The String of Turtles plant, also called Peperomia Prostrata, is a semi-succulent with a unique appearance. This beautiful plant produces multicolored trailing leaves. This makes for an attractive and special looking houseplant. A simple leaf cutting will easily propagate a String of Turtles plant. Let’s dive into the best techniques on how to propagate String of Turtles.
How to Propagate String of Turtles:
Examine Your Potential Parent Plant
Starting with a healthy parent plant is a crucial part of how to propagate a string of turtles plant. In order to propagate new plants, you will need to take cuttings from another adult plant. When doing this, it’s important to consider the health of the parent. A stressed, diseased, or otherwise compromised parent plant may experience shock from the added stress of taking cuttings from it. Additionally, propagating from a plant that is diseased or affected by pests can cause the transfer of these issues to the new vulnerable plants.
By selecting a parent plant with strong desirable features and traits, you will be passing these features onto the new plants. This is because both plants will contain the same genetics. This will ensure that your newly propagated plants will have the same visual appeal, vibrant leaves, and growth potential as the parent.
Supplies You Will Need
The next step in the process of how to propagate string of turtles is to gather the proper supplies. The essential supplies that you will need are a pot, potting soil, water, and shears. String of turtle plants need a fast and well draining soil. We recommend to add some peat, perlite, or sand into the soil. An optimal mix to make at home is: 1 part potting soil, 1 part perlite or sand, and 1 part peat moss. Alternatively, it is acceptable to also do 2 parts potting soil and 1 part perlite or sand.
Combine the soil components that you desire and mix well in a mixing container. Mix water into the soil to dampen it.
Cut Trimmings To Propagate String of Turtles
A String of Turtles is propagated with the stem cuttings of a healthy parent plant. Identify healthy stems within the parent plant’s foliage that are long enough to cut roughly 3 to 6 inches in length off. Using clean shears, make a clean cut removing the intended length.
How To Root The Trimmings In Soil
Once you have your stem cuttings, you are going to rest them onto the soil. Make sure the part of the stem that was cut from the parent plant is down within the soil. Do not completely submerge your cuttings into the soil, all you need is the end of the cutting to be within the soil. Be sure to keep the soil moist but not overly saturated.
Tip: We recommend that you cover your plants in plastic wrap with holes poked into it for air circulation. This will help to keep the moisture in the soil, while also keeping the cuttings held in place.
Alternative Methods to Propagate String of Turtles
An alternative way to propagate a string of turtles plant is to cut the same type of stem cuttings mentioned in the previous method. Once you have your stem cuttings, you are going to get a container with plenty of water in it. On the half of the stem previously attached to the parent plant carefully remove some of the leaves. This is the section that you are going to place into the water. Continue to monitor for root growth. This is not the optimal method of propagation because it will take longer for roots to grow.
Provide Optimal Growing Conditions
Once you have your cuttings planted into the soil or in water to root, you are going to want to make sure your plants are given the optimal conditions to develop. Keep your newly propagated plants in an area that gets bright but indirect light. This plant prefers a temperature of 65-75°F, which will be the best for root development. Continue to monitor the soil for moisture, aiming to keep it slightly moist but not overly wet. Water your cuttings when the top inch of soil feels dry.
In a few weeks time you should begin to notice root growth occurring, eventually leading to new leaves growing from the cuttings. This signals that the propagation has been successful. You will want to allow your cuttings to grow a healthy and strong root system before transplanting them into larger pots. You now have successfully learned how to propagate a string of turtles plant!
Additional Information on the String of Turtles Plant:
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