Pothos is considerably one of the easiest houseplants to grow in the garden. Even if you’re someone who often forgets to water your plants enough, this plant is a best fit for you.
This trailing vine, named pothos is native to the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific, with pointed, heart-shaped green leaves which are sometimes variegated with white, yellow, or pale green striations.
Pothos is a good indoor plant that grows all year-round and will grow rapidly, sometimes attaining heights between 12 to 18 inches in length in a month. But be careful before growing this plant as these plants are toxic to pets.
But that’s not all about pothos. These are also one of the easiest plants to propagate. You can propagate pothos to grow a new plant completely within a couple of weeks, and gain double these benefits, or more.
Along with that, these tropical plants can be successfully propagated in a few different mediums, the most popular mediums are water, soil, and sphagnum moss.
In this blog, we are going to cover all the methods so you can decide which is the right choice for you.
Follow these following few simple steps for successfully propagation of pothos plants, without the expense.
When to propagate pothos?
Before knowing the process of pothos propagation, you should have the proper knowledge of the time of propagation to increase the success rate.
The best time to for pothos propagation in the spring or summer months as this time is the plants active growing period.
It is suggested to avoid pothos propagation during the fall and winter as it is less likely to be successful. Besides, it will also be harder for the mother plant if propagated to recover from having stem cuttings taken during these months.
How to propagate your pothos?
The propagation of pothos can be successfully done by the following procedure.
1. Remove The Cuttings
You can propagate pothos by taking stem cuttings.
But before you start taking cuttings, make sure that you have chosen a clean, disinfected pair of pruning shears or scissors to make cuttings.Choosing the sterilised apparatus prevents your new cuttings or parent plant from spreading any potential diseases or bacteria.
Besides, make sure that your cutting shear should also be as sharp as possible to make a clean cut and prevent any damage to the stem.
Before propagation, choose a long, healthy stem to take a cutting from. The healthier the cuttings, higher the chances of successful rooting.
Remove the part of your stem a minimum of four inches long, right below a leaf node at the place where the leaf meets the stem.
For the highest chances of rooting, make sure that your cutting should have at least three or four full leaves. Cut the parent plant at a 45° angle to increase surface area. Remove the bottom sets of leaves from your cuttings, and leave at least one or two leaves at the top.
If you are having a longer cutting with several nodes, you can split it into two sections. The more cuttings you take from the parent plant higher your chances of successful propagation.
Once the cuttings of your plant have been prepared, you are ready for rooting. You can root your cutting either in water or straight into soil.
2. Root The Cuttings
You can root your cuttings of pothos either in water or in soil. Both the procedure are given below.
In water
The first and undoubtedly most popular method of propagation is in water.
Rooting the cuttings in water is the simplest method and requires no equipment to get started. Apart from that, it’s a fun experiment to watch your cuttings to grow roots in few time.
Along with that, propagating in water allows you to keep an eye on the progress of your plant, with a clear indication of when they are ready to transplant.
All you need to start is a glass and some room temperature water. It is suggested to use filtered water, as the chemicals in tap water may hinder the growth of your plant but it’s not a necessity. You can also boil the tap water and leave to cool before use.
Room temperature or slightly warm water is far better choice to use than ice cold tap water for stimulating growth.
This is where you can get started with creativity. You can start rooting with a regular glass but decorative glasses like test tubes or vases can be a messy or unsightly exercise into a trendy decor piece.
After choosing the glass, simply place the cuttings in water, and let your stem rests on the side of the glass. Make sure that no leaves are submerged under the water as they can rot and encourage bacterial growth if stays in water for a longer period.
It is recommend to replace the water from the glass every couple of days or if it appears cloudy.Place your glass in an area that gets bright, indirect sunlight.
The place also needs to be warm enough to stimulate root growth. Avoid spots that are right next to a window during cold weather as they may inhibit growth.
In soil
You can also plant your cuttings straight into soil, that limits the need for transplanting later on.
For this method, you just need a pot and a homemade houseplant potting mix to start your work.
Fill the pot where you want to plant your cuttings with a mixture of potting soil, coconut coir and perlite to improve drainage. A high-quality potting soil ensures the great start of your plant.
It is also necessary that the soil needs to have good drainage to prevent rotting. So prior to planting, ensure that there are plenty of drainage holes at the bottom of your chosen container.
After choosing a container, plant your cuttings around the edges of the pot, and bury the bottom half of your stem in the soil.
If you want to increase the chances of rooting, you can also dip the ends of the cuttings into a rooting hormone first. The rooting hormone stimulates the growth of the plant and limits problems with disease later on.Water your plant thoroughly, and allow the excess water to drain out the bottom.
Leave your plant in a warm spot where it can get plenty of indirect light. But make sure they should not be exposed to the direct sunlight to avoid burning the leaves. Keep your soil moist by misting it every couple of days and wait for new growth.
3. Transplant The Cuttings
If you have rooted your plant in water, you will also need to transplant the cuttings into soil when the roots get ready. The longer you leave your cutting in water, the harder it will be for the plant to adapt to the soil conditions.
Always remember that, Sooner ia always preferred rather than later as long as the roots are long enough. Wait untill the visible roots are at least an inch long. It may take several weeks to spread, but cuttings can stay in water for around two to three months without any issues.
When you become ready to transplant your plant to the soil, prepare a pot filled with houseplant soil mix as described above.
You can gather several cuttings together to form one group of plants and plant in the same pot.It will give provide you with a full grown plant similar to those plants that are bought from nurseries, rather than a sparse plant with a single stem.
After planting to the soil, fill in the gaps around the stems with some more soil mix, ending just below the rim of the pot. Press down the extra soil gently to secure the cuttings in place.
Water your plant thoroughly after planting to get rid of any air pockets in the soil and to stimulate further root growth of the plant.Keep your soil well-watered for the next few months while your plant is getting used to its new environment.
Conclusion
As you read this article this far, you might have known the process of propagation of pothos.
Then what are you waiting for?
Propagate your pothos plant and grow some new pothos in your garden.
You may also like to read
