This houseplant we have nearly died, but was brought back and now has two offshoots... well, one now. A squirrel or something knocked the other off.
Anyway, any ideas? Do you think the offshoot that broke off will survive?

It reminds me of Cordyline. Ti Plant (Cordyline fruticosa) The off-shoot should survive but I've never rooted one in water, only soil so I can't offer advice. Hopefully others will be along soon to offer advice and tips.

with Lin. I too think it looks like a Cordyline.
In your first pic. it appears that there may be some leaf submerged in the water? If that is the case, I'd remove that leaf. And remember to change the water every couple of days to keep it clean. It does look like a couple of new roots may already be started? I've never tried this myself, but I don't know why it wouldn't work. Good luck with it! Keep us posted!

That looks pretty close!
And my mom always roots hers in water- that was her suggestion! It usually works pretty well for her, but I haven't tried it much myself. I'll make sure to remove the leaf though.
Thanks, guys!

I wouldn't remove anything but would put it in a pot, submerged to where the Y is. Or you could just use a lot less water, so it's not above the Y.

...So I talked to my family about it, and my stepdad suggested putting it in a potato... Okay?

I have zero confidence in that.

purpleinopp said:I have zero confidence in that.

nicodiangel_no said:


...So I talked to my family about it, and my stepdad suggested putting it in a potato... Okay?

Your stepdad isn't completely crazy, many people suggest using potatoes to grow certain plants--such as roses--from cuttings because the potatoes have growth hormones.

I don't know how well it will work for your plant, though, and you have to keep in mind that some plants don't do well near potatoes, much less stuck in them! I would concur with the advice to NOT stick it in a potato unless you're sure it will work for your particular plant.

That does make sense- he said he'd just seen it on Facebook, so I wasn't sure what to think of it. Since the whole plant is still alive and doing well, I figured it was worth a shot, right?

There' a historic truth there, from settlers in covered wagons wanting to try to grow roses in their new locations and trying to bring them on a months-long trip. Sticking the cutting in the potato might keep it from desiccating for some time, possibly having taken root by the time the trip has ended. Although it may have sometimes worked, there's nothing about doing this that would cause it to be a preferred method for attempting propagation, unless your cutting does need to spend a few weeks in a covered wagon. What probably happened much more often is that the potato took root. I've only seen this "advice" in regard to roses, but if previous generations were employing this method for some reason for roses, surely other plants got involved too. The confused version of this old tale, that it's worth doing in regard to regular, no-travel-involved-propagation, has gone viral for some reason lately, but should probably remain a discussion about history, and example of the determination and imagination a plant-o-phile can have. :+)

Aww, that's so cool! I could definitely see that happening, now that you say that. I should probably just go back to regular propogation methods I suppose there's no harm in trying new things when you have another one of the same plant!

Agree with every word! Ti plants propagate so easily. If the potato thing is going to work, that's a good candidate for experimentation.

purpleinopp said:Agree with every word! Ti plants propagate so easily. If the potato thing is going to work, that's a good candidate for experimentation.

I just checked it and... hmmm... I don't think this will turn out well