Which is Best to Propagate Plants - Soil, Water, or Moss?

[@xyliava]

Fascinating! I was expecting the moss to do better. I'm interested in a follow-up on all of these once they're moved to their permanent substrate. I wonder if the moss props might catch up with the water props once the water props are in soil and need to build more complex root systems.

[@davidwido1135]

Great video! I’d also like to see how the react when potting in substrate. Do you water propagated plants have a pause in growth as the switch to taking in moisture. Different way?

[@angelamainini3060]

Hi there! I've been doing water propagating for fifty+ years. My personal favorite. Although, I've used perlite and sphagnum moss also. Definitely depends on the plant and root system. Interesting video, to see the results together. Loved it!

[@jessicamatheneyfineart]

Awesome to see this experiment! I prefer water only propagation, it's given me a 99% success rate, plus I love that using pothos helps stimulate other plant cuttings to root as well. I throw a lot of different types of plant cuttings in large mason jars together. When I tried soil propagating pothos before, I had a 50% success rate, won't do that again haha!

[@av4144]

does putting pothos really help stimulate rooting? i’ve heard that before but i’ve never heard that explained!

[@catherinestugmyer4449]

I usually exclusively use water. I’ve tried sphagnum, but I think I tend to keep mine too wet. I do use soil for a few things, but water wins for me most times 💚

[@cathlohrentz]

Wow this was great! I would love to see a comparison for other plant families like hoya, monstera, philodendron, begonia etc 🌻🤓 And like someone else mentioned, it would be really interesting to see how they different prop methods take to soil when they’re potted up!

[@nessaMantha]

Yessss !!!

[@devilmecare]

All the ones you mentioned I am growing in water. Took them out of soil and moss because they were rotting and dying.

[@goldieb.8013]

🤣💖🥴🌻I fight with this all the time , lol my fave is water because I like to watch the progress 🌹🌱🪴☺️

[@ansands1]

Very well done experiment! I am a retired science teacher so I really appreciated how you controlled the variables so you, and us, could evaluate the results. I was not surprised by the results either. I would be interested in which permanent substrate would be best from here. Super fun video, Harli! I appreciate your time and effort.

[@The_Black_Truth]

I've Been Propping Multiple Ways Too...By Soil...Perlite...Water And Sphagnum. TODAY, I Am Celebrating The Successful Prop To Pots Of My 2 Painted Lady Cuttings I Got Back In November. I Rooted Them In Water Until February Because Their Leaves Were Quite Large And I Was Afraid I Would Lose Them Using Anything Else. BOTH Are Producing New Leaves!!! 🥳🥳🥳

[@sunflowerhill4349]

Really interesting experiment, thank you! I actually learned the moss prop box technique from one of your older videos and that was a 100% game changer for me! I've never had much luck with water, and way too many failures with soil to persist with that, so the moss prop boxes have changed my world lol, with outdoor hardwood cuttings as well as indoor plants! I do think it needs the enclosed box humidity though. I also think a massive downside with water prop (apart from it not working very well for me!) is that you then just get water roots, which then have to adapt to soil / substrate and the transplant shock of that can set them right back. Super interesting video though thanks for taking the time to do that!

[@bethanynapier9407]

Nothing I love more than a good time-lapse video where I don't have to wait to see the results! Also really loved your side by side, mulit-view comparisons. Next prop video suggestion - air layering 😁

[@nokiddingbrainless]

This is such a great video! I would love to see more experiments like this. Also feeling very validated as someone who swears by water prop hahaha! I only use sphagnum for wet sticks, peperomia leaf cuttings, etc (aka things that have a hard time standing up in water). Another perk of water prop for me is that you can often catch issues early and remedy them. I've had cuttings start to rot in water, but mostly been able to save them by trimming the rot, rinsing the cutting, letting it dry and popping it back into clean water. I've also never had an issue acclimating the water props to soil once the roots are well-established, sometimes they slow down for a bit, but they always bounce back!

[@lizabelle98]

Before I watch it, I’m going to say it depends on the plant. I find my pothos do much better in water propagation. I found my Hoya to do better in sphagnum moss. Great experiment to try! Can’t wait to see the results.

