Re: African Sword sprouting a "baby" on root crown?

["James Purchase" <jppurchase at rogers_com>]

Kristen, what you see on your Amazon Sword is technically called an
"off-set" (or "offset"). Its quite normal - lots of crown forming plants
produce them from buds on the (much reduced) stem at or just below gravel
level. The new plant initially draws its nutrients from the mother plant,
until it forms its own root system and puts on some size. Once the baby has
developed well enough (several leaves and a reasonable root system of its
own) it can easily be separated from the mother plant using either a small
scalpel, a single edged razor blade or a very sharp and small knife (not the
place for a butter knife). You want to produce a clean cut, with minimal
damage to the mother plant or to the daughter.

I find that its best to pot up the offshoots separately for a while, in a
small pot with an enriched substrate to encourage them to put on some size
before being planted permanently.

James Purchase
Toronto