Hi,

1) When rooting pothos not all of the nodes will produce roots necessarily. If it's producing one root then that's all it will need for the time being.

2) A new stem will continue just behind where you made the cut. You don't need to take off the whole stem.

That's it. Pretty simple questions. If you have any more questions feel free to ask.

Larry

Thanks Larry. How can one tell which nodes will produce roots? Also, how long should I wait before I transfer a root from water to pot? Is there anything that I have to do to the root from water to get it ready for soil? Should I be worried about crushing the water root when I put it in soil or anything else?

Hi,

If you put a cutting into water almost always at least one node will produce a root. To predict which one I would say is impossible.

I would say if your root is 4 in. to 6 in. that should be plenty long enough. It sounds like you know the difference between water roots and soil roots. You probably also know that the plant has to go through the stage where water roots become soil roots. During this transition stage the plant will not be able to pick up moisture. I usually put the plant in that bag for about a week to help it out.

Just be careful with the root. Crushing isn't the problem. The problem would be breaking it. And even if you do break it you can still plant it and it will send roots out of what ever is left.

I hope this helps,

Larry

Hi again,

Let me clarify something I just said. When I meant put the plant in a plastic bag I meant the potted plant. That is the pot, the dirt and the plant.

Larry

Larry,

Why do I need to put the pot, soil and plant in the plastic bag? Could it be a big trash bag? Do I have to cover the bag or something or somehow close it? I am sorry, this might sound stupid, but I am sooo new to this and I don't want my plant to die :)

Hi Novi,

You don't have to (I never do), but I think Larry's suggesting the bag to help the plant transition from water rooting to soil, so it doesn't dry out too fast.

By the way, I see you said this is your first plant. Just so you know, these are extremely tough & rugged plants, hard to kill actually unless one overwaters them, that's the guaranteed way to kill these off. So I know you're new, & want to reassure you, these don't require any special care & generally speaking, these do better w/ minimal care.

I myself have a couple of pots of this in the darker spots in my home. I always keep a tall cup of cuttings of these going in the bathroom. I just replenished it this wknd, by trimming parent plants, placing cuttings in water & forgetting about them. In a month or so, I'll take them out of the water & replant them back into the parent plants.

Thanks Karen,

The clear plastic bag is kind of a mini greenhouse to give the plant a chance to recover from transplanting and converting the water roots into soil roots. I would only do it for one week. Do not put the bag in direct sunlight. It will cook the plant. Not everybody does this. And it's not as crucial as it would be for some other plants.

Larry

Pothos should be easy to root by cuttings, without any tricks other than poking a hole in the soil and sticking the cutting in! It really isn't necessary to start them in water. However, you can keep them in water indefinately.

I have about 3 vases full of cuttings that I have been growing in water for years in low light areas. I change the water once a week.

Have you all noticed that when you put a long cutting into water, it will want to root at the nodes closest to the leaves?

I have noted this for many years.

Often the lower end of the stem (if it is long) will rot and roots will come out of the node above that -- and often just one node.

Now I try to cut the stem as close to leaves as possible, making sure to leave at least 1-2 nodes down in the water.

I've also noticed that if I try to root really long vines with, say, 10 nodes and many leaves, the plant does not do very well.

I grow Pothos perpetually in water.

:)

gw:plant.babies - Great observations! Thanks!

I suspect that I simetimes cut up a pothos vine so that the rooting nodes are on the wrong (distal) side to the leaves -- does anyone know if that makes a difference or can the rooting nodes come from either side of the leaves?

Also, plantbabies or anyone else: do you have an optimal theory of how many leaves to include above your two rooting nodes?

I don't follow about 'distal side' stuff, but it's important to keep the original 'down' as 'down' when you root it any other way.

Sorry. "Distal" - meaning on the far side rather than the near side, but you followed perfectly even after my clumbsy wording, because you answered my question. Thanks!

Hi Sharon,

It really doesn't matter as much as you seem to think. If you've got yours going for 3 yrs., you're doing fine.

Just take cuttings w/ at least 3 or 4 pairs of leaves on them, strip off the bottom pair of leaves & place in water (I think faster & better than mix).

I have one that I wind round & round its container. Every few months I'll cut those 'windings' off & place them in water to make more to place back into the parent pot.

Wait, you did it already? How many pairs of leaves does each stem have? I'll suggest they should have at least 2 prs. each (I'd leave it at 3 or 4 prs.) How long ago was this pls? Since I don't do it in soil, I don't know how long it takes.

I know that when I water root them, I see roots in less than 2 wks.