[@gabrielleakers7540]

I liked this!! I’d love to see an experiment where you look at water props vs. water props with nutrients/liquidirt or superthrive or something like that. Just to see the real difference it makes.

[@mari.n.w155]

I second, third and fourth this idea!!!

[@ThatGirlShelbyy]

Agreed!!!

[@katerinakripostna1264]

Very interesting experiment, thanks a lot! I think the only difficulty with water propagation is planting into substrate eventually, that sometimes causes roots to rot.

[@WickedScorpio]

I actually prefer propagating in perlite. I have such a hard time with sphagnum moss, I can't get the watering right

[@JustAStump]

Literally playing your videos out loud at work ... I work at a plant boutique/shop, so it's fitting 😅🥰

[@ceciliacampos3194]

How do they propagate were you work?

[@dena9968]

I’m so glad you did this. It shows the realness of propagation. I think so many times the plant community doesn’t shine light on problems that can be encountered….even with something as simple as propagating.

[@Swann88]

For context i live in northern england, but everything i put in water rots, and moss works for me everything has roots started within a week/ 10 days so crazy to see the difference! I would say the biggest difference between what you’ve done and my method is that i use tiny plastic shot glasses rather than cups, and i pack moss in there and keep in a big prop box, this works really well for me rather than bigger cups! ☺️

[@nataliaH28]

What a great video! I love that you took cuttings from different plants. I've seen these types of videos, but they nearly always took just pothos for the experiment. Thank you for taking the time! 💜

[@devilmecare]

I've always propagated in water. Never in wet soggy soil. Just started in moss. They've done great.

[@kimmaykc]

For me personally water works best for me but I want to try moss like you do

[@tjcuillier7024]

I've always water propagated until this winter when I tried perlite propagating boxes. In perlite, I'm usually able to pot up in 3 weeks and they have a higher success than water propagation when moving to soil. I haven't tried moss, so I'd be curious to see a side by side comparison between moss & perlite prop boxes. Great video.

[@meganb.8896]

Oh I love nerdy experiments like this! Honestly surprised the moss didn't completely outperform the others

[@ceciliacampos3194]

I think the moss was too wet.

[@GardenWitchStudio]

This was fascinating seeing side by side. I do a lot of my propagations in water but I do have a bunch of alocasia corms at the moment rooting in perlite which is also showing a lot of success and last week I did my own little experiment with peperomia, perlite, soil and water so we'll see. Thanks for putting in the work for this! Your propagations always fascinate me.

[@asadventuresnstuff326]

I like that you mentioned that top cuttings root faster. I had no idea until now. Thank You.

[@lenaleven7191]

I have heard from several people having issues propagating that specific type of syngonium (forgot the name). Would be fun to see how they are doing transiting to soil now, especially the water compared to Moss because that's also a difficult step. Thanks for the video 🙏☺️

[@nadias3986]

Yes, I’ve had issues w the llano!

[@rachelh2563]

Came to say this also. I've read that syngonium erythrophyllum has many inactive nodes (similar to what I've heard w other finicky propagators like p. brandtianum) which makes them hard to prop esp. from a single node. Most recommend taking multi-node cuttings to help increase success rate. I found this out the hard way when I landed upon a llano cutting myself. Six months of no progress, I finally gave up 😩

[@squishbean573]

Enjoyed searching your experiment Harli! Thanks for all the effort! I really don't like spagnum moss because I really hate picking it off afterwards. I tend to do water, perlite, or leca propagation depending on the type of plant. 🌱

[@wanderingwanda6090]

Great video! I have used three methods so it’s great to see them side by side.

[@chloekrause5984]

Been binge watching YOUR videos on propagations and what nots and GIRL THESE HAVE BEEN SO HELPFUL! I used to be terrified to chop my plants up but YOU have encouraged me to JUST DO IT!!! And guess what?? New growths are incredible! GOTTA RISK IT FOR THE BISCUIT!

[@HarliG]

Omg thank you so much for this!!

[@leannabonafini9596]

This is so interesting, thanks for doing this! I've been wanting to chop up my peperomia entirely to propagate for a fuller plant, but I was nervous since I haven't propagated peps before. This helped me decide to do it in moss!

[@susancurry5224]

I love experiments like this. We all want our plants to grow as best as they can, and there's a lot of misinformation out there. Thank you for the accurate information!

