All types of pothos can be propagated in either soil or water. Water propagation is usually faster, while soil propagation produces sturdier plant roots and cuttings that may not need to be transplanted later if you propagate them in a roomy pot.
While pothos can root directly in soil, they do better rooting in water. Make sure at least one leaf node is covered by the water.
And yes, there are also other ways to propagate, but water propagation is the simplest way to start if you're new to propagating plants, or simply want to speed up the process, as cuttings root faster in water vs soil, plus you can easily see what's going on each step of the way.
Not only is this beautiful vining plant easy to care for, it's also extremely easy to propagate. Simply take stem cuttings and place them in soil, water, and even sphagnum moss, and you can grow multiple baby plants from one mother plant.
Pothos should be fine just stuck right into dirt. Water heavily the following two or three weeks and then ween it off.
Propagating Pothos in Soil
Fill a well-draining pot with nutrient-rich soil like Rosy. Plant the cutting, ensuring every leaf node (or only the ones near the cut end) is covered. Place the container in a bright spot with indirect light. Keep the soil moist for a few days to enable root growth.
Plant the Cutting in the Soil
Carefully plant the cutting in the hole you made in the potting mix, and gently tamp the soil around it. You can fit several cuttings into one container, but space them so the leaves do not touch one another.
If you want to skip the water step altogether, you can also propagate pothos directly in soil. This method is pretty reliable as well although slightly less common. For this method, it's best to use rooting hormone, and you will also need a pot and some well-draining soil mix.
Just pop a Pothos cutting in with the water with your slow-to-grow cuttings and it helps speed up root development. That's a big yes please. Although my Pothos aren't too pleased I found out about this, but talk about a perfect excuse to get more Pothos!
Make a hole in the potting soil, place the piece in the hole, and press the soil down around it. Keep the soil lightly moist and your plant should start rooting within a few months.
In short – yes, although it may take some time to adjust. It will slow down if you transplant into water and you may see a leaf or two yellow and die off. It's best to grow new pothos vines in water and let them grow in water forever instead of transplanting an existing soil plant into water.
Soil roots need more energy to grow, which is why cuttings grow roots faster in water vs soil. Soil roots are tougher and thicker.
Your Pothos needs personal space, just like you do on a crowded bus. Overcrowding leads to competition for resources, and in the plant world, that's a silent, leafy battle you want to avoid.
If you are a homeowner or enjoy tackling indoor gardening challenges, pothos plants can be a great addition to your houseplant collection. But as with many foliage plants, there's always the risk of root rot if the environment is too wet.
Is Bottom Watering Good for Pothos? Yes, bottom watering is good for Pothos. These hanging plants usually have a dense root ball, which absorbs better more water from the bottom than the top. In addition, if you tend to overwater your houseplants, bottom watering may be the way to go.
A pothos that has been growing in the same potting soil for years and that's probably root-bound grows slower than a young pothos plant in water that is fertilized regularly. How long does it take for pothos to root in water? It takes about 10 to 14 days for the first roots to form.
Pothos Water Propagation
You can propagate Pothos in water by taking a healthy stem cutting 4”-6” long with 2-4 leaves. Find a node where the leaf meets the stem and make a cut at a 45-degree angle. Remove the leaves a few inches above the cut. Place the cutting in a jar filled with water at room temperature.
Success factors for rooting your cuttings
They'll root faster with plenty of sunlight, but avoid setting them in direct sun. Temperature is also important, the warmer the better to speed things up. For cuttings that are more valuable or difficult, adding a little aquarium pump to oxygenate the water will help a lot.
Philodendron leaves are thin, soft, and papery, whereas pothos leaves feel thicker and waxier. You can also eyeball the leaf shape to tell the difference: Philodendrons have heart-shaped leaves, while pothos plants bow out in a more traditional way.
There's no need to buy a huge plant because pothos grows very quickly, especially in aquariums with heavy bioloads and lots of fish waste. We purchased the smallest size pot for $4 and were able to separate it into six to ten plantlets.
Unfortunately, the answer to that question is that yes, pothos are toxic to cats. If you suspect that your cat has ingested any part of a pothos plant, contact your vet immediately.
Many plants will root from just a section of a plant. Some plants will root in water, but cuttings will develop a better root system when rooted in a soil-less potting mix. Sand or perlite can also be used, especially for cuttings that need good drainage and may rot if kept too wet.
To get a cutting for Pothos propagation, follow these steps: Trim a 4-6 inch piece just below a root node. Ideally, the cutting will have 4+ leaves and at least two growth nodes. Pothos plant propagation can be done in water or soil, but once it begins, the plant has difficult switching to the other growing medium.
Budding, or bud grafting, is a form of vegetative or clonal plant propagation by which an exact replica of the parent plant is produced. There are two slightly different methods of budding – chip budding and T budding. The difference between the two is procedure timing and the amount of wood taken with the bud.