Plant Propagation: How to Propagate a Pothos Plant

Plant propagation is truly remarkable. Pothos plants, in particular, are popular because they’re beautiful, ultra low-maintenance, and easy to propagate. In my experience, a pothos plant is the easiest plant to grow. I find pothos even less demanding than succulents.

How to propagate a vining pothos plant! — Vining Pothos Plant

Pothos plants can survive on minimal water and sunlight, which is what makes them so easy to care for; they can perform well even when neglected. This makes them perfect for beginners!

This houseplant has small roots that soak up water quickly, which is why you shouldn’t allow it to sit in water for an extended period of time; doing so would cause root rot and fungus.

New growth sprouts from the crown of the plant, giving it the full look that so many people love.

While taking care of a pothos plant is pretty simple, sometimes people have problems keeping this houseplant looking full and lush.

A bare crown can happen when the plant puts all its energy into vining.

Pothos cascades out of its pot due to its vining nature, so that can lead to fewer leaves being produced and taking root at the base of the plant.

Thankfully, however, there’s a simple solution: plant propagation.

Pothos plants react very well to propagation, but you’ll need to be patient because this process does take time; the reward of creating new plants from one parent plant is definitely worth the extra effort, though.

With proper propagation, you can trim off vining leaves and use them to create roots that you can add to the parent plant for a bushier look, and you can even use it to pot an entirely new plant.

To propagate a pothos plant, all you’ll need is some pruning shears or sharp scissors, a few water-filled glasses, soil, and a warm spot in your home.

Cut the Vines When You Propagate a Pothos Plant

Cutting your pothos leaves is simple, as long as you know exactly where to cut along the vine.

First, cut off a long vine (that’s if your pothos is vining, otherwise a shorter one will do.

Mine, below, was growing well, so I cut off each cascading vine to reenergize my plant and give it a fresher look.

Once you cut off a few cascading vines, you’re going to take it apart. This is the fun part!

Take your scissors and cut into the stem to the right and left of each leaf, right beside the “node”, as shown in the three photos below. You’ll need to do this for every leaf. Remember that each leaf provides a new opportunity for propagation!

Here’s the next step. The hardes part is over!

Take a glass or jar, and fill it with tap water.

Then, take each pothos leaf and place it in the glass of water, as shown below. Once you do that, place the glass in a warm room. This step is important because pothos plants won’t propagate if they’re kept in temps below 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Remember, this houseplant thrives in warmth and humidity!

Now you’ll need to be patient since it takes a few weeks for pothos leaves to root. In the meantime, you’ll need to replace the water every few days. Fresh tap water has oxygen in it, which is beneficial to plants because they need oxygen to survive.

After the first day, oxygen starts depleting from the water, so don’t forget this step!

After about 3 weeks, you should start to see roots forming. Not all leaves will root, and that’s okay. Simply take those leaves out of the glass and discard.

Once your leaves have formed several small roots, it’s time to plant to transfer them to a pot of soil. Waiting too long to pot your plant in soil can actually backfire.

Your plant has been growing in water for a few weeks, so it might not take to the soil as well as you hope. To help your cuttings along, try to get them into soil after two or three weeks of being in water.

Take your rooted leaf, and plant them into a pot as you would any other houseplant.

You can also take each rooted leaf and stick it back into the pot with the parent plant to achieve a bushier look. It’s a great way to give your old pothos plants a much-needed makeover!