Want an exciting test of patience? Try plant propagation. I’ve been growing my pothos plant for over two years now. Although the plant was full of long vines, it was leggy and missing its original full look. The thought of cutting off the beautiful foliage was tough, until I learned about pruning and propagation (thanks, Planterina!).
I immediately got to snipping on the ‘mother’ pothos plant. Once the plant was pruned, I was left with about 3 feet worth of cutting.
Within the 3 feet, I cut right under the node after every 2-3 leaves. The nodes are those brownish bumps on the pothos stems. Roots form from the node after the cutting is placed in soil or water.
Since I had so many cuttings, I decided why not try soil and water propagation? I took a gamble to learn which propagation method produces the best results. Keep reading to learn how I did it and my final results.
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Growing My Pothos Cuttings in Water
Water propagation doesn’t just multiply your plant collection, but it also serves as a look into the plant ecosystem. I checked the vase everyday for new growth! The set-up is simple, fill the vase with water and place the cuttings inside. I keep my vase in a southwest facing window and changed out the water weekly.
Water propagation lasted for exactly one month before I moved the cuttings into soil. Here are my top tips to make your cuttings flourish:
- Ensure the cuttings get bright light. My cuttings soaked up the sun resulting in fast growth.
- Turn the vase to allow for equal lighting for all leaves.
- Be gentle during water changes. The roots are sensitive.
Potting the Roots in Soil
Although my cuttings thrived in water, I was very nervous about how they would fair in soil. In preparation for transplanting, I decided to let these babies climb on a moss pole. Pick up the four pack of moss poles I used from Amazon. I placed the pole in a planter and filled with damp soil while poking holes for root placements. I carefully placed each cutting into the soil and kept the soil moist. Remember, the roots are only familiar with water. Throughout the first few weeks, I kept the soil moist until weaning into a normal golden pothos routine of allowing the soil to dry out between waterings.
Growing My Pothos Cuttings in Soil
Frankly, soil propagation was not riveting. Nothing to look at daily like my water propagation vase and slight worries that no roots were actually forming. Nonetheless, I kept the soil moist to encourage growth, kept it in bright light, and stayed patience. As the water propagation roots were hitting the bottom of the vase, I waited the full month to check in on the soil.
Then, voilà signs of growth magically appeared. After one month, I noticed baby leaves sticking out the soil confirming that roots had in fact formed. Unlike the water propagation method, there’s no big push to transplant and transition the plant to new conditions. My new pothos is simply here!
Soil vs. Water
Honestly, both methods worked and pushed out new growth at the same rate. Deciding between soil or water plant propagation for your pothos depends on what you want to see. Do you want to see the rapid growth of the roots in glass vases throughout your home? Or, would you like to skip over the transplanting step and have your cuttings already placed in a gorgeous planter? Both methods work and produce new, free pothos in your home. I’m never buying another one from the nursery again!
I’ll be updating my plant tour soon, until then check out my OG plant babies. Tell me your favorite houseplants below!