little water is enough.

Place the cutting in direct sunlight. The Strelitzia is a real sun worshipper!

The cutting can best be placed near a window facing south. This is where most of the sunlight comes in. A north-facing window is not a good idea for your cutting. The cutting will get too little water, which can cause the leaves to hang and stagnate growth.

More about the care of the Strelitzia can be found in our manual.

It is possible that immediately after taking the cuttings, the cutting may hang limp. This is perfectly normal! The cutting must now take care of itself. And that can be quite difficult!

As soon as the cutting stands upright again or makes a new leaf, you know the cutting is used to it. Usually the Strelitzia cuttings create new roots after 2 weeks. From these 2 weeks onwards, new leaf growth is possible.