Propagation Tips For Plant Parents That Actually Work: Prop Boxes, Ikea Grow Cabinets and How to Avoid Mold Damage

Propagation is your best friend as a plant parent. It's a free way to make more of the plants you already have, and watching new roots grow is so much fun! But there's more to it than sticking a pothos in a glass of water, not to mention that if you get the humidity wrong, you’ll get mold. So I invited over my go-to propagation nerd, Lindsay Sisti, to guide us through the different ways you can propagate successfully. She’s a propagation expert, plant breeder, and author of The Ultimate Guide to Houseplant Propagation. She’s been in the podcast before, and we've both survived mold cleanup in our own homes. Listen in!

In this episode, we learn:

• [02:22] Welcome back, Lindsay, my propagation nerd and friend of the pod!
• [04:28] What tropical houseplants are found in the rainforest?
• [06:00] Why your heating/AC sucks the humidity out of your home
• [10:00] Why growing houseplants indoors in Florida is hard!
• [10:56] When does humidity become a big aspect of plant keeping? (common plants vs. the divas)
• [14:51] Experience the richness of single-origin honey with 3x more antioxidants with Manukora!
• [16:36] Why filling your house with humidifiers isn't realistic
• [17:45] Lindsay's black mold nightmare in her 100-year-old home!
• [21:20] How humidity travels through your HVAC and grows mold where you'd never expect
• [23:29] Humidity hacks that fail (sorry!)
• [25:09] Why misting is mostly pointless and when it causes problems
• [28:31] IKEA grow cabinets 101: the MILSBO, Rust-Oleum, and building your glass box
• [33:40] Choosing grow lights: Barrina, Monios, and T8 vs. T5
• [35:53] Why you need fans and airflow (transpiration and guttation explained)
• [40:18] What prop boxes are and why they root plants better than a glass of water
• [43:21] Building a prop box (containers, sphagnum moss, and the "wrung-out sponge" rule)
• [46:30] Lindsay's layered setup!
• [49:44] Do you really need to "burp" your prop box?
• [52:31] How to rebuild Raffi the Rhaphidophora from node cuttings
• [58:16] Should you let cuttings callus first? Variegated vs. non-variegated
• [1:01:16] Mold vs. algae, and the diluted hydrogen peroxide fix
• [1:03:18] Final steps: lid on, into the window, and when to transplant
• [1:06:56] Can you crowd the nodes?
• [1:08:11] Why are prop boxes low stakes?
• [1:09:43] Where to find Lindsay and her propagation book!
• [1:11:21] Update: how Raffi's prop box actually turned out

Mentioned in our conversation:

• The Ultimate Guide to Houseplant Propagation by Lindsay Sisti
• IKEA MILSBO
• Barrina Grow Light
• Monios-L Grow Lights
• LECHUZA-PON

For Lindsay's different propagation methods,

check out the full show notes and blog here!

Follow Lindsay:

Website
Instagram
YouTube
TikTok

Thank you to our episode sponsors:

Manukora

Go to manukora.com/bloom to get up to 31% off the starter kit that includes their 850+ Manukora honey jar, 5 honey travel sticks, a wooden spoon, and a guidebook, PLUS $25 worth of free gifts!

ZenAI

Visit zen.ai to start your first vibecast for free.

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