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Lipstick Plant Propagation: 2 Simple & Effective Methods

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Lipstick plant propagation is super simple, and I will show you two easy and effective methods to propagate this beautiful houseplant using simple cuttings. Whether you’re propagating the plain old species, Aeschynanthus radicans, or you’re propagating the variegated variety, or even ‘Black Pagoda’, the ‘Curly’ lipstick plant, or others, these methods will work for all of them!

lipstick-plant-propagation

Lipstick plant is a great candidate for propagation because it will eventually get very long. Mine got so huge that I gave it a trim and used the opportunity to take some cuttings.

lipstick-plant-outside

LIPSTICK PLANT PROPAGATION METHODS

I’ve successfully propagated this plant using both water and soil propagation methods. Before I get into both, you’ll want to know how to prepare your cuttings.

You can take cuttings of the end of the vines, or even cut a long vine into multiple segments.

Shown in the photo below is an example of a cutting I made. I removed the bottom two sets of leaves. At this point, you can proceed with propagating in water or soil.

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Lipstick plant cutting

WATER PROPAGATION

At this point, simply place the cuttings in water, ensuring the the nodes (where you removed the leaves) are under water.

Remember that rooting will occur more quickly if you can place your cuttings in a warm location. Above 70F (21C) will greatly speed things up. I’ve propagated mine in my warm basement which at the time was kept around 75F. Rooting occurred pretty quickly.

Place your cuttings in the same location that you would normally place a growing plant.

Cuttings can be quite top heavy, so this is why I like to have a longer bare stem that can be submerged under water in order to keep the cuttings more stable (and also allow more opportunities for root formation).

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Two lipstick plant cuttings in a propagation station

I don’t remember how long it took for roots to form with the water propagation method, but I will update this post with that information once these new cuttings root.

Once roots are half an inch to an inch long, go ahead and transfer them to a small pot with potting mix.

Here is a pot of variegated lipstick plant cuttings that I propagated in water.

variegated-lipstick-plant-propagation

Here is the same plant about 1 1/2 years later. It is developing into a beautiful specimen, but has yet to bloom. I hope to see some soon!

variegated-lipstick-plant

If you love water propagation, be sure not to miss my post on the best houseplants to propagate in water.

SOIL PROPAGATION

The other method you can use is the soil propagation method. You would prepare the cuttings the same way, but instead of placing them in water, you would simply insert them directly into potting mix.

Before you insert them into a potting mix, there is an optional step that may help speed up the rooting process. Dip the end of each cutting into rooting hormone (link to Amazon), and then simply insert into a small pot.

To take it an extra step, place your pot on a propagation mat. This will greatly speed up the time to root! The difference can be quite dramatic!

Keep the soil pretty moist to encourage rooting. Use your favorite potting mix, or any all-purpose mix to which you can add some perlite (2-3 parts potting mix to 1 part perlite).

If you can, go ahead and increase humidity as this will help lessen the stress on the cuttings. A clear plastic bag placed loosely over the pot and cuttings will do the trick.

The increased humidity will help lessen moisture loss through the leaves by transpiration.

When I used the soil propagation method, I placed 5 cuttings in a 4 inch pot. Two of the cuttings didn’t make it, but 3 did. I always recommend taking more cuttings than you think you need, because not all of them may make it.

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Soil propagated lipstick plant cuttings

The photo above shows cuttings that I propagated using the soil propagation method. Rooting seemed to have occurred pretty quickly, within a month or less, because I noticed the cuttings were growing and even flowering!

Conditions were kept warm (75F) and under a bright grow light.

It is VERY important to keep the potting mix pretty moist while cuttings are rooting. If you let the mix dry out repeatedly, especially in the beginning of the process, you will greatly diminish your rate of success.

Lastly, one wonderful thing about lipstick plants is that cuttings will often branch off into multiple vines! See the photo below where a single cutting produced two more brand new growths (shown next to my two fingers):

lipstick-plant-propagation

For more information on how to grow this beautiful flowering houseplant, check out my comprehensive lipstick plant care blog post.

Have you tried lipstick plant propagation? Comment below. I’d love to hear!

Please do me a favor and share this post to social media because it will help me spread the Ohio Tropics houseplant care tips to the masses! Also, check out my shop on Amazon for all your houseplant care needs:

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Kate

Wednesday 24th of August 2022

Hello, We have hd cuttings in water for some months. I can’t see any roots, but the cuttings have recently both flowered! This seems unusual … Any tips?

Raffaele

Wednesday 24th of August 2022

Hahaha, sounds like they're hanging on! I would just say keep waiting...but where do you have your cuttings located? What kind of light are they getting? Are you sure they don't have any roots at all?

Suzie

Tuesday 18th of January 2022

I have had cuttings in water for 2 weeks and see nothing happening....no roots at all. I will continue to leave as is but wonder if I should do something else.

Raffaele

Tuesday 18th of January 2022

Hi Suzie, it is not the quickest plant to root...so just give it more time. Put it in a warm location with good light. It can be a few weeks depending on your conditions. As long as your cuttings still look good, you'll be ok! If you have a heating mat for propagation, you can set your cuttings on top of that and the warmth should speed things up.

Tara

Friday 2nd of July 2021

A lady at my work cut her long gorgeous lipstick plant!!! And threw away the cuttings! I couldn’t believe it! So I snagged them out of the garbage and now have them in water. I’m wondering if the longer stems will grow roots? Most are longer and hope they will root. I hope all of them root, I will have a massive plant!

Raffaele

Friday 2nd of July 2021

Hi Tara! I would highly recommend that you cut the longer vines into multiple shorter cuttings. You'll have a much better success rate that way! You'll have a better success rate!

Kathy

Friday 28th of May 2021

Enjoying both your Instagram and now your blog too. Thanks for the easy-to-follow tips and tricks. One question about lipstick plant propagation. When you take your cuttings do they need to be all green on the stems or have you had luck with cutting the brown (older) part of the stems? Thank you.

Raffaele

Saturday 29th of May 2021

Hi Kathy! I'm glad you enjoy my platforms :-) You can try experimenting with both, but you may have more luck with fresher, green growth versus older growth. Take more cuttings than you think you need because not all of them may root. Good luck!