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Propagating your pothos is easy. Snip off your pothos cuttings about 10-15 cm (4-6 inches), ensuring there is a healthy stem. Secondly, remove the leaf closest to the cut. Lastly, choose either soil or water, but once you have chosen, you can’t switch over. Enjoy your new pothos babies!
If your green child is looking on the droopy side, perhaps the time has come to propagate and spread.
Propagating plants is how we help them to “multiply” by removing a section of healthy plant for replanting and new growth.
After propagation, the cuttings can find a life of their own. It also allows the parent plant to flourish once more, as it is now “less burdened” and ready for a prosperous future.
Pothos are awesome plants to care for, especially for beginners, as they are quite hardy and tough.
They are also known as the Devil’s Ivy, as they are notoriously difficult to kill. Perfect for the budding green thumbs out there to learn and grow their knowledge of plants.
Pothos Propagation
Propagation is all about observation and a little bit of planning. There are a few things to keep in mind when you plan to propagate your beauties to ensure their successful replanting and growing.
While they may be tough, they still need some care and attention to not only live but thrive.
Pothos plant propagation is especially handy if you are looking to spread the love and include lovely pothos in more parts of your garden or house.
Just keep in mind that they do still need to be taken care of. They are more fragile after cutting, so keep a close eye on their growing conditions.
Pothos After-Propagation Care
There are a few key areas you’ll need to look at, each with its own important part to play in the overall wellbeing of your pothos. Don’t worry if everything isn’t perfect according to measure etc.
As we said, they are quite hardy and easy to care for, so they have a good chance of surviving as long as you keep these points in mind:
- Climate: Pothos are tropical forest plants, with an easy-going temperament (for a plant) and few requirements when it comes to their environment. They can survive in low light, colder climates, and shade.
- Container: Your pothos is quite capable of filling (and taking over) anything you plant it in, making it quite versatile when replanting. Just make sure to choose a large enough container to provide at least a bit of room for some new root growth.
- Watering: Pothos are very adaptable when it comes to their watering schedule. They can easily accept erratic watering and like to have their soil dry out between watering sessions.
- Propagate or Replant: When your pothos is starting to get a little droopy, there can be a few things that can be the root cause (heh), but a good start would be to replant it. Propagation is of course also fine, as this allows the plant to revitalize and grow again.
Keeping these few things in mind, caring for your pothos post-operation should be a breeze.
Propagating Pothos: Choosing Your Planting Medium
This might be a strange one, especially for newbie planters, but you can actually choose either water or soil to grow your pothos in! They are versatile in this regard, allowing you to incorporate them in whatever way suits your lifestyle.
Just take note: Once you have chosen a medium to grow or replant your green babies, it is best to stick to it. It can be tough to switch them over, as the plant adapts to its conditions and may struggle to grow when it has been moved or its environment has been changed too much.
Propagating and Rooting Pothos in Water
Water propagation can be seen as the “easiest” medium to propagate and root your pothos in, so water is a great choice for beginners.
Besides removing the need to check soil conditions, propagating your pothos into water also allows it to flourish in new environments.
They also root quite easily in water, just be sure to remove any leaves that could be submerged (they will rot). After only a few weeks, your water-bound pothos should be sprouting some wonderful new roots.
Another great benefit to propagating in water is the fact that it is easier for beginners. It makes the already easy-to-care-for plant just that extra bit more manageable.
You don’t have to worry about over-watering plus there is less stress about any sort of schedule.
Pothos that live in water take on a whole new life. You can place them in some new and interesting spots, like on top of a shelf or other hard-to-reach places. This way you can really appreciate their viny tendencies while keeping them away from any grabby paws or hands.
Propagating and Rooting Pothos in Soil
When you are looking to go the traditional route and plant or repot them in soil, there are of course a few caveats to take into consideration.
You will have to use a shallow container that can drain well, as the soil needs to be dried out between waterings.
Keeping a lookout for root rot and wilting leaves is a bit more difficult when planting in soil, so you should keep that in mind.
The roots are more prone to rot if you over-water or otherwise leave the soil too moist.
The first few weeks of a cutting in soil is the most critical, as it doesn’t have roots yet. A rule of thumb is to ensure your pot or container dries out within 2 days, giving the cutting ample time to grow new roots to help absorb the water.
Soil is more tricky, but still ultimately a good way to grow your pothos and have them survive and flourish. If your pothos is dying, there might be a few causes.
Pothos Cuttings:
Your baby pothos is also known as a cutting. These are the little 10-15 cm stems that you snip from the parent plant to create new plants.
Your pothos cuttings should not be too small or too big, as it can affect their rooting process and cause struggle.
Tip: You can always add your cuttings to the same pot or container as the main plant. This is a great way to make sure they take root, as they are already used to their growing conditions. It is also a cool way to help make your pothos appear “full and flourishing”.
Growing Pothos From Cuttings
Your pothos cutting should have a few leaf nodes, as well as a healthy bit of stem, to ensure a healthy little plant. Growing pothos from a cutting is relatively easy, as long as you remember to keep your planting medium consistent.
A cutting is essentially a new plant, so it has all the potential to grow and prosper or to wither and die.
You can also look into adding some fertilizer to help smooth things over and to encourage the cutting to flourish and grow roots.
Once roots have sprouted, the cutting is more likely to survive, as the initial struggle is done.
Where To Cut Pothos To Propagate
So if you are looking to cut and multiply your pothos, it is best to do so at an offshoot that has plenty of leaves and nodes.
At least 3 additional leaf nodes should be present (these are the little knobs you can see on the plant stem; it indicates an “offshoot” where a new stem grows).
Cutting your pothos stem a few cm away from the lowest leaf is best, preferably at the base of the stem where it separates from the main plant. As mentioned, you will also be removing this lowest leaf, as it will only rot and cause some issues.
This process also helps the main plant, as it can divert resources to the main parts of the plant since it is supporting fewer small offshoots. The whole process is quite quick and painless, but your plants will thank you.
Clipping and Pruning Pothos
Clipping your pothos is done by trimming away the dead leaves and rotting roots. It is part of the normal routine that comes with caring for plants.
After pruning and propagating, your pothos should be starting their new growth in no time.
Your cutting and pruning should be done with a sharp pair of pruning scissors to ensure a clean cut
How To Propagate A Pothos: Ready to Plant?
The pothos plant will be putting a smile on your face in no time, especially if you can have it in absolutely every corner of your home!
Your propagation skills will be sharpened and fine-tuned in short order and your home will love you for it.
So now you have the know-how to propagate your favorite new plant, the time has come to get those green thumbs wriggling. Have a look at all the different types of pothos, pick a few special ones, and get started in greenifying your home.