Want some more new plants and don’t have much money to spend? Propagate I say! We’re going to talk about how to propagate pothos (Epipremnum aureum).
First, What’s a Pothos?
First, let’s talk about the Pothos plant and pothos propagation.
Its nickname is “Devil’s Ivy,” but it’s also sometimes called Variegated Philodendron. This is a beautiful plant with bright green leaves. Some have yellow, light green, or white markings on them.
This is a vining plant and can be grown in hanging containers or trained up a moss pole or trellis.
I’ll just say it. Pothos is one of my favorite houseplants.
It makes the perfect houseplant for beginners and green thumbs alike.
Very easy to care for, it requires only moderate sunlight and water. It can even survive in low light environments like your bathrooms. Pothos is one of the plants in NASA’s study that has been shown to help purify the air and remove indoor toxins and pollution. If you want to know more, here are several other plants that also help clean the air.
You can easily propagate your pothos into several new plants, without spending much money or time.
Want to learn how it’s done?
OK, What does propagation mean?
It’s a method of creating new plants from existing ones, and multiplying your current plants.
** OK, this is where it might get a bit X-rated. Be careful with little ones around. **
Just kidding! There are two categories of propagation: sexual and asexual.
- Sexual involves the use of floral parts from two parents to create a new plant. One example is growing seeds.
- Asexual is using the vegetative parts from one parent to make new plants. Common methods include cuttings, division, and layering.
We’ll use the asexual category of propagation to propagate our pothos, where we will take cuttings from the parent and root them to make the new baby plants.
Trimming the pothos has the additional benefit of helping the mother plant grow thick and beautiful without becoming leggy and straggly-looking.
This is easy peasy and anyone can grow new plants by propagation.
Instructions for Pothos Propagation
We’ll outline the steps you will take for your pothos propagation, from start to the finish line where you’ll have new baby plants to keep or give away to friends and family.
Step 1: What You’ll Need Before You Start
- Sharp scissors or sharp knife, sterilized
- Jars or whatever filled with water to hold the cuttings
- Pot for planting after roots develop
- All-purpose potting soil to fill the pot
Step 2: Trim Your Pothos Vine For The Cuttings
- You want to have pothos cuttings for our propagation project. You’ll get these from the existing vines.
- Cut the vine just below the lowest leaf node you want to leave on the plant. The node is the brown spot on the stems opposite the leaves. This is the part that will develop into new roots. You can see the nodes behind the leaves along the stems in the picture.
- Take 4 – 6-inch lengths of the stem and make sure there are four or more leaves each
- Remove the leaf closest to the cut end
- Note: You can choose to leave the cuttings long or create individual leaf cuttings with them. Either way works. The individual leaf cuttings will root faster and seem to produce a baby that transplants into the soil easier than the long cuttings.
Step 3: Create Individual Leaf Cuttings
- Lay the stems out on a flat surface.
- Cut each leaf off the vine on the left and right of the leaf joint.
- Leave a small piece of vine attached to the bottom of the leaf stem.
Step 4: Water Method for Pothos Propagation
- Place each leaf with stem into a jar with water.
- Cover the cut ends completely and keep them submerged.
- Put in a bright, warm, sunny place, maybe on a windowsill.
- Replace the water every few days to replenishes the oxygen that gets depleted.
- Wait for the roots to grow.
- It might take one month to even three months for roots to develop If you see roots begin to sprout before then, go ahead and transplant the cutting into the soil.
Step 5: Planting After the Roots Have Developed
- When the roots are at least one inch long, the new baby pothos plants are ready to plant.
- You can even wait until the roots are 2-3 inches long to plant the new babies in their new pot.
- But don’t wait too long, or the plants will have a hard time adjusting to being in soil.
- Fill a pot with potting soil about 2/3 full.
- Place the cuttings in the soil toward the edges of the pot.
- Add soil around the cuttings to keep roots in place.
- Fill the rest of the pot with cuttings and soil as needed.
Optional Step 4: Soil Method for Pothos Propagation
- Dip the cut end into rooting hormone, covering the first set of root nodes.
- Fill the pot 2/3 full with a growing mixture of peat moss and perlite or sand.
- Place the cuttings in holes you’ve made with your finger.
- Fill with soil to cover roots where needed.
- Keep the soil moist but not too wet.
- Place the pot in a bright area but out of direct sunlight.
- Roots should be developing after one month or so.
- Once developed, your new pothos plants are ready to be transplanted.
Pothos Propagation = New Pothos Plants!
Look at that! How exciting! You’ve learned how to propagate your pothos plant.
See, I told you! Pothos propagation is so easy!
- You learned how to take cuttings from the parent and root them to make the new baby plants.
- You learned that trimming the pothos has the additional benefit of helping the mother plant grow thick and beautiful without becoming leggy and straggly-looking.
- In the end, you got new several new pothos plants to place wherever you want them!
You can have lots of new plants in your house or even give them to friends. They make a nice gift!
You can use pothos propagation over and over again to get new plants and keep your existing ones healthy.