How to propagate an umbrella plant

Want to turn your schefflera plant into several plants?! Here is a step by step guide on how to propagate an umbrella plant the easy way!

Umbrella plants are super popular indoor houseplants. Umbrella plant is the common name for the Schefflera plant or the dwarf umbrella tree.

This plant is great because it does well in normal home lighting and moisture conditions.

It has beautiful, long green leaves that spread out to look like the spokes of an umbrella.

Check out our complete umbrella plant care guide!

Today we are going to chat about propagating schefflera and everything you need to know about umbrella tree propagation!

Why should you propagate an umbrella plant?

Propagating an umbrella plant has a few benefits:

1. Prune and shape your plant
2. Cut off leggy branches to encourage bushier growth
3. Make new baby plants!

Can you grow an umbrella plant from a cutting?

Yes, it is very easy to take a cutting and grow it into a new baby umbrella plant.

When is the best time to propagate an umbrella plant?

Spring and summer are the growing season for these plants, so that is when your plants will root the fastest. However, you can propagate indoor plants year round successfully.

Can you propagate an umbrella plant in water?

Umbrella plant cuttings can be rooted in either moist soil or water.

When rooting in soil, I like to cover the whole thing loosely with a plastic bag. This creates a greenhouse effect that keeps the humidity high and promotes root growth.

Will schefflera cuttings root in water?

I actually prefer to root my umbrella plant cuttings in water. This makes it super simple to monitor root growth and be sure the cutting is staying wet enough.

How do you take cuttings from an umbrella plant?

Most dwarf umbrella plants are thin enough that cuttings can be taken with sharp scissors. You can use garden shears if necessary. Clean scissors with alcohol to reduce the risk of any sort of infection in your cut.

Where do you cut umbrella plant for propagation?

You can cut an umbrella plant pretty much anywhere to create a cutting. You need a leaf node – those brown spots on the stem – which is where the new roots will grow from. Umbrella plant stems are covered with them, so any cutting at least a few inches long will have several nodes!

Can you grow an umbrella plant from a leaf?

You will need at least a portion of stem on your cutting for it to successfully root and grow into a mature plant.

Can you propagate umbrella plants via division?

Umbrella plants only have one stem – they are more like trees than bushy plants – so you cannot divide them.

How to propagate an umbrella plant

You always want to take cuttings from a healthy plant. Don’t choose a branch with drooping or dropping leaves.

Take cuttings that are 4-6 inches long. Remember that the parent plant will grow new leaves and branches where you cut it, so plan accordingly.

You can dip the cuttings into rooting hormone to speed up the rooting process. This works particularly well when rooting in potting mix soil.

When rooting in soil, cover the pot loosely with a plastic bag. This creates a greenhouse effect and helps to keep humidity high!

Place cuttings in indirect light until roots form.

Any questions about schefflera propagation?!

Thanks for reading!

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