Have you ever seen a houseplant with stunning splashes of white, cream, or yellow on its leaves? That’s variegation, a genetic mutation that disrupts chlorophyll production, creating a beautiful contrast. Variegated plants are highly sought-after, but can you induce variegation in plants yourself?
The short answer is that inducing true variegation in plants is very difficult. Variegation arises from a random mutation in a plant’s cells. While scientists can use specialized techniques like radiation or chemicals to increase mutation rates, these methods are complex and carry risks.
For home growers, there’s no magic potion to turn your Monstera green into a variegated marvel. However, there are ways to encourage existing variegation in plants that already have it.
- Shine a light. Variegated sections have less chlorophyll and need more light for photosynthesis. Place your plant in a bright, indirect light location.
- Favor the favorites. If a stem consistently produces variegated leaves, propagate from that section to increase your chances of getting more variegated growth.
- Trim strategically. Non-variegated leaves steal energy from the variegated ones. Prune them to encourage the growth of the beautiful variegated sections.
The Causes of Variegation in Plants
We have several ways to induce variegation in plants, although it often occurs randomly. Here are the known ways to induce variegation in plants.
Gene-splicing. Human intervention in a plant’s genome has led to the creation of many popular ornamental and food crop cultivars. This technique can also induce variegation in plants.
Gene-splicing is primarily done commercially because it is an expensive process requiring specific techniques and machinery to modify genes for the desired variegation.
Viruses. Diseases, such as mosaic viruses, can affect chlorophyll production. When a plant is infected, the virus can reduce the chlorophyll in its leaves, causing variegation in plants.
Mutations. Color production in plants occurs in the chloroplasts. When these chloroplasts undergo mutations, they produce less chlorophyll, the green pigment, resulting in a variegated plant.
Chimerism. A chimera contains two different sets of genes. In variegated plants, this usually results from splicing different plant tissues together. The presence of different types of plant tissue can lead to variations in chloroplasts and chlorophyll in the leaves. Chimeras may be sterile and often require vegetative propagation to maintain their variegated pattern.
What Does Plant Variegation Look Like?
Plant variegation appears on leaves as random streaks of various colors. While white is the most common color, you might also see yellow or light green.
This unique mix of shades gives the plant a distinct personality and, due to its unpredictable nature, can enhance the plant’s value.
Certain plants, like ZZ plants, are known for their variegation. However, these plants require proper care because they may revert to their fully green form due to the unstable nature of variegation.
To maintain variegation in plants, you need to be very careful. Propagating the plant through cuttings or seeds can help produce more variegated offspring.
Can We Force a Plant to Variegate?
Technically, yes, we can induce variegation in plants. However, the process of inducing variegation in plants is hazardous to both the plant and the owner.
For instance, creating a mutation or introducing a virus to force variegation involves risks. In addition, methods like chemical variegation, viral introduction, or radiation can ultimately kill the plant, making the small chance of success not worth the risk.
Ways to Induce Variegation in Plants
If you have a regular plant, you can attempt to induce variegation. However, we do not recommend it due to potential health risks to both you and your plant. Knowing the procedures does not make them any safer. Here are the methods that can cause variegation in plants.
- Chemical mutagens. This method involves soaking the seeds of the desired plant in chemicals, typically ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS). Obtaining this chemical is difficult, and it is a known carcinogen. You should only use this method if you can implement all necessary safety precautions.
- Gene splicing. This is not an ‘at-home’ method, as gene splicing requires removing unwanted genes from the plant’s DNA and rearranging them to induce variegation. This process requires specialized equipment and expertise.
- Radiation. Exposing a rooted cutting to radiation (through either X-rays or gamma rays) can rearrange the plant’s DNA, potentially inducing variegation. However, radiation is hazardous to living organisms, including humans.
- Viral introduction. Isolating a virus, such as the mosaic virus, and introducing it to your desired plant can cause virally induced variegation. However, this is irreversible and can reduce your plant’s productivity, leading to smaller or fewer leaves.
How to Variegate Plants at Home
The methods mentioned above demonstrate that inducing variegation in plants at home is both challenging and dangerous. However, I have some steps you can take to encourage variegation in plants that already have it.
- Propagate existing variegated strands. Propagating variegated leaves increases the chances of developing and maintaining variegation in plants. The mother plant will continue to pass on the mutated genes, making this one of the best methods for sustaining and expanding variegated plants.
- Provide adequate light. Variegated plants are less efficient at processing sunlight into energy due to their reduced chlorophyll production. Therefore, ensuring your plant gets enough light to compensate for this energy loss can encourage further growth. Too little light can stress the plant and cause it to revert to its non-variegated form, while too much light can burn the foliage, ruining the appearance of the variegated leaves.
- Maintain consistent conditions. Keeping stable variables such as light, temperature, and water is crucial for preserving variegation. You should note that changes in these conditions can stress the plant, causing the already unstable variegation mutation to revert to all-green leaves. Once a variegated plant reverts completely, it is unlikely that the variegation will return.
How to Keep Variegation in Plants
Once you acquire a variegated plant, or if you’re lucky enough for your green pet to spontaneously variegate, you’ll want to keep it that way! While controlling random mutations is challenging, here are some steps you can take to maintain your plant’s variegation:
- Prune non-variegated stems. Cutting out non-variegated leaves reduces pigment production in the plant, helping to preserve the variegation pattern.
- Use low-nitrogen fertilizer: This helps keep chlorophyll production low in the leaves, maintaining the desirable variegation.
- Maintain a stable environment. Plants are sensitive to environmental changes. And sudden changes can stress your plant and cause it to revert to its non-variegated form.
How to Induce Variegation in Plants: Frequently Asked Questions
Can reverted plant variegation come back?
Plants that have completely reverted in variegation have a very slim chance, about 1%, of developing streaks again. However, if your plant still has some variegated leaves, it is likely to produce more in the future.
Can a plant lose variegation and what causes It?
A plant can lose its variegation due to factors like low light, seasonal changes, or weather conditions. These factors can cause the plant to revert to its natural color to preserve its health.
How do plants become variegated?
Plants become variegated naturally through random mutations that result in a lack of chloroplasts and/or poor chlorophyll (or no chlorophyll) production. Other causes of variegation include viruses and exposure to chemicals or radiation.
Can we make a non-variegated plant variegated?
A non-variegated plant can become variegated through external means, such as chemical exposure or radiation. While a non-variegated plant can produce variegated leaves, this occurrence is rare and the variegation can be unstable under unfavorable conditions.