[@raygonzales197]

I always propagate with water and perlite. In the beginning I just used water and that was great, but I had even better results when I started adding perlite. Definitely recommend!

[@Anah-B]

Harli, I know how much time and effort you put into this one. Thank you for it!!! My favorite propagation method bounces back and forth between perlite and water.. depending on the plant. The only reason it’s not sphagnum is because I don’t like the feeling of touching it 🤣

[@amysuewest3826]

This was fun to watch. I never considered rooting in sphagnum until recently, so seeing this demo was really interesting.

[@sherrykumar2883]

Thank you for this video Harli, the timing is perfect! I have a couple of erythrophyllum that I want to propagate but I’ve heard numerous times that it is difficult to do. I do wonder how they’d do with perlite now. I might have to give it a try.

[@brunabarros2142]

Defo enjoyed this! I'm always unsure which medium to use and I guess water is still the best 😊 I'd love to see how other plants fare out in this competition!

[@Mar06tee]

I think it was definitely worth it! You did the work for us and now we know ☺ I tried the sphagnum moss and I think I put too much water and it got mushy. I prefer water alone because I can actually see the progress. Thank you for the video!

[@greenglassgoblin]

This was so cool! I would love as many of these videos as you want to make! It would be fascinating to see comparisons of all different styles of plant care for different props and mature plants too. You have a wide variety of plants and a great setup so it seems like a perfect opportunity to show a wide variety of comparisons!

[@feelslikeforeve]

I'm glad laziness pays off with always propagating in water lol. great video!!

[@Jessica-tf5pg]

I like using moss to propagate in greenhouse cabinet or grow tent, using water in ambient.

[@dayanaurenda]

I really enjoyed this video. Id love to see more like these, or you trying plant things so we dont have to lol 😆 Personally for me I only do water prop. I tried sphagnum moss once and they all died so I'm afraid to give it another try. Great video! ♡♡

[@Richard-fi3rz]

try perlite, better water prop

[@dayanaurenda]

@@Richard-fi3rz thank you. I will try that. I'll look more into it :)

[@MizzRivera86]

I really love to propagate..🌱🌿 I enjoy watching it grow,and the fact that you can create new life ..is sooo super cool!🌱🌿 Great video friend💖💕⚘💖💕⚘💖

[@PlantDad215]

This felt like I was in science class all over again and I LOVED it. This feels like a great video model for you. Excited to see if you do more experiments 🤓

[@arianamiddleton7024]

Loved this comparison and the effort!! 💪Would definitely be interested to see different plants in the same methods OR the same plants in other prop methods like perlite, vermiculite or pumice/leca maybe! I’ve been experimenting with perlite and vermiculite together and is been going surprisingly well!

[@lilwigglesandleaves]

100% Sphagnam moss! Thats the only way I prop. I have came up with a special mixture of nutes to add to my prop mix as well as exact lighting and temp and I often get roots starting to pop out as little as 3 DAYS!! I am documenting the whole process, the results have been SPECTACULAR!!! ANyway love your videos!

[@PlantFriendDownTheStreet]

Very through and cool concept! Good old water prop never lets me down either!

[@janetshepherd9062]

That was fun! I find I just do whatever and wait awhile. Sometimes I even switch. Very interesting.

[@yougrowgail]

Is be been trying water props again, never had much luck besides rot In the past but I realized I wasn’t giving them nearly enough light. I’m having success including with my maranta which I had never propped before learning from Harli on another video where the proper place to cut the stem on prayer plants is. 🌱

[@dyannabohorques3162]

Loved this video! Would love to see this done again with different semi-hydroponic substrates!

[@TaliMca231]

I don't have enough pots for my props, so I have a propogation station with a neon pothos with roots so long that they're starting to decline, but I haven't gotten more orchid bark now which I really want to use... but hopefully over the next couple days I get some and my plants can finally be happy

[@diannenaworensky6698]

I loved this video !!! I'm a propagating fool. It really trips my trigger when I get roots on a cutting. I have done exactly what you did for your experiment. What I found was that all plants don't neccesarily like to be propagated the same way. Some like water Some like dirt Some like moss. Once I figure that out I'm good. Thanks Again !!! I'm looking forward to the next video

[@MorganaDevina80]

I did this with Philodendron Brazil, it is so interesting. But my absolute favourite is pure pumice for rooting and as growing substrate just adding ca 20% bentonite clay.

