Successfully Sprouting a Stephania Gang

Today I’m sharing the technique I used to successfully sprout my stephania erecta gang. I was able to get all three of them to sprout together over the winter with this method. This has given them a huge head start on the growing season and they are now exploding with new growth! I want to share this information so that you can enjoy these wonderful plants without the fear of failure.

Okay, so I can’t promise that this post will eliminate your fear entirely, but I did go 3 for 3 with this method and that’s a 100% success rate! I have another stephania on the way as I’m writing this and I will be doing basically the same thing, with a few minor changes. First I will explain how I sprouted mine and then I will walk you through my updated method and provide some care tips.

Here’s the quick version:
-fully inorganic growing medium
-humidity tent/dome/bin
-led lighting or similar; direct sunlight will cook the plants
-patience, it can take several weeks or more to see the first signs of growth (mine took a full month)

For more details, please read on!

The two keys to sprouting these beautiful plants are somewhat contradictory:
keep humidity levels high and don’t let the caudex rot!

There’s not a ton of information about these plants online but one thing is unanimous: if you let the bulb stay too wet it will rot and die. Yikes. When plants have large root systems, you can get away with a wetter soil. For stephanias with NO roots we have to be more careful.

Luckily I was able to avoid this but you can be sure that I was scared. Real scared. I actually ended up UNDER-watering mine for a few months. More on that later. For now let’s talk about my favorite method for avoiding rotten plants: inorganic growing media.

With normal soils, when the humidity gets too high there is a high risk of mold and fungal issues. With fully inorganic mixes we can turn the humidity way up with far fewer issues.

I actually chose to sprout my stephanias in leca with a clear plastic bag and some chopsticks to seal in the humidity. Not very elegant but it worked.

For those who aren’t familiar:
Leca is made of fired-clay particles and works by capillary action. By leaving a layer of water at the bottom of the container, the leca will absorb it and distribute it to the other particles. You know how you can place the corner of a paper towel in water and after awhile the entire towel will be wet? Yeah, it’s exactly like that.

The large particles of leca ensure a constant supply of moisture and air. The bag increases humidity and decreases the need to add more water. I placed them under led lights although they really just need warmth at this stage. If you place bagged plants in direct sunlight they will cook. Since stephanias are tropical plants, anywhere in the 70-80f range will be ideal to stimulate growth. Since clay is inorganic, we can keep the humidity levels really high without fear of mold or fungal issues (it’s still possible but the risk is very low.)

Once 2 out of 3 had sprouted I moved them to a fully inorganic gritty mix of pumice, lava, and turface. The particle size was 1/12” to 1/4” and so this holds more moisture than leca but still ensures ample room for air between the particles. I knew I didn’t want to keep them in leca long-term so I actually switched them all over before the 3rd one had sprouted. As an upgrade to the bag and chopstick method, after transferring them to the gritty mix I used a cylindrical tupperware that fit easily around the pot. This worked well because it also fit perfectly under my desk lamp. As you can see, this resulted in lots of compact, leafy growth, not to mention it was quite a lovely sight on my desk all winter long!

Next time I would skip the leca and just sprout them directly in the gritty mix.
Obviously the leca worked, but I have since propagated and grown dozens of plants using inorganic gritty mix and humidity levels over 90%. Not a single plant or cutting has rotted and this way I could avoid repotting the plant after it sprouts. Humidity really helps these get going so I’d definitely recommend some type of inorganic growing medium. There’s no need to run out and buy the same ingredients I used, any type of inorganic ingredient or mixture will do. You could use pure pumice or perlite if you wanted to. Just make sure you find a way to sift the dust out. This needs to be 100% chunky for the best and most reliable results. I bought this set of sifting screens on Amazon. These work well because they rest perfectly inside of 5-gallon buckets. You can also get creative and make your own with wire mesh or insect screen.

Rather than tending to three separate pots, I chose to plant all 3 of my bulbs together in a 6” pot. It was a slightly risky move but I now have three gorgeous plants that I can water all together. This has actually been a lifesaver because I have been watering every day in the summer heat!

So what is the updated version?
I’d use my magical propagation method, of course!

-fully inorganic gritty mix
-clear humidity bin with clear lid
-16 hours of led lighting per day
-water when the surface becomes dry

This is basically the same method as before except that I am skipping the leca and using a proper bin instead of a bag or tupperware. Since I already have several propagation/plant recovery bins setup, I can easily pop my new stephanias in there and let the magic happen (I’ll be sure to do a post/video about my future attempt.) I believe I can get them to sprout much faster this time around but we’ll have to wait and find out!

Now that your plants have sprouted, let’s talk about some care tips!

Light: These plants like a lot of light. I’m giving them as much as I possibly can and they love it. They live right in my wsw-facing windows which are covered by sheer curtains during the summer. The curtains are mostly to protect my variegated plants from burning. I believe that the stephanias would prefer even more light but I need to accommodate my entire collection. Don’t be afraid to put these right in your window (after they’re sprouted.)

Water: Remember how I said I under watered my stephanias for a few months? I was actually watering quite a bit, but they didn’t grow at all! For awhile, I thought they were just struggling to transition from grow lights to natural lighting. With the fully inorganic gritty mix, I was watering every 3 days or so and nothing was happening. After a friend helped me get brave (thanks, Abhi!) I started watering daily and they exploded with new leaves immediately! Literally by day three they had started growing again.

This is likely to trip most people up because we need to water VERY cautiously while the roots are forming, but once they are established, these things are thirsty!! Just make sure you dial it back in the winter when they go dormant. Or you can hit them with lights all winter long and keep the party going.

Humidity: After the initial sprouting and growing phase, I have just let them live in our normal indoor conditions here in the Bay Area. No humidifiers. I am lucky in that my home averages ~50% humidity with no effort on my part. I’m sure they would enjoy a bit more but they seem very happy to me. My best advice is to crank the humidity up to sprout them and then just don’t worry about it. Unless you live somewhere with 10% humidity, but then you’re probably already running humidifiers all the time. Just keep doing what you’re doing.

Fertilizer: I put a heaping teaspoon of Osmocote Plus in the 6” pot a couple months ago and I hit them with a low-dose (1/4 tsp per gallon) of Foliage Pro every two weeks or so. I have no idea if they would prefer more or less but they are some of my fastest growing plants! If you are NOT using inorganic gritty mix, you’ll need less fertilizer (the gritty mix doesn’t absorb nutrients as well as potting soils.)

Final thoughts: Chances are you will be purchasing your stephanias from Thailand. Thankfully, these plants travel extremely well. There’s no need to pay for expedited shipping as they will be completely dormant and are almost guaranteed to survive the journey. Obviously, if you order during a heat wave or the depths of winter, there will be more risk.

I have ordered all of my stephanias (among other things) from InkCacti on Etsy. She is one of my all-time favorite sellers and I recommend her without hesitation. She’s always been very kind and proactive about communicating with me. I know this sounds like a paid promo or partnership but I can assure you, it is not. I understand how challenging and stressful it can be ordering from an unknown seller and I want to share the love anytime I find someone that has earned my trust and respect. You can find her shop here.

I hope this helps you find success with these incredible plants! If there is anything I didn’t cover, please reach out. Stay tuned for a future post about the next batch which is en route as we speak. Thank you so much for joining me and happy growing!