Jill,

I haven't ever propagated it, but if it gets roots on its stems, then it should be very easy to propagate either in soil or water.

Anne

Hey, Jill. While I haven't propagated this particular plant, I have worked with similar ones. The easiest way to increase this type is to take advantage of the natural nodes on the roots. Select a root that has a healthy node several inches from the main stem. Cut across the node along the length of the root. Rub in a dusting of root stimulator and pin the cut of the node to the surface of a pot of well drained soil. Do not remove from the parent plant until the new roots are well formed and a new stem has started and has at least one pair of leaves. Two pairs are better. This is more successful than attempting to start a cutting as the parent plant will continue to provide nourishment for the new plant.

Another method is to lay the stem flat against a pot of soil. You can cut the stem and apply root stimulator just as you would for the node. The drawback here is the possibility of stem rot since microbes are present in the water and sterile conditions are not always possible.

If you don't have room for the pot, wrap the stem or node in soil, secured lightly in cheesecloth.Cut a hole in the cheesecloth when a stem appears. A Jiffypot cut in half and fastened around the node or stem will work too. Keep the soil damp.

Hope this is helpful. Propagation is fun.

The first several ghits for "sensitive plant'' turn up Mimosa pudica. The Mimosa in Arizona produce a lot of seed. Unless one wants some other "sensitive plant" one can get the seed from Amazon, among other places. The seed I collected in the desert as a student were very easy to germinate after being nicked are scratched a bit.

Hey, Albert. While you are correct as far as your info goes, the marginal water plant Jill is describing is not the same as the water sensitive plant you are referencing. While they have many things in common, they require much different care and conditions. Your Mimosa pudica would not survive in a pond or bog and Jill's plant would not survive the conditions required by your plant.

While seeds for the aquatic plant may be available, I did not find an offering. Similar rooting propagation methods might work well for Mimosa pudica but specific care would be different as one is a vine and one is a shrub.

Thanks sleeplessinftwayne, I got to the plant propagation forum and wondered to myself 'Where is my meandering post on Mimosa pudica?' Had I have been paying attention at the time and noted that I was on the ponds forum I would have averted a faux pas

Thanks for the replies everyone. Indeed my sensitive plant is the marginal aquatic kind (it IS Neptunia aquatica...thank goodness for botanical names).

sleeplessinftwayne, I think the basic method you described will work, but I need it adapted to water.

When I was cutting the plant back to bring it inside, I kept a couple of the stems with roots and leaves and just floated them in the tank inside, but they died almost immediately. There are still some stem sections on the overwintering plant that I could cut off, but I need another method to try.

I could just wait until the parent plant is actively growing this summer, when i would have an endless supply of cuttings to sacrifice, but where's the challenge in that? ;-)

Jill