Does anyone know how to start a new Kratum plant from an old one?
For a little context, my young cats are attacking my large, four-year-old Kratum plant since I brought the plant in for the winter. They generally only bother it when they want my attention, but I suspect it will not last the winter.
I've put the plant inside a cage. Beyond that, there's not much I can think of doing to protect it because there are two cats, both of whom are only a year old and very inquisitive, and they've figured out that I'll get up and stop what I'm doing once they start digging up the soil and tearing up the leaves of my plants.
All my other plants are smaller and I've put them inside larger, enclosed containers. Sadly, the Kratum plant is a little too large for that - about three feet tall and more than a foot or so wide.
Because of the cats' treatment, the poor thing is not doing well anymore. About half of its leaves are shredded and I keep finding its soil dug out so much that its roots are bare several inches down into its pot. I'm considering moving it into the basement with a plant light to allow it to recover, but that's not a good longterm solution. I'll almost definitely forget to care for it down there any longer than a few weeks.
This brings me to my main question. I'm thinking that a good approach might be to start a new, smaller Kratum plant from the old, larger one while the larger one is recovering in the basement. If I can do that, then I can keep the smaller plant inside one of the enclosed containers with my other plants.
I often take cuttings and use rooting hormone to start new plants from old ones, but that's not working with the Kratum so far. I'm wondering if I'm just stressed about this or if there's some other way to propagate Kratum.
Does anyone know how to start a new Kratum plant from an old one?