STARTING A NEW PLANT

New plants can be started by putting down leaves. New varieties are available from mail order as leaf cuttings.
Try the following method:

Cut a fresh new end with a sharp knife. Angle the cut to increase the surface area.

Place the leaf in a small pot with wet coarse vermiculite or soil-less potting mix. Use a label or stake to identify the variety name. To keep it wet during the first week of rooting, the pot could sit in 1/4 inch of water.

After the leaf is rooted, a gentle tug will tell, keep the rooting material damp. New baby plantlets may be seen sprouting from the base of the leaf as soon as one month. This varies with the variety, be patient.

Divide the babies, and pot them up as soon as you feel you can safely handle them. Do not separate variegated varieties from the mother leaf while they are still all white. They need the green chlorophyl to survive.

Pot the new baby plants in your regular potting mix. Use your regular feeding for the leaves and plantlets during these stages. You could have a flowering plant, six months from the time you put the leaf down. Remember growing them is half the fun!