Rooting Kanna in Water. From Cutting to Planting.

On December 3rd 2024, I decided to go through the process of propagating some Sceletium Tortuosum cuttings in water and sharing the results. In this post, I would like to summarize the past month of propagation into one account of how well this method worked in this attempt.

Before I get into it, I just want to say that water propagating sceletium tortuosum is not the best way to go about making clones. In fact, it is a rather poor method. I am doing this because I want to give insight to others on how to go about this process. I haven’t seen much talk about it online and I figured I’d give my two cents.

Overall, the trial did not go too well. I took four cuttings and had varied success: one cutting put out roots, one cutting slipped into the water and sustained heavy damage to the leaves, the other two cuttings haven’t sustained damage, but they also haven’t put out roots.

DEC 3-4, 2024

Kanna Cutting in a vial — I chose and took my cuttings on the 3rd. I dipped the cut stem in rooting hormone and set out to callous for a night.

Kanna cutting set up — Dec, 4th, I added water to the vials in which I was going to root my cuttings. I placed my vials in this silicone wax mold to ensure my vials did not fall over and spill.

After December 4th. I put my propagation set up under my 100 watt grow light and resigned myself to waiting for roots to show up.

Note: If you try this, you will have to periodically refill your vials with water. I had to refill mine about 3 times in the month long period in which I attempted this. Just make sure you don’t cover the leaves of your plants with water. We will see why later on….

Kanna cuttings in a grow spot — Where the cuttings lived through the course of this rooting trial

DEC 16th

close up of a kanna cutting — You can see how the tip of the cutting is expanding a bit. This is the first part of the rooting process and a normal occurrence. However, you can also see some damage to the leaf. This cutting slipped too deep in the water.

stem of a kanna plant — You can see how a crack is opening up in the cutting. This should be where roots emerge from.

DEC 28th

roots of a kanna cutting — A tiny root has finally developed!

damaged kanna cutting — Severe damage occurred when this cutting sat immersed in water. Christmas time festivities distracted me and I missed this problem. This plant was severely damaged and discarded. Let this be an example for you!

DEC 30th

roots on a kanna cutting — Root growth has more than doubled in two days!

As you can see, this cutting has developed a nice size root! Unfortunately, the rest of the plant looks weak. We will see how well it takes to soil. I placed it in my grow bed with a label so we can check back on it.

kanna plants in a grow bed — Water rooted cutting placed in one of my trays

We will see how well this cutting does. I gave it a bit of water to aid in the transition, but we will just have to wait and see how well it takes.

Overall, I am glad that I got at least one attempt at a plant out of the 4 I started with. I am also glad I got to learn a bit more about this process. And that’s what it is all about! Trying stuff out, failing, and learning.

Thank you for reading and taking this journey with me!

One response to “Rooting Kanna in Water. From Cutting to Planting.”

February Garden Update – Transplant Garden — Rare and Curious Plants

February 21, 2025

[…] plant with the “H2O root Dec 30” tag is the one from my Rooting Kanna in Waterarticle. There’s a bit of growth, but not much. The roots have anchored it in the soil pretty […]

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Transplant Garden — Rare and Curious Plants