Plant Parenting: Rooting African Violet Leaf Cuttings
June 27, 2019
When you are a beginning plant propagator, one of the things you'll learn along the way is that not all plants can be propagated the same way. Different plant parts of a given plant may, or may not, have the ability to differentiate into new types of tissue - such as roots or shoots.
The cells in of this African violet leaf petiole can grow new root and shoot tissue, creating an entirely new plant. Not all plants have this potential.
PC: Leslie F. Halleck
The cutting you see in the photo is a leaf-petiole cutting of an African violet plant. The main leaf with a piece of the petiole (the part that attaches the leaf to the main crown or stem). The petiole tissue in African violet leaves has the ability (the totipotency) to grow new adventitious roots and bud shoots when it is damaged. You can root leaf-petiole cuttings of African violets in water or potting mix. A new baby plant will emerge from the base of the petiole.
Learn more about ALL types of vegetative plant cuttings in my new book PLANT PARENTING
