How to Propagate Polka Dot Plants? [With Bonus Tips on Taking Care]

Getting a large enough Polka Dot plant can be expensive. The good news is that you can propagate your Polka Dot to make a clone of the parent plant. This is a relatively simple process and doesn’t require any special equipment or expertise.

There are ways you can encourage plants to multiply, but it’s important to ensure you’re doing it right.

Here’s a complete guide on polka dot plant propagation. I plan to touch on all you need to know about propagating polka dot plants and also add some advanced tips and tricks for you.

What Are Polka Dot Plants?

Polka dot plants are also known as freckle face plants, flamingo plants, measles plants, or simply pink dots. It is one of the very popular indoor plants worldwide.

If you are unfamiliar with it, they have beautiful foliage consisting of brightly spotted leaves. They can be of various colors ranging from white to red, green, pink, etc.

Propagation is one of the key steps in gardening and this is one of the first things to know when you start growing plants.

Why Propagate A Polka Dot Plant?

Now there are maybe quite a few reasons why you want to propagate a polka dot plant.

Right now you have one polka dot plant, but you want more polka dot plants for sharing them with your friends, family, and neighbors. Rather than buying new plants you can easily propagate the plants and make new plants.

If you want to increase your collection, propagating Polka Dots might be the simplest way to do this.

If everything is not growing well for your current polka dot plant and there is a big chance that you will lose it, propagating the plant from a healthy stem would be the best way to save it.

Propagating would be a good option for keeping the plant in check, as they grow pretty fast and you have to do pruning and trimming anyway.

How to Propagate Polka Dot Plants:

Polka dot plants can be propagated in three ways.

• Form the seeds,
• From the cuttings, and
• From the divisions

Propagating Polka Dot Plants From The Seeds:

You can easily propagate polka dot plants from seeds. The best time to sow the seeds is in the early springs. Use a good seed starter mix or warm, well-drained soil. Sow the seeds in the mix.

Within a few days, you will see them sprout. Wait for a couple of weeks and the polka dot seedlings are ready to transplant.

You can also cover the pot with plastic wrap. This will hold the heat and moisture in the pot and quicken up the process of germination.

Propagating Polka Dots From The Cuttings:

Another way you can propagate polka dot plants is from cuttings.

Before you cut anything, you need to gather up some healthy stems with little or no damage so that your propagation attempt isn’t wasted.

Your best bet is to find stems with multiple leaves on them (clumps of leaves). These are the ones most likely to root successfully.

Use sharp, sterilized pruning shears to cut 2-5 inch segments off the stem below any leaf nodes (A node is a place from where the leaves have grown from the stem).

Don’t remove all leaves from the cutting leave just enough leaf so that the roots have something to grow around as they develop new plant tissue.

Next, dip one end of the cutting in the rooting hormone and plant them in moist potting mix or soil. If you do not want to use root hormone you can avoid that step. Root hormone is not compulsory for growing polka dot cuttings but it definitely fastens up the whole process.

Now, keep the cuttings in indirect light. Avoid direct sunlight, it can damage the cuttings. Use a grow light like this to supplement the light if your house light is poor. Also, you can keep a light meter like this to control the intensity.

Use a plastic bag to cover the cutting. This will warm the soil and fasten the process of root generation.

How Long Will It Take For My Polka Dot Plant Cuttings To Grow Roots?

Generally, polka dots cuttings will start growing roots within days, if you have followed all the steps carefully.

Propagate A Polka Dot Plant Through Division Of The Mother Plant:

You can also propagate polka dot plants through the division method where you use offshoots from the mother plants to grow a new plant.

The best part is in this method you don’t have to wait for the root generation, so it saves quite a lot of time.

For growing polka dots from offshoots, you need a big enough plant that is a bit older and quite bushy. So once you found a plant like that and has a lot of offshoots, the first thing you have to do is to separate them.

Slowly and carefully lift your plant out of its pot. Remember these are delicate plants so be gentle.

Now, with the help of a pruning shear carefully remove the offshoots. Don’t try to pull the offshoots it can damage the roots.

Next, place those newly separate offshoots into fresh potting soil. The rest of the procedures are the same as the above.

You don’t need any rooting hormone in this method as the roots are already developed.

Polka Dot Plant Propagation FAQs

Can I Propagate A Polka Dot Plant From A Single Leaf?

Unfortunately, unlike succulents, you can’t propagate polka dots from a single leaf, you have to use either stem cuttings or offshoots.

What’s The Best Time Of Year To Propagate Polka Dot Plants?

The best time to propagate polka dots is in the springs. At this time of the year, plants start their growth cycle. The weather is warm enough and also there are enough lights around.

What Soil Should I Use When Propagating A Polka Dot Plant?

Never use your normal garden soil to propagate polka dots. Use good quality potting soil that is specially designed to propagate cuttings.

Do I Need To Fertilize My Polka Dot Plant Cuttings?

If you are using good quality potting soil you don’t need to fertilize the cuttings. When the plants grow a bit larger and you transplant them to a new pot you can use organic fertilizers to fertilize them.

Why Are The New Leaves On My Cutting Pale?

If your new leaves are pale, it means you’re giving your cutting too much direct sunlight. Move the cutting to somewhere with bright but indirect light and remove the damaged leaves.

Some Useful Tips on Taking Care of Your Polka Dot Plants:

Place your polka dot plant under a grow light when growing as an indoor plant.

Polka dot plants need bright, but indirect light. The brighter the light the more exciting will be the pattern on the leaves. For growing outdoors make sure they are not getting direct sunlight.

Take Watering Very Seriously:

Polka Dots need a lot of moisture and humidity for growing. Make sure the soil doesn’t dry out too much between waterings.

Fertilize Your Plant Once In A Month:

The plant really benefits more from fertilizing. Apply liquid organic fertilizer once a month.

Keep A Close Eye On The Temperature:

Polka dot plants need 70 F or above to thrive. Try to keep a temperature between 70 F to 75 F. Make sure it never falls below 60 F.

Conclusion:

It’s not entirely complicated, but there are certainly a few steps involved in propagating polka dot plants. I hope after reading the post you are better equipped at handling the process.

If you like the post, don’t forget to share it with others.

Don’t forget to PIN IT