Question on cutting Pothos

Leesburg, FL(Zone 9b)

I'm relatively new to these plants -- i inherited 2 from my Gram when she was put in a nursing home

one of them is really long .... it just keeps growing and growing, so now I'm planning on snipping it back.

my question -- do I have to root them in water, or can i just stick them in soil and they will take root?

TIA,

Terese

Colorado Springs, CO(Zone 6a)

Terese, that's special that you inherited the pothos from your grandmother, those are my favorite kind of plants...the inherited ones!
Pothos will root easily in water or soil. If I'm feeling lazy I will just snip off a piece --make sure it has a growth nub on it (looks like a baby root right next to the leaf) --and then shove it down into moist soil. You have to keep it a little more moist than normal to help the rooting, but not wet. They are super easy in water to root too, but won't always transfer very easily to soil once they make water roots. I'd say if you want a pothos to grow in water, root in water and if you want a potted one, root it in soil. That would be easiest! Sorry for the longwindedness :) Susanne

Leesburg, FL(Zone 9b)

thanks -- i'll try putting them directly in soil.

I've done it in water before too, but the container currently has a plant in it.

i was reading in the plant files [plantladylin, thanks for the link] where someone said they "leak".
mine -- it looks like dripping water. seems like more than just leaking .... literal "drops" of water.

wonder what's up with that?

well - i really need to cut at least 3' of of them. Looks like I'm gonna have a lot more plants.

thanks for the info.

(Zone 1)

TCS1366: You might have what is called Guttation. Here's a link where you can read about it: http://www.plant-care.com/crying-plants.html

Leesburg, FL(Zone 9b)

that sounds about right. thanks.

terese

Leesburg, FL(Zone 9b)

Well, i finally snipped these back... I had 2 HUGE ones that were 10-15+ feet long.

one of the plants - the one with bigger leaves, i've put the cuttings in water, and they are doing fine.
the other plant -- i had to do a lot more snipping as this was the really long one ... some of the cuttings were put in water, and some others were put in the soil .... none of these are doing well. The leaves are looking wilty -- to the point that a few days ago... i 'cleaned them up' so to speak. Cut back the stuff that was already dying and sort of 're-did it'... but noticing today... there is more wilt.

not sure what i did wrong, as the one plant is doing just fine.

any thoughts?

Dover AFB, DE(Zone 7a)

Patience. It will take a few weeks to get going.

Hometown, IL(Zone 5a)

If you're having trouble with soil rooting, you could try using a plastic bag over the pot to increase the humidity. You just have to be sure to remove the plastic every couple of days so there's no mold growing. Bags from the supermarket used for fresh veggies are my favorite.
I find that most cuttings root faster, with less wilt, this way. (Although they are harder to get accustomed to soil if you want to pot them up.)
I have no clue what's wrong with the water rooted ones- I've never had any cutting wilt in water.
Good luck, and happy gardening!

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