When it comes to Stephania Erecta propagation, it works a little differently than some other plants. Instead of using cuttings, you use a bulb-like base. You can also propagate these plants with seeds. However, it takes a lot of patience, and while it isn’t too difficult to propagate, you may find something missing to help your plant grow.
You can propagate Stephania Erecta by planting half the bulb in soil or by planting the seeds 0.2 inches (0.5 cm) into the soil.
Usually, the most common issue with the propagation is the humidity levels. Using a plastic bag or plastic wrap allows for warmer consistent temperatures while keeping the humidity high.
Continue reading to learn more about propagating Stephania Erecta, including what to do when your bulbs don’t have roots and how to tell the bottom from the top of the plant.
My Stephania Erecta Has No Roots, How Do I Propagate Without Them?
If you order Stephania Erecta tubers online or buy a bag of tubers, you will notice that they look like little potatoes. They will not have roots or stems. This is perfectly fine, and with the proper care, these tubers can grow into full-sized Stephania Erecta.
These tubers are bulbs, which are simply what happens naturally when the plant is neglected for too long or during its natural winter cycle. Start giving it the attention it needs, and it will grow in a few months.
It can take up to three months for your plant to bloom, as it must first grow the roots before it can begin to grow foliage.
How Can You Tell the Top of Stephania Erecta Bulb?
When looking at these bulbs or tuber-like parts of your Stephania Erecta, it can be hard to tell which end is the top. This is important to know, as you don’t want to plant your bulb upside down.
Thankfully, once you know what to look for, it can be pretty easy to tell which way is up and which is down.
When you look at your bulb, look for a nub. This nub should look indented but with a small button sticking out from the indent. This is your top, where the branches will grow.
On the other side, there should be dimples. There will be multiple dimples located around one side. This is the bottom.
How Do I Root My Stephania Erecta Bulb?
When buying bulbs, you’ll likely have hibernating bulbs. So to start, you will want to soak the bottom half of the bulb in water for about 24 hours. This will wake it up.
Stephania Erecta is drought tolerant, so a cactus soil mix is a good option when potting it. The soil will dry fairly quickly, but be sure to never water until the soil is completely dry, which you can do by sticking something like your finger or a thin stick into the soil, if dirt is sticking to it, that usually means that it is too wet and you should wait before watering again. On average, this can take approximately ten days.
When planting these bulbs into soil, you want to ensure that they aren’t buried too deeply. Only about half of the bulb should be under the soil, with the other half sticking out. Some suggest not even burying the bulb and instead simply setting it on top, but this tends not to give it a lot of security. Whatever you choose, make sure it is never buried more than halfway.
How Do I Use Stephania Erecta Seeds to Propagate?
To use the seeds to propagate a Stephania Erecta, you start by soaking the seeds for about 24 hours in a dark and warm location.
Once they are ready, you will place them in a cactus mix and set the seeds about 0.2 inches (0.5 cm) down into the soil. You want to keep the temperature around 64°F (18°C) and use indirect light.
These seeds can take up to five months to propagate.
How Do You Get Stephania Erecta Seeds?
To get the seeds from Stephania Erecta, you must first find the seeds themselves. On the stems should be little hanging pouches, which hold all the seeds. When they turn black, that means they are ready to harvest. Simply take and brush those little black pouches, and you should get seeds from your Stephania Erecta.
Can I Cut Stephania Erecta?
Stephania Erecta goes dormant every year around wintertime, and the leaves will fall off, and it will turn back to a bulb. As this happens, you can cut off the leaves if you want, but they will also die on their own.
This is because Stephania Erecta is considered a deciduous plant, so it should drop all leaves at some point of the year.
If they get too big, you can trim the plant every month to prevent it from getting too tall for its space.
How Do You Make Stephania Erecta Sprout?
Making a Stephania Erecta Sprout takes a lot of patience. Depending on whether the plant is grown from a bulb or seed, it can take three to five months.
They also require pretty frequent care. They need a pretty constant temperature of 64°F (18°C), and while they can’t be too wet, they need to stay moist and have a lot of humidity. While it is possible to keep up humidity with a humidifier or mist, many others find that maintaining greenhouse conditions works best.
It is best to use succulent or cactus mix soil or make your own. If you want to make your own, you want to use at least fifty percent perlite, vermiculite, or pumice to ensure enough aeration and drainage that the roots don’t stay moist when they grow. These roots are very susceptible to root rot, so it is important that the soil fully dries before re-watering.
Why Is My Stephania Erecta Not Growing?
One of the biggest reasons a Stephania Erecta might not grow from a root or seed is a lack of humidity. Though the plant doesn’t need to be watered much, it does best with humidity while it is growing from a root or seed.
You can lightly mist the plant every few days. Many people place a bag over the bulb or plastic wrap over the seeds so that the plant can grow. However, you must watch your plant carefully, because if it starts to grow, it could be damaged by the bag or plastic wrap.
This is also a great way to keep the heat in as well and create a sort of greenhouse effect.
The plant may be dormant if you’ve had a bulb that was already growing but suddenly stopped and lost its leaves. This plant is generally dormant from December to April. So if your plant begins to slow or isn’t growing as it was, it may grow dormant for the year. They are not evergreen plants and should lose their leaves at least once a year.
However, some people have noted that their plant goes dormant at the wrong time of year or continues growing though they should have been dormant long ago.
So if your plant is going dormant at the wrong time of year or not going dormant when it should, don’t worry. You can reduce the amount you normally water them and see if that triggers a dormancy, but most people suggest just going with the flow and letting your plant do what it wants.
Summary
Stephania Erecta plants aren’t hard to grow but can be a little unusual if you don’t know what you are doing. Instead of roots, cuttings, or replanting new growths, you generally either grow this plant from a seed or wake up a bulb and grow the plant from there.
You can propagate Stephania Erecta by placing the bulb in soil or by planting the seeds 0.2 inches (0.5 cm) into the soil. The best temperature to grow your Stephania Erecta is 64°F (18°C) and the best soil mix is one that focuses on good aeration and drainage.
All the bulb needs is a little heat, humidity, and time and you will soon have a unique plant where the bulb grows halfway out of the soil, and your stems all grow from one spot.