Growing Copper Leaf plant from Cuttings
Copper leaves are one of my favorite garden plants, this tropical evergreen produces beautiful broad colorful leaves that can light up any garden and landscape design. The copper leaf belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae, it’s believed there are 450-462 of these species, some of the common names of the copper leaves are Jacob’s coat, Copper plant, Lance copperleaf, Coat of many colors, Catch me if you can, Fire dragon, etc…
This garden shrub reaches heights from 6-10 ft there ensure that you give your copper leaf plenty of room to grow. I have worked with copper leaf on many garden designs and recommend this plant not only for its beauty but because of its low maintenance and drought tolerance ability.
Below we will be discussing how to populate your garden and landscape by propagating the copperleaf which is an inexpensive but effective way to increase the number of these garden beauty you desire to have.
Copperleaf plant propagation
What you will need.
Note: The best time of the year to take cuttings from the copper leaf plant is spring when the plant is actively growing.
- A container or containers that 6 inches or a bit larger, each container should have holes for water drainage
- A mixture of peat moss and coarse sand
- Root hormone rooting powder
- Plastic bag/plastic bags
- Compost/manure
1. Fill the container/containers with the peat moss and coarse sand mixture.
2. Wet the soil thoroughly until it runs out of the container drain hole.
3. The cuttings that are taken from the parent plant should be 3-4 inches long.
4. The place where you made the cut dip in water and then in the root tone hormone, the water will help the root tone hormone to stick to the end that was cut.
5. Next gently press or insert that part of the cuttings that were cut in the soil that has the rooting hormone, the cutting should be erected while firming the soil around it.
6. Cover the container/ containers with plastic bags, the cuttings should be kept at a temperature that’s 70 degrees Fahrenheit. keep a check on your cuttings, when new growth appears remove the plastic bag/bags. The soil should be kept somewhat moist not water-saturated which will lead to root rot.
7. When cuttings are about 1-inch tall and have roots, cuttings can be transplanted into a plant bed or its permanent location. (to know if your cuttings have developed a root system besides the new growth pull gently on your cuttings. If there is a slight resistance this is also a sign that your cuttings have rooted).
The final word on copper leaf plant propagation
Propagating copper leaf is that simple, this method of propagating copper leaf from cuttings is that effect. If your desire is to populate your garden with copper leaf or it may be some other plant species this method has proven to work wonders. This is a cheap way to increase the number of plants in your landscape so go for it. You will be so happy with the results that you get.
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About the author
Norman loves being in the garden, both at home and for his job....
he is 'Natures Little helper' being outdoors, growing his vegetables and flowers from an early age.
Now having spent over 22 years in the profession he want to give some of his knowledge to others...
his vast array of hints and tips you will find scattered over this site will help you no end growing plants in your garden.
Thank you so much for this information. I was wondering whether this plant is a herbal plant? I mean besides having it form a beautiful garden around the home, what other benefits are got from having it around? can it be taken as tea? Can it be added to food for some sort of nutrients?
Forgive me for asking many questions but I am just curious of what more the plant has to offer besides beauty! By the way, am not against beauty.
Copper leaf plant Is “believed to have healing properties” but what I would do is before using this plant in any other way I would use it for beauty as and ornamental shurb only. I would consualt may doctor first however when it comes to using this plant for natural healing. But again I recommend it only for garden beautifcation!!!
Thank you so much for the information! I’m in SW FL and my one big Copper Leaf bush is definitely in its growing phase so I’m headed for the store to get the items needed to propagate! I am also rooting Clusia cuttings in water, which is super easy! Thanks again!
Caroline