I consider myself, a houseplant newbie.
I am a new houseplant mom, learning to grow plants indoors. I did a lot of research finding the best indoor plants.
The pothos was my first houseplant and it continues to be my favorite. It was a small single vine plant when I purchased it 6 months ago.
This is my favorite houseplant and the longest trailing plant I have at home.
Using this method, I have also created 5 new plants from this mama plant. Score – Free Plants!
The pothos plant is sometimes called “Devil’s Ivy”. I read that it got that name because it can handle being in the dark and it is very hard to kill. I want to call them all Devil’s Ivy now.
I have a few variegated pothos and a silver pothos. And, it is true, this has been the one plant that thrives for me. It has boosted my confidence to add more indoor plants to my collection. Obsessed plant mom here.
I have always wanted to grow plants from cuttings, but I was intimidated. I did not know where to cut. I had heard about some putting cuttings in water and others putting cuttings directly into the soil.
I was afraid I would kill my plant.
After researching, I like to research, I decided on trying to grow the pothos cuttings in water.
Below are the steps that I took to successfully take pothos cuttings from plants, grow them in water, and create new baby plants. No plants were harmed in this process.
Step 1: Gather Your Tools
You will need:
- Snipper or Sharp Scissors
- Small Glass Container or Vase
I used small glass bottles that I had on hand at first and quickly realized I needed larger containers with a wider mouth. I used some repurposed glass jars that I had. I have a habit of saving glass food product jars in all different shapes and sizes. Saving glass jars is a good habit to have.
Tip: Make sure you sanitize your snippers or cutting shears with alcohol first. You do not have to rinse it off as it dries quickly. Sanitizing your tools after or before use prevents diseases from spreading from plant to plant.
Step 2: Trim and Make Cuttings
I found it very helpful to understand the different parts of the pothos plant, the root, the leaves, and especially, what does a root node look like?
This brown bump on the stem is called a node. This is where the root will grow from.
You will need a small section that has a few leaves and a node or two. I will be snipping the section about an inch higher than my fingertips.
The anxiety of killing a houseplant is an emotion I know all too well. I needed to make sure I was not harming the mama plant.
To take a cutting, I needed to find a four-inch section that had at least two root nodes (the little brown bumps on the stem) and a few leaves. Once I located a section, I took my snipper and cut right below the root node. If there were any leaves below the root node, I removed them.
Step 3: Place in Container with Water
This step was the easiest part.
Use a clean glass jar, fill it halfway with water, and place your cutting inside.
The root node should be under the water. The roots will grow from the root node. Removing the leaves from under the root node is important because submerged leaves will rot.
Step 4: Change Water Weekly and Watch Your Pothos Grow
Place your cutting near a sunny window and watch your pothos grow. I changed the water weekly and always checked for disease or mold.
I was obsessed with watching the roots emerge.
I heard a saying once that a “watched pot doesn’t boil”. After a week of staring at the cuttings daily, I scaled it back to once a week.
It took my cuttings about 4 weeks for healthy roots to grow. Look for roots that are over an inch long before you move to the next step.
Step 5: Planting your Rooted Pothos in Soil
After 4 weeks of growth, the pothos cuttings should be ready to plant.
Tip: Do not leave the pothos in the water for a long period of time. The plant will get used to the water and have trouble adjusting to the soil.
Generally, I wait until I have about 1 – 2 inches of healthy roots. You want to wait to get a healthy root going before you plant your pothos in soil.
Tip: Do not use potting soil for your indoor plants. Potting soil is heavier and retains too much moisture. Use a lighter soil mix such as a cactus mix.
Use a well-draining plant pot, fill it with soil, and plant your cutting. Then stand back and admire your green thumb.
There you go, some easy steps that I followed to make cuttings of pothos to make beautiful new plants. Because you just can’t have too many plants?
Happy Planting!
