It will depend on how much you know, mix, heat, time of year,size of pot, species will all play into this. I do, but I don't know if you can. Norma

If the leaf is too old it may not work at all. However my friend was here today, and he roots them in water, and gave me a leaf for the proof. San. masoniana variegated with six offset already forming. So give it a try.

Hi FiveM,

If you prop it in mix, pls. do it dry & don't water it in. If one waters it in before it has any roots, likely the leaf will rot before it has a chance to root.

Karen you are a whiz. If I gave that information, I would be taken for a know it all, I am so glad that you thought of it. Great information and important to know. Norma

Thank you for the advice. I'll give it a try both wet and dry. If I halve it I can root the top. I'll try the bottom piece in soil mix. What do I have to lose, except a leaf?

FiveM,

Sure, you're welcome.

Just if you cut the leaf in half to try both methods (I do things like that, so I applaud your sense of experimentation), pls. keep track of which end is up & which is down, if planted upside down, I doubt it would root.

Well Norma, thanks for the kind words; some of that is stuff I probably learned from you. Maybe some will think I'm a know it all, so what, I don't mind.

With your decades of experience in growing & your work at the Huntington, you DO know a great deal -- why NOT share it as you so often & generously do?

Pls. try to forget about what other people think Norma, the Heck w/ them. We're sharing hard earned knowledge w/ folks who are often eager, happy & grateful to learn -- works for me!! Hugs!!!

Okay. I'm off!

I've found additional info about propagating that I'm going to try. I've had success using the buried leaf method with begonias. Those took some time to develop, but they are are very healthy and look just like their parent. The article below states that sanseveria is one of the easiest plants to propagate.

Pirate Girl, dry seems to be the key here. I'm going to cut the leaf into two inch sections and lay them face up and side by side on DRY potting soil.

I'm going to cover them with about a half inch of DRY potting soil.

I have a window that gets bright light most of the day and just a little direct sun. I hope the warmth will help them along.

Wish me luck! I'll let you all know how it turns out.

Here is a link that might be useful: Propagating Foliage & Flowering Plants

Do I understand you mean lay them down side by side as in lying flat? Or am I confused? They need pls. to be vertical, inserted into some mix, w/ the leaf straight up & down. They don't have to be in deep pots, but they have to be stuck straight in like a stick.

pirate girl has it right. I've rooted successfully from leaves, the most effective method seems to be to leave the leaf in the pot of a rooted plant, but I suppose you don't have one and will have to root the leaf in its own pot. I've read more than once that variegated forms lose their variegation if rooted from leaves (as opposed to rooted from rhizomes). I don't have any personal experience to support or contradict that, though.
Good luck!
Melissa

You are both right If the Huntington's horticulturist thought he could do that and get more and faster results he would be doing just that. My leaf that was given to me was rooted in water, so I must also then keep my soil moist until it gets adjusted. Karen, I looked today, took it out of the soil, and it's real rhizomes are already 1" long, the water roots are still there, I don't know if it will put out variegated plants however, so now I can start cutting down on water for the winter, I am keeping it right next to the heater, heat is very much needed for them to root quickly. When I take the cuts for the Huntington we let them dry out for a week. This plant that has been started in water and is almost 8" across the bottom, it is a variegated leaf, with now at least 7 offsets, this is really going to be interesting, I will let you know loud and clear if I get any variegated off sets from this leaf. Norma

Five M, remember these are not Begonia's. The think thick flat or round leaves are easier to propagate. They hold more water, the thin trifasicata varietes are harder to do from just a cut leaf top. Stiff leaves have more water stored in them, that is the reason I can start them in a small plastic Rose pot, with only 2 inches of soil. Just hang back on the water until you see little green tips showing of new growth. The soil can be slightly moist until this happens. Norma

I forgot to tell this group about using willow leaves, make a tea out of them then feed the luke warm tea to the leaves that you are trying to root, this was suggested for tissue culture. (it takes the place of a rooting hormone. I also found out it's best to use water that has an alkaline content less then 7 6.5 is the best toward the acid number, treat the akaline water with vineagar about 1 tbs. per gal. to bring the akaline number down. I have one more trick up my sleeve, I will tell you later about. Our mix at the Huntington Gardens accomplishes this. We also have well water (soft water) which really makes a big difference. Norma

Hi M
Melissa, well I do have proof that they will lose variegation if rooted by a leaf, unless you know how to use the bridge tecknique damn i didn't spell that right at all, sorry, I think your experiment is interesting. I just wonder what will happen, I may even try that myself, we hardly give our cuttings any sun at all. They would dry out too fast in the soil that we use. It will be fun to try however. Try water while you are at it. Soon as that leaf rooted, I took it out of the water and planted into soil, I gave been keeping the soil moist. I have been told the faster you do that the better, because the plant has problems adjusting to soil the longer it is kept in water, Norma

I am currently trying to get plants out of a varietated straited leaf of S. kirkii v. pulchra. This one is rare and very expensive.
If I can just root the leaf I will be a happy camper. I cut off the rotted part at the bottom, it is an 8" piece I will not cut it into three parts, of even two, to start it will need all the water that cut leaf holds. I'll start it in damp soil, wait at least a week then give is drink of warm tea. Just an experiement, and I have another one to back me up if this doesn't work, I would have tossed these out any way. If I can do this so can the rest of you. Norma

You may want to try and root them in orchid mix. In a plastic bag, I would think they would rot that way without any air. I punch holes and hang them up on nails on top of my greenhouse to keep them warm, I punch more holes each few days, to let more air in. I don't want moisture to condense on the inside of the bag. I live in a very dry climate, and this may not work for every one, use your own judgement. You will need judgement or instinct when to transfer them to a pot. I found a leaf on the floor of my green house I will cut it up into two inch size, and lay them flat on the soil, I just want to try that, you don't know until you have tried it. Norma

yes my grandmother has some growing in water on the kitchen table i was in shock but it works

Good news, my 'Copper Tone' v. variegated and straited Kirkii v pulchra has rooted down. I don't know if the new leaf will take after the mother, but if they do I sure will brag loud and clear. I have my fingers X'd Norma

Only for instance, I would take a 30" leaf of S. v. cylindrica, and cut it up in 5" pieces, putting an arrow where the cut was, then I would put them in 3" pots with 2 inches of damp soil after I had let them dry for a day and let them sit in that until they showed that they rooted, then water and give a weak mix of liquid 'Liquid Nox' fertilizer or Ealeanor's VF 11 only one drop per gal. Don't over do the fertilizer. I would do this after July 1, they do need the heat to start and this seems like the best month for us as we are north of the equator also a natural time for them to do so. I did this with S. Bella it rooted down in two weeks. I also did this with S. fisherii, it also rooted down fast it has flat new baby leaves, and I got six new growths the first time I tried it in 1990. I start them in semi shade or low light. Norma