Hi there.
You've received many good responses here. I've grown pothos my whole life (nearly a 1/2 century). My original parent plant was a cutting from my grandmother's plant and it's still beautiful.
Pothos (or devil's ivy) come in several varieties. The more common is the golden, which has beautifully variegated leaves from dark green to light.
Just about the only ways of killing these tough guys are by over watering or freezing (or 'baking') them.
Pothos love the same temperatures as people, but do just fine if it's a bit cooler or warmer. They do well under artificial light (offices, etc.), sunny windows and not-so-sunny places in the home.
Pothos is a WONDERFUL plant for the beginning (or 'budding' - forgive the pun) indoor gardener. They are especially pleasing because they are so very easy to propagate. You don't need special soil or conditions or anything else, and you don't need to put them in a bag. Simply cut (with a sharp knife or scissors) a piece off of an end. Cut a few inches up, making sure you have a few leaves on your cutting after removing the bottom 2 or three leaves. Stick your cutting in a glass or jar of water and that's it! Just forget about it for a few weeks. Just remember to keep adding water to the container. You will see roots form in a matter of days. You can leave them in the water or plant them in any good potting soil. I use Miracle Grow with the 'built-in' fertilizer and my plants THRIVE. If you don't want to start your cuttings in water, simply put them into the potting mix, water and that's it.
DON'T overwater the plants. Pothos hate having their roots waterlogged. Water the plant thoroughly and then leave it. Check it after a week by sticking your finger in the soil. If it is still moist, don't water. If it is dry at an inch or more, then water.
My 'secret weapon' for my beautiful pothos is a water spray bottle, which you can purchase for $1.00 at any dollar store, WalMart, etc. Set it to spray (not stream) and mist the leaves of your plants every day. I've made it a part of my regular 'routine' each morning.
I hope this helps. If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Here is a link that might be useful: www.MilfordPrintShop.com

I have pothos that are in the pot outside. Now that cooler weather is arriving, when I went to pick the pot up, several spots along the trailers are taking root in the soil. What can I best do to get the plant indoors?

Just trim the roots where they are connecting with the soil.

Planto

Rooting a pothos is really not a big deal. You can put the cuttings straight in soil. For a few days it's gonna be limp, but then it grows the roots and perks up.
No need for water-rooting, transplanting and all...
2-3 leaves on each cutting is well enough.

I have a lot of Pothos I started in water..they are doing great..I got some Miracle Gro...Mixed it like it said 1 teaspoon per gallon of water and used it as fresh water ...Is that good ...should I do that again in 2 weeks when I change the water??Bernadette Milford wont let me high light ur name..thanks

I also use the bag method when rooting any cutting in soil. It acts as a greenhouse while the cutting is working hard at growing roots

When I put my cuttings directly into the ground they start to rot at the bottom. What should i do?

Gwplantbabies.... What is the oldest pothos you have growing in water ?

Tina.... The problem is no one really knows. I use half stength fertilizer or a drop of milk. Keep us updated.

Novinod.... Pothos is not just for beginners. Many of us experienced growers are smart about plant selection for modern central air homes.

Ines..... How many years have you had them in water ?

Hi.. I have two pothos cuttings in water for over two years now and they seem well adjusted with lots of water roots.. I also have a couple of pothos plants in soil.. they r doing well for the time being.. my problem is with the new cuttings I got from my now established plants in soil.. none of my cuttings have sprouted roots in water even after over a month.. they start rotting at the cut stem end and the plant goes limp.. the cuttings mostly have 4-5 nodes.. I change the water every week to 10 days.. don't know what m doing wrong!

Re-cut the stems back to healthy tissue & replace back in water to root. Stop changing the water, that's slowing things down, just add to it.

If it's giving you so much trouble to water root, just place the new cuttings in a small pot of appropriate mix & allow them to root there instead. They should do fine in a month or so, just pls. don't tug at them to check if rooted.

Also, your cuttings may be too long. What I cut back & water root are cuttings of 2-3 nodes, not as long as 4-5 (I'd probably make 2 cuttings from those).

Same 2-3 node cuttings can also be returned to pot of parent plant to root directly into mix as suggested above.

Thanks for the advice.. I trimmed and divided the cuttings and placed a couple back to the soil.. they seem to have perked up a bit! Waiting for the ones in water to grow roots

I have some healthy pothos growing outside on a wall. They have 8 inch long dark nodes ( I think that's what they are) that are sticking to the stucco surface, and I am told this is not a good idea. So I'm going to pull them off and put a trellis to support them. My question is – – do I cut off those unsightly dark brown long nodes?

Hi Bruce,

Since you didn't show pix, am guessing those long things are elongated nodes which grow into roots.

Sure you can cut /trim them off if you find them unsightly. Likely they'll grow new ones to latch on to whatever you support them on like the trellis. Cutting back roots off won't harm them at all.

Thank you!

Hi everyone,

My problem is I brought money plant in soil pot 3 weeks before . My plant started die and getting yellow all leaves . Now I replaced the plant from soil to water pot. I cut all stems from roots and placed in clean water. Is it good way to save my plant . This should work? Please advise me

Might be a little late to this by 13 years but I’ve been experimenting in some weed tea fertilizer and every pothos cutting I give it too grows a root very quick about three days. I put it in water like i normally would and give it some of the tea every 2 weeks and replace the water mixture every week. Some people I tell this to are airheads so I have to say this No NoT tHaT kInD oF wEeD.

normal water

Weed tea & water mixture