If there is one word that can describe Cape primrose, it would be “Elegance.” Cape Primrose is an expensive collection, and as for plant-hoarders, it might even break your bank!
So, what is the most economical solution to propagating Cape Primrose without having to spend a lot?
Propagation. There you have it! Are you tempted to secretly snap off those pretty little leaves from your neighbor’s African Violets?
The three simple ways of propagating Cape Primrose are through leaves, seeds, and roots. The propagation steps involve cutting the plant parts or seeds and placing them in a sterilized plant starter mix.
Propagation is the simplest and quickest technique to expand your collection of rare and expensive varieties of plants.
Go ahead and visit that friend who is a die-hard collector of African Violets and get some of those pretty little leaves.
Below you will find various ways to propagate Cape Primrose. From fastest to slowest, most popular to unconventional, most successful to futile, there is one for each of your preferences.
Table of Contents
What is the Best Time to Propagate Cape Primrose?
If you are looking forward to propagating your Cape Primrose, be mindful of the propagation season.
Chances are, if you propagate them in the winter seasons, they will not root at all. And in case they do, your propagated plant will not be as healthy as the mother plant.
Early spring is the best time to propagate Cape Primrose.
This will ensure that the cuttings or seedlings have an appropriate environment for growth, especially lighting and temperature.
Furthermore, the mother plant will also have an excellent environment to recover efficiently.
Take your Cape Primrose cuttings from the mother plant early in the morning.
Plants are full of water in the early morning, and as the day goes, their water content drops due to transpiration. Therefore, an early morning cutting has the best chances of rooting efficiently.
Reasons to propagate Cape Primrose
Should you need a reason to propagate your Cape Primrose? Well, not necessarily. You can propagate them simply because you might want to expand your Cape Primrose collection.
Or, probably because you might want to share the beauty with a friend or a sweet neighbor.
After all, who doesn’t love their incredible bloom!
Some most common reasons why plant lovers choose to propagate Cape Primrose are discussed below:
- Cheapest and the quickest way to multiply your Cape Primrose.
- Cape Primrose is dying.
- Your plant is ancient and has a leggy and stringy appearance.
- You have overfertilized your plant, and your Cape Primrose is severely damaged.
- Root rot and persistent fungal diseases on the leaves.
- Severe pest infestation is one of the principal reasons for propagation.
Cape Primrose Propagation
There are plenty of ways you can take to increase your stock of Cape Primrose. Following are the simplest ways for you to propagate your Cape Primrose without any hassle.
1. Cape Primrose Propagation with Leaves Cuttings
Leaf propagation is one of the most convenient and widespread ways of propagating Cape Primrose.
The process is quick, and the results can be seen within a few weeks with a high success rate.
Follow the steps below to propagate your Cape Primrose through leaves.
Step 1: Choose a few healthy leaves from the parent plant. Make sure that the leaves are mature and have not been damaged or infected with pests. Leaves with lots of veins are best.
Step 2: Using a clean pair of disinfected scissors, cut off a section of the leaves. Make sure that each cutting is at least 2 inches long.
Step 3: Using a scalpel, remove the midrib from the leaf section.
Step 4: Take a well-draining and dry potting mix in a small pot or propagation tray.
Step 5: Insert the leaves vertically into the soil. Ensure the leaves stand upright and don’t lay them flat to avoid excess water retention and rotting of leaves.
Step 6: Cover the population setting with plastic. Water sparingly once in 2 to 3 days depending upon the wetness of the soil.
In general, it takes about two weeks for a cape Primrose to develop roots through leaf propagation. And in about 6 to 8 weeks, your propagated plant will be big enough to be transplanted into a slightly bigger pot.
Important Tips
- The cutting from the parent plant should be taken in early spring.
- Propagate several leaf cuttings at once. In case one does not make it, the others will.
- Avoid watering the propagated leaves for at least 12 hours. It is essential to give time to the cut edge to dry out and form a light callus. The roots will develop from the callus.
- You can also add hormone powder to enhance the growth of plants. However, the hormone is optional.
- The temperature should be maintained at around 70 Degrees Fahrenheit for the best result.
2. Cape Primrose Propagation with Leaf Stems in Water
What’s better than seeing the roots develop in front of your eyes? But, unfortunately, many people are not aware of the fact that Cape Primrose can be efficiently rooted in water medium.
This is probably one of the quickest and safest ways of rooting your African Violets. Are you interested in finding out the steps to successfully water propagate?
Step 1: Remove a mature Cape Primrose leaf from the base of a healthy mother plant. Make sure the leaf is in good shape and without any damage. The leaf should have at least one inch of stem attached to it. The roots will start to develop from the base of the stem.
Step 2: Take a glass container and fill it with water to the top. Next, cover the top of the container with plastic wrap and secure it.
Step 3: Make a small hole in the plastic using a toothpick or a skewer.
Step 4: Insert the leaf stem through the hole. The base of the leaves should be submerged into the water completely.
Step 5: Place the glass container in a shady area away from direct heat.
The roots will start developing at the base of the leaf stem in about 2 to 3 weeks.
In about a month, you will see a new leaf developing as the old leaf withers away. Make sure to remove this old leave. Now, you can go ahead and pot your Cape Primrose into a soil medium.
Important Tips
- Change the water once a week to avoid the development of bacteria and fungi.
- Use a fresh batch of water every week fulfills the nutritional needs of the baby plant.
