Pothos plants are some of the easiest plants to propagate. They are hardy, grow quickly, and grow well in water which makes them ideal for propagation by stem cuttings. My favourite way to propagate pothos is in water, although they can also be propagated in soil or in sphagnum moss.
If you haven’t propagated a plant before it can feel intimidating the first time around. Chopping up your plants is definitely nerve wracking – but I promise that propagating pothos is easy and it has a high success rate.
So grab those pruners, an empty glass bottle or vase, and your pothos and let’s get snipping!
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Step 1: Determine where you will make the cut and take the cuttings.
When propagating a pothos it is best to have between 3-5 leaves per cutting. You don’t want too many leaves as the cutting will struggle to support them without roots. At the same time, you need to have at least 3 leaves so that there are enough nodes available to grow roots.
Definition: Node
The points on a plant’s stem where new growth (leaves, roots, branching stems) originate.
Step 2: Remove the bottom leaves from the cutting.
Once you have taken the cuttings from your pothos, you will need to expose the nodes on the bottom of the stem to help roots grow. This is why having at least 3 leaves is ideal – the more nodes that are placed in the water, the greater the chance of success. If your pothos cutting has 5 leaves, remove the bottom 2-3 leaves. If your cutting has 3 leaves, you can either remove 1 or 2 leaves.
Step 3: Place the pothos cutting in water and wait for roots!
Fill a small glass vase or container with a couple inches of water and place your cutting in the water. Ensure that the leaves are above the water and the nodes are submerged. Place the cuttings in a location that receives bright to medium indirect light (no direct sun!), and switch the water out at least once a week. Within a week or two, you should begin seeing small roots emerging from the nodes on the stem.
Once the roots are around an inch long, your pothos cuttings can be successfully transferred to soil. Use a well-draining, loamy soil mix and keep the soil moist for the first week or two to help the new roots acclimate to the soil.
Enjoy your new pothos plant!
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