[@rhondafisher72]

Definitely a good video, I've always used water, but have used perlite for some. Guess it really depends on the plant also.

[@nancylee1883]

This is quite interesting. I use water propagation only. Never have luck with soil and just haven't tried moss.

[@minnied.5946]

What an awesome experiment! It reminds me of my kid’s science experiment. I love how you explained all the detail as well as the results. Great visual!!!

[@jillrobison6793]

I love this video! I'm planning to work with my 3rd grade gifted and talented kiddos on some plant experiments this year and this is definitely inspiring! any tips for doing this in a classroom? I know I'll need some lights because my room only has 1 window!

[@tdog3742]

I have always had the best luck with just water as well. My second favorite is leca ball prop.

[@ThestuffthatSaralikes]

My whole life I’ve seen my mom just plunk any clipping/cutting she would find or get into a glass of water. EVERY PLANT EVER. It’s just been over the last 15 years when I became a plant mom that I learned different plants need different things to grow. I’ve tried to tell her. Lol- she said “leave me alone- it works” lol!!

[@leonardozamora5279]

Wonderful video and execution! I am getting a cutting of a rare plant that I really like soon and I doing all the research I can to minimise the chances of failure are much as possible and your video helped A LOT! Thank you!

[@rebeccatomlinson9043]

I’ve used soil , water, leca, perlite,vermiculite,coco choir spaghnum moss amd coco peat my fav is spagh or just chunky soil ~for propagation***

[@Thelastpurplecrayon]

I've been waiting for this video since you mentioned it a while ago! I was not let down. I would love to see this type of content again, especially if you do it with hoyas!

[@BoredFjord]

Water's worked the best for me between that & soil! Someday, I'm tempted to try moss

[@herlindes1744]

I personally love both water and mos propagation. With mos i usually just propagate node cutting. I find they grow best. If i want to keep the foliage i find water works best.

[@JustHarperGray]

I’m so excited your finally releasing this video. You said like last year you were doing an experiment with substrate. I’m thinking water is faster.

[@sasharandomly4221]

I did this experiment not to long ago with dieffenbachia tropic snow. The winner was clearly sphagnum, then dirt, then water.

[@laurenjohnson5880]

Yes I love this type of video! I get disappointed when I watch a propagation video that only shows you how to set it up and then never shows the "after" footage, so I totally appreciate the time you put into this, thank you!

[@jasminwieczorek5448]

I was also expecting the moss to do better I must say 😃 Thanks for your dedication Harli, love that kind of content!! Greetings from Germany 😊

[@meganantoinette2542]

I think with soil you have to let it dry out for a bit longer because then the bacteria in the soil won't be able to cause root rot. Also tradescantia root so so quickly in soil! I'm pretty sure they also do in water and moss, but I have a small cutting in soil in a transparent cup and it's only been 2 weeks and I can see so many roots ☺️

[@cherylfaulkner7991]

Water and spag do the best. I also like perlite as well!! Can't wait to see this!

[@nessaMantha]

This was definitely worth “your wait” lol but thank you so much! The experiment was very organized as well!

[@drw5252]

I really enjoy propagating new plants and I use water it seems to work pretty good for me this was an awesome video God bless you have a good day

[@mvbladyjinx]

I definitely don't think it will be water but I hope it will because no matter how long I'm in the game that is my favorite way. Easy peasy lemon cheesy!

[@Chariots1981]

Enjoyed this 3-way comparison. I prefer water propagation myself but thought, like others, that the moss would be better. Well, it seems to be better for peperomia.

[@forumaura43]

Very cool! I used to worry that I was doing a disservice to my cuttings by using water propagation. I'd be curious to see how leca would affect the results.

[@iitsniikkii]

spagnum moss and water props will probably be the best result i'd guess based on my own results at home and from what i've seen in your previous videos.

[@suekuly4723]

Cool experiment. I agree, the water looks the best.

[@CorpseBride64]

I currently have a top cut in sphagnum. It hasn't done anything. It is the way I bought it, so I left it. But, I actually swear by water prop and will most likely switch it. This was a good experiment.

