Best Indoor Plants You Can Grow from Leaves

Gardens, Houseplant - Plants are remarkably good at propagating themselves. A mature plant can divide its leafless stem into countless tiny shoots, each of which will grow up into a new plant. A plant can do this by sending out roots along its own stem, or it can send out roots along the stem of another plant. Each type has its own advantages and disadvantages.

With roots along their own stem, a plant can propagate itself by sending out roots from its stem into empty space in the soil. When the roots find a nutrient-poor spot, they send up a shoot.

This method works well for land plants, which are adapted to growing on solid earth. But most plants can't do it. They don't have the structural support or the hardiness to root along their own stems. Instead, many plants prefer to root along the stem of other plants.

This is possible because plants can sense the quality of their roots. A plant that is growing along a healthy stem will send out roots along that stem. A plant growing along an unhealthy stem will send roots away from it.

Best Indoor Plants that You Can Grow from Leaves

Wondering which are are best Indoor Plants that Grow from Leaves? We have included the top ones in our list that you can grow with ease!

With these Indoor Plants that Grow from Leaves, you don’t need stem cuttings, offsets, or root divisions to propagate them. Just one single leaf to create a new houseplant! Here are the best climbing houseplants you can grow. 

Peperomia

Botanical Name: Peperomia

Peperomia is grown from cuttings taken from mature plants. The roots grow first. These roots look like tiny, almost hair-like roots. Once the roots are established, the cuttings can be planted in the pots. The roots need water to grow. The plants can be watered when the soil feels dry to the touch. When the stems are 2 inches (5 cm) tall, the seedlings can be transplanted into larger pots.

Peperomia can grow in partial shade or full sun. Use potting mix for the medium. Use a soil-based potting mix. The seeds can be planted in a peat and perlite mix. 

When planting the cuttings, leave the top 2 inches (5 cm) of the stem covered. The sprouts will appear in 1 to 2 weeks. The leaves will appear 1 to 3 weeks later. When the plants grow to 6 inches tall, they can be transplanted outside in the garden.

African Violets

Botanical Name: Saintpaulia

African violets, Saintpaulia, are of special interest because they have a complicated life cycle. The plants start out as seeds. Each seed germinates into a seedling, and grows into a young plant. Each year, this young plant produces new leaves on old shoots. When the plant reaches maturity, the oldest leaves fall off, and the plant flowers.

This flowering produces seedpods, each of which contains as many as 100 seeds. The seeds germinate in the spring. By late fall, the new plants are beginning to flower.

That's the life cycle of the plant. But the leaves also reproduce. The leaves contain photosynthetic cells in the leaf petiole. (The leaf petiole is the stalk that connects the leaf to the stem.) The stem and petiole of the leaf are surrounded by tissue that swells and pushes out new leaves.

Leaf propagation is fairly common. You can propagate it by cutting a leaf from a healthy plant, growing it in water, and rooting it in potting mix. But the Saintpaulia is unusual because the stem and petiole of the leaf are also sometimes used for propagation.

This leaf propagation is easiest with a mature plant. The leaf petiole and the leaf stem have cells, called meristematic tissue, that divide to form new shoots. When the new shoots are about 6 inches long, you can cut the petiole and stem, and grow the new plant in a moist place.

Jade Plant

Botanical Name: Crassula ovata

Crassula ovata is a succulent native to South Africa. Its name translates to "a cluster or cluster of stones" and refers to the shape of the plant and the way it clusters together. Crassula ovata is grown for its attractive fleshy leaves, which grow from a rosette of leaves. The leaves have a waxy feel and the rosettes often turn pink or lavender as they age. The plants do well in bright indirect light, and can be grown indoors or out.

Crassula ovata is drought tolerant and does well in dry, sandy soil. This plant prefers to grow in bright indirect light. In bright light, the leaves will turn dark purple and take on a rosy tint during the summer months.

This plant is propagated by cuttings or layering. If you grow this plant from cuttings, it is best to pinch off growing tips from the plant. The best time of the year to propagate this plant is spring.

In nature, this plant goes dormant in the winter, so it is best to repot your plant in the fall or spring. When repotting, use a substrate that drains well.

Like most succulents, this plant is low maintenance, but this plant does best in well-drained soil. It is best to water the plant from above, allowing the water to drain out the bottom of the pot. In the winter, when this plant goes dormant, be sure to water the plant sparingly, allowing the top 1/3 of the soil to dry out between waterings.

Flowering Kalanchoe

Botanical Name: Kalanchoe blossfeldiana

The flower forms on new growth. Kalanchoe blossfeldiana is a tuberous plant, which means that roots are formed by the nodes of stems, and they can be very long. The flower stems are thick. They grow upright, so the plant has to reach up high to get light.

Kalanchoe blossfeldiana is tropical and likes warm temperatures. It grows best in warm areas with good drainage. It will grow well indoors in a sunny window.

Snake Plant

Botanical Name: Sanseveria trifasciata

Snake plants are wonderful house plants. They are beautiful, easy to grow, and purify the air. They are even toxic to insects, so they don't necessarily need insecticidal soaps. Snake plants come in many types and colors.

Snake plants thrive in bright light. Indirect sunlight, if strong, can burn the leaves. Plant the snake plant indoors, in a bright window, or outside in a warm summer's day.

Chinese Money Plant

Botanical Name: Pilea peperomioides

Pilea peperomioides is an Asian plant with silver gray leaves, slightly asymmetrical and about 1 inch wide. It is a common plant found in many Asian countries.

The plant is fairly easy to grow in humid areas. It is a perennial, so it comes back year after year. After about 15 years of growth, the plant reaches a height of 3 feet.

The stem of Pilea peperomioides is hollow, and it is this hollow stem that is the source of its medicinal and decorative uses. When cut, the stem grows a new plant. 

Share :