Care must be taken when growing pothos in water; but it can be done. Rinse off any excess soil from your cutting, select a stem with at least three nodes, and trim back leaves below that node to remove all trace of dirt.
Plant in a glass vessel filled with clean water and wait for roots to appear.
How to Care
Which medium works better for growing plants depends heavily on the quality and attention given by its creator. Water-grown pothos plants require frequent refreshing with fresh, clean water as well as regular feeding with houseplant-specific liquid fertilizer to ensure healthy growth.
Pothos should be placed in an area receiving indirect light for optimal care. This will prevent it from experiencing too much direct sun, potentially decreasing stress levels and algae growth. Furthermore, placing it a few inches from windows or any sources of light that might overheat could prevent overheating issues.
To take a pothos vine cutting, start by selecting a healthy section of stem with at least three leaves and ensure it contains at least one node (thick area from which leaves and aerial roots grow). Use sharp scissors or pruners to cut your branch an inch below each leaf node before dipping the end in rooting hormone to speed the formation process and placing your cutting in water with no chlorine levels so at least two nodes fall below waterline.
Once your houseplant has established roots, it’s time to begin feeding it. A high concentration water-soluble liquid fertilizer tailored specifically for houseplants should be added once per month as an application dose; any more may burn roots or foster algae growth. Beware adding too much as excess fertilizer may burn roots or encourage algae growth.
As your plant continues to expand, be sure to periodically remove any leaves that fall into or are growing too close to the water source in order to prevent its contamination and give more room for roots to form. This will also give your plant enough room to find stability within itself.
Refreshing water regularly to introduce fresh oxygen to the roots can help increase productivity. Furthermore, periodically empty out and clean your container of any old or stagnant water to eliminate hard water build-up or algae bloom.
Taking Cuttings
Cuttings from an established pothos plant are one of the easiest and simplest ways to propagate new ones, making this method ideal for increasing your collection or giving away extras to friends and family members. Pothos plants are easy to propagate both in soil or water environments – the latter will likely allow faster growth rates.
To take a pothos cutting, begin by choosing an established vine with plenty of healthy leaves. Look for an area near where stem meets vine where new roots will form; cut just below this node with sharp shears or scissors.
Once your cuttings are collected, place them in clean water (tap water is fine) until new roots appear at the base of each stem – this usually takes about a week.
As part of the rooting process, it’s essential that your plant be placed in an area without too much direct sunlight; this will allow its cuttings to develop faster while avoiding sunburn. Furthermore, remember to water regularly; unlike soil-rooted pothos plants, water-rooted ones must be watered more regularly so as to prevent overwatering.
Once the roots have taken hold, move your pothos to its permanent container such as a clay pot or small planting bowl. This will allow its roots to adjust more readily to soil than water and make them less vulnerable during subsequent repotting attempts.
To be on the safe side, it may be beneficial to soak your pothos cuttings in rooting hormone before placing them in water. Although not strictly necessary for houseplants, rooting hormone can improve success rates when dealing with water-rooted plants.
When it’s time to transfer your plants into their permanent containers, wash the roots with water first to remove any dirt residue from their roots and fill a small planting container with soil or another growing medium of your choosing. Finally transplant your pothos and watch as it continues its life in its new home!
Transplanting
Generating more pothos plants from cuttings is an easy and efficient way to increase your inventory or give as gifts to friends and family. No matter the growing medium – be it water or soil – pothos will flourish under optimal conditions; keep it clean while providing it with liquid fertilizer to extend their lives further.
As with any plant propagation effort, starting with selecting a healthy mother plant is paramount for pothos propagation. Duford suggests choosing one with many nodes (where leaves meet vine) so as to guarantee many roots when taking cuttings from it. She further advises deferring fertilization of mother plants until taking cuttings in order to focus their resources on producing new roots instead of producing flowers.
After selecting a noded plant, use sharp scissors to cut away a section of vine from its base using sharp scissors. Aim your cuts above and below each node where new roots will sprout for an uninterrupted cut that’s free from jagged edges. Submerge this cut in either filtered or tap water in indirect lighting to root your stem – water propagation works well for orchids, philodendrons, wax plants and arrowhead plants among other houseplants.
Once a root system has established, begin feeding your plant with water-soluble liquid fertilizer every other day. General houseplant fertilizer or one tailored specifically for hydroponics work equally well; just be wary not to add too much, as an excess can result in algae blooms in your water source.
Once the roots reach two inches long, it’s time to transfer them from water into their planting medium. According to Duford, placing the pothos into a large planter pot filled with indoor houseplant potting mix that contains coco coir or perlite will ensure proper drainage. Furthermore, adding crushed eggshells will aerate the soil and enable its roots to absorb all its nutrients better.
Fertilizing
Gardeners frequently prefer water rather than soil when growing houseplants, often as it’s less messy and allows easier viewing through clear-glass containers. Rooting pothos in water also reduces over or underwatering risks – both issues which could potentially kill these fragile plants – although growing them this way requires additional care than those grown in soil as the plant needs regular feeding and may develop root rot if overwatered.
Duford suggests to avoid this problem, propagate pothos from healthy mothers – this means well-fertilized and pest-free plants – when taking cuttings during their most active growing seasons – typically spring and summer when days provide ample light for photosynthesis.
Rooted cuttings should be placed in a large glass jar filled with water. They should be stored in an area that’s bright yet not hot or cold; generally they will begin rooting within 7-14 days but it could take four weeks if conditions are less-than-ideal.
Once the cuttings have taken root, they can be transferred to soil for long-term cultivation, although they will still require regular fertilization. Synthetic or chemical fertilizers are usually the go-to choice for pothos plants because of their fast acting nutrient delivery system; however, overuse or incorrect application could damage their roots severely and burn the plant causing irreparable harm. Therefore it would be wiser to opt for organic fertilizers which tend to take longer but won’t burn your roots as easily.
Foliar application is another strategy for fertilizing pothos. This type of fertilizer, applied directly onto the leaves of your pothos plant, helps it absorb nutrients through its foliage. A simple DIY foliar fertilizer recipe: dissolve one cup of unflavored gelatin in one cup of hot water before spraying on your plant once or twice monthly.