[@fitvegancatmama]

This was fantastic! Thank you for taking the time to do the progress updates. I really enjoy videos that do it this way. Very rewarding as a viewer. I like old school water prop vs anything else. I rarely stick anything straight into dirt. I find, and you confirmed, that it is the slowest way to get roots and often leads to rot. I like moss for very specific things like single leaf peperomia props or chonk props. I also use moss when I've tried water with no results. I find making that switch after a month or two in water will active the props.

[@JustAStump]

Ah thanks harli! So glad I haven't listened to others who tell me soil is great, I'll stick with water 😅 Perlite was the only method I was hoping to see that wasnt here, so curious how it works compared to these! 😆

[@863fernando09]

Loved the side by sides. Thanks for putting in all that work to do that 😂

[@jayceepolly4928]

I love water propagation. I am trying to do some hoya in sphagnum moss right now. I have a little prop box going.

[@dbar106]

❤️❤️ I was JUST searching for this! PERFECT timing!

[@MonchitoPutito]

Wow thank you for the level of commitment!! also my partner and I enjoy this approach bringing us to learn with you. love from the northeast

[@charbenson4312]

I appreciate all the time & effort you put into this Harli, I love your KZbin channel, one of my favorites. I thought this experiment was very insightful, water propagation is my favorite. Thankyou for all your hard work for the plant community, very much appreciated. Charlene, New York

[@katxgarden8431]

I absolutely love this experiment. I’m definitely team sphagnum moss but I often find myself water propagating from time to time. I love this content. I would like to see more of these videos. Great job.

[@anndriggers6660]

I really think it depends on the plant as to which method works best. You kind of have to know a little bit about plants in their habits in order to choose the right medium for individual plants. Some do fantastic and moss and some do fantastic in water or soil.

[@plantytaytay9208]

I’m not that surprised about the Pothos and syngonium rooting quickly in water because they can live in water indefinitely with extra nutrients added in. I think another important factor to this could be the ease of then transferring the plants to whatever you’re using long-term. Soil would already be good to go, moss is nearly there, but water roots are different than soil roots so you could expect some root rot/shedding when transferring to soil. Thank you for putting so much effort and time into this video, it was definitely interesting to see the immediate weekly growth in the different mediums!

[@ryleighfields7033]

Fun to see a good side by side experiment.... thanks I think the sphag the way you normally do it is different than these because of the foliage removal and humidity

[@ryleighfields7033]

I'd be curious to see 8 weeks in your normal prop boxes for those syngonium.... I bet the results would be way better

[@innaavdeyev]

Thank you! As a beginner plant parent, I only ever did water props and given the results I’ll definitely keep doing water :)

[@danielle22200]

Such a cool video! I was expecting sphagnum moss to do the best but I’m happily surprised by the water props!

[@nicolepro927]

Syngonium Erythrophyllum I’ve heard is next to impossible to root seeing your results give me confidence it is possible with the right conditions!

[@paigenichole8316]

Sphag. Every time. No matter where I keep them (right in front of window or FEET back. With heat mat/ without. In cups/containers both. I only had a mold problem once with a box I forgot about after moving, other than that it’s been seamlesssssss

[@nicoletomarchio9454]

I’m guessing water before watching. Can’t wait to see :)

[@chelseaclerke3582]

Very helpful video, I am glad water worked really well because it is my preferred method. I like to be able to see the roots and it's free, now I want to buy spagnum moss lol and try it. Just add it to the list of potting mix amendments that never ends lol! 🌿💚

[@averilt]

Omg that must have been so much time and effort put into this video, thanks for doing all that work!!!

[@brendaboles3875]

Great educational video!! I’m practically a beginner with lots of failures under my belt. This has been a great help.

[@Ash-hu5tq]

One of your best videos. I've always water propagated but I've been trying sphagnum propagation more and more. Soil never works for me.

[@patternsoflife1211]

I am just now getting back into plants. I have always rooted in water but seeing so many videos of different ways to root plants I have been trying different ways. Very helpful video.

[@juicy5845]

can you pleaseeee do a updated potting mix!!!! im so confused, I dont know when to use peat moss or coco coir. I just need a current mix video please!! lysm!!