Propagation by Cuttings

• 1). Cut a stem with a sharp knife. The sprouted stem should be between one and six months old and still pliable. You should be able to bend in almost in half without it bending. Take the cutting from near the top of the plant, on the sunny side, early in the morning. The stem needs to be between 2 and 3 inches long. Place the cutting in a bucket with enough water to cover the cut bottom.
  
  
• 2). Fill a container with one part sand to two parts sphagnum peat moss mixed well. Stick your finger in the center and create a hole three times the diameter of the cutting and 1 inch deep.
  
  
• 3). Dip the cutting in rooting hormone and gently tap the stem to knock off an excess. Place the cutting in the planting hole until it touches the bottom. Do not force it in any deeper. Push the soil around the cutting and firm it with your hand. Water the soil to thoroughly moisten it, but not to the point that it's soggy.
  
  
• 4). Place a plastic bag over the cutting to keep moisture in. Place the container over a heating pad set to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. If you do not have a heating pad, the garden centers sell heat strips for this purpose. Place the containers in an area that does not get direct sunlight or cause the cutting to heat up inside the bag too much.
  
  
• 5). Mist the cuttings every day to every other day depending on how fast they are drying out. The soil needs to stay moist but never soggy. Use distilled water, as some chemicals in public water and well water damage the young plant.
  
  
• 6). Check for roots by tugging slightly on the cutting in about six weeks. If it resists, that means the plant has roots; in this case, replant the plant into a 4-inch container and the heat removed. You can also remove the plastic and start to gradually introduce the plant to a sunnier location.
  
  

Propagation by Layering

• 1). Choose a stem near the bottom that is pliable enough to almost bend in half without breaking. The stem should be at least a foot long, on the sunny side of the plant.
  
  
• 2). Bend the stem to the ground. At the point where the stem sits flatly on the ground make a cut not quite halfway through so the point of the cut faces the mother plant.
  
  
• 3). Dip or brush on some rooting hormone to the wound, place it on the soil next to the mother plant and cover with more soil. Water the area thoroughly.
  
  
• 4). Place a medium-size rock over the area to keep the stem in the soil. It may take a year for the stem to grow enough roots to be separated from the mother plant.
  
  
• 5). Lift the rock and check to see if the stem is firmly rooted in the soil. If so, cut from the mother plant and dig the young plant out making sure to keep all of the root ball. Replant in a new location.