Abenium Propogation

This is such a pretty flowering plant, it's also known Desert Rose and is pretty hardy
unless you overwater it causing it to rot. Propagation by cuttings is easily done.
Using 2 to 3 inch pots (I like the little clay pots). Prepare the clay pots by soaking in
water overnight, then fill semi firmly with a soil intended for cactus and succulents or
use a regular potting soil and add 1 cup perlite (found in garden centers, usually near
the soils) to about 3 cups soil. The perlite is to make the soil fast draining which is
very necessary here with this and all succulents.

It is best if you use a Rooting Hormone which is a powder and encourages healthy
roots on cutting. I'm using one from Schultz called Take Root, previous to this jar it
was another maker who made one called Roottone. They both work well. It just has
to say 'rooting hormone'. Depending on how often you propagate cuttings it will
practically last forever. This current jar is about 7 years old. At the rate I use it there
is probably another 2 to 3 years use in it. Even as old as mine is it has not failed me.
I do keep it in a cool dry area inside the house.

So, take your cuttings from the tips of the host plant about 2-3 inches long. Let dry
out to callous over the cut end for at least one full day. Now you will moisten the
bottom inch of cutting and then dip into the rooting hormone powder, tap off excess
into jar. Push into prepared pots of soil to just over the rooting hormone line. If it wont
stand up on it's own the soil is not packed into the pot firmly enough. If so I would
remove it and add a little more soil and pack it a little more firmly with your fingertips.
The opposite would be, if it is hard to push the cutting into the soil then I would dump
out the soil, refill the pot to the very top and pack by pushing in level with fingertips,
packing less firmly as you had before.
Water daily - the water should drain out immediately, if it doesn't there is not enough
perlite. Unfortunately for best results the soil must have more perlite added. My
advice would be to make up the soil combo, put some in a pot lightly packing it,
water it and see if water comes out quickly. Spray the area a couple times a day
around the pots to keep the humidity up, because at this time the plant is not drinking
so at least the leaves can absorb from the humidity.
If you can't spray a few times a day then I would use a tray that has about 2" high
sides, fill with pea gravel (you could also use the leftover perlite) about 1" high. Set
pots on this and keep about 1/2" or more of water at all times. The pots should be
sitting above the water not in the water. Just check it once a day and add water if
necessary
Somewhere between two to six weeks the roots will develop. I always have one that
is my experiment pot, meaning this is the only one I will tug on starting at two weeks
to check on the rooting and then do this once a week. Once I know that they are
rooted very well I continue to treat them as a new cutting for another month or so
before 'potting up' which means planting into the next size up when it comes to the
pot.
Just FYI - all these instructions can be used for most any cutting propagation. I've
done it this way for years and years. Also, plants actually grow healthier and quicker
if you only transplant to next size up on the pots. Jumping sizes, say from 3" to 6" for
some reason causes them to not grow as well.
I know this is long, I'm sorry. I guess when I get going I get going. I just wanted you
to be successful at this and lots of tried and true info is very helpful for success.