- Make sure that you insert the leaf stem into water immediately after removing it from the mother plant. If you delay the process by even as little as one minute, the stem will close up. This is because the stem needs to remain open to be able to absorb water.
Cape Primrose Propagation with Seeds
These beautiful flowering plants propagate quickly with seeds, and the success rate is much better than any other form of propagation.
Get the seeds of Cape Primrose of whatever color you prefer, and let’s get started!
Step 1: Fill a propagation tray with seed starter mix or any potting mix. It is best to use a seed starter mix as it contains all the essential nutrients for efficient germination and growth.
Step 2: Make sure the propagation tray or pot has drainage holes at the bottom.
Step 3: Lay the seeds of your Cape Primrose flat on the top and lightly cover it with more of the potting mix. Press the soil gently.
Step 4: Lightly water the propagation setting to make sure that the seeds are lightly soaked.
Step 5: Cover the propagation tray with a plastic bag and place it in a dark and humid place for germination. Seeds tend to germinate faster in a dark environment.
Step 6: Water it every day or once in two days. It is best to water by misting.
Step 7: Every day (if necessary), mist the medium lightly with room-temperature water to keep it moist but not soggy.
Step 8: Remove the plastic when you see at least 4 to 5 leaves sprouting.
The seeds of Cape Primrose take about 6 to 10 days to germinate, depending upon the growing conditions.
Important Tips
- The temperature should be maintained at around 70 Degrees Fahrenheit. You can use a Heat Mat to maintain the temperature.
- Cover the seedlings with plastic to maintain the humidity.
- Do not place the sprouts in hot and bright locations.
- Do not miss out on watering the sprouts. They dry up very easily.
- Once the roots of the sprouts start appearing through the drainage holes, shift them to a slightly bigger pot.
Cape Primrose Propagation with Roots
One of the unconventional yet successful ways to propagate your Cape Primrose is through root cuttings.
Many people hesitate to go with this method as it is not very popular, and the success rate is not that good.
Root propagation is not ideal for all kinds of plants and might be time-consuming for you to see any results.
In any case, do you want to find out the steps to propagate your Cape Primrose through root cuttings?
Step 1: Uproot the mother plant and examine the roots properly. Choose the one that looks white and healthy. Avoid using broken or infected roots for propagation.
Step 2: Make a clean cut about 5 to 8 centimeters of the root tip from the parent plant. Make sure to disinfect your scissors before using them to avoid any root infection.
Step 3: Replant the parent right away and water it thoroughly. Then, place it in a shady spot for a few days.
Step 4: Prepare a well-draining potting soil in a small pot. Lay the thin root cuttings horizontally. Make sure to cover it with the same potting mix about half an inch. For thick root cuttings, insert them vertically into the potting mix. Make sure that the cut end faces upwards and slightly out of the soil.
Step 5: Water the soil. Ensure that the soil is slightly damp but not wet to avoid root decay.
Step 6: Cover the plant pot with plastic to ensure a good level of humidity. Keep it away from direct heat.
Step 7: Water the propagation setting once in 2 to 3 days, depending upon the moisture retention on the soil.
Step 8: Remove the plastic covering once you see the leaves shooting out the soil.
Depending upon the growing conditions, propagation through root cutting in Cape Primrose takes about 3 to 5 weeks to shoot out any leaves.
Important Tips
- Always take the root cuttings before the growing seasons, that is, late winter or early spring.
- Roots have high carbohydrates content before they break dormancy, and hence, the cuttings are more likely to succeed.
Cape Primrose Propagation with Division of Plant
Let’s say you have a bushy and well-packed Cape Primrose, and you want to propagate it by dividing the parent plant.
The first step to know whether your plant is dividable or not is by checking its crown.
How many crowns are there? If the plant has a single crown, I am sorry to say, but you cannot divide your plant.
However, if there are many crowns, you can divide them and propagate them separately as an independent baby plant.
But what is a crown? Crown is the single central growth that is surrounded by numerous leaves developed from that center.
Follow the steps below if you want to divide and propagate your parent Cape Primrose into numerous baby plants!
Step 1: Carefully uproot the plant. And remove the soil from the roots to completely expose them.
Step 2: If the roots are packed together, keep them under running tap water to remove the dirt.
Step 3: Then, use a fork and carefully separate the roots.
Step 4: You can divide the plant, ensuring that each division has a crown at the center and few roots below.
Step 5: Plant each of these baby Cape Primrose in smaller containers filled with well-draining potting mix.
Step 6: Water the newly potted plants.
Since African Violets multiply and develop very fast, this step is also widespread among plant lovers.
After you have divided your parent Cape Primrose, the propagated babies will be ready to be re-divided in another six months.
Important Tips
- Keep the propagated Cape Primrose in a shady spot away from harsh and direct light for about a week.
- Once they are well established in the new medium, you will have to place them in a well-lit location.
Conclusion
Cape Primrose are popular houseplants with a wide variety of captivating colors in their blooms. They are not only easy to take care of but for easy to propagate as well.
If you have come across this post, I am sure you were looking forward to propagating your African Violets. And by now, I hope you are familiar with the how’s and why’s related to Cape Primrose propagation.
Follow the tips as mentioned above and never run out of Cape Primrose. Then, get yourself a pot full of African Violets to adorn your living space and balcony with beautiful all-year-round blooms.
