Can You Propagate Pothos Without Node?

Propagating your pathos plant is a great way to make your parent pothos plant look healthier and inexpensively create additional plants. It can also help your parent pathos plants stay fuller and bushier. Can You Propagate Pothos Without Node? However, there several things that you must know to do this successfully. For example, the portion of the pothos plant you use must have at least one node present.

You cannot propagate pothos unless at least one node is present on your vine cutting. This is because the node is the part of the plant that will allow root growth. So, without a node present, your pothos cuttings will not grow roots.

The article below will teach you the best ways to propagate pothos from stem cuttings. In addition, we will provide an in-depth guide that will answer your questions about when and how to propagate your pothos plants to create thriving new plants.

What is a Node?

Before using any method to propagate your pothos plants, you’ll need to understand what a node is and how you can identify it.

The node is the brown raised bump on the stem of the pothos plant. This portion of the plant allows it to grow new roots, aerial roots, and new leaves. This is often referred to as a leaf node.

The node must be present on the portion of the parent plant you use. Without it, you will not be able to grow roots for a baby plant to sprout.

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When To Propagate Pothos

Pothos cutting can be propagated any time of the year. However, rooting can require longer time in the cold. This is because the plant’s active growth period is during this time.

It’s best to propagate pothos during the spring to allow them plenty of time to root and thrive before the colder months set in.

How to Cut the Pothos Vine for Propagation

Start by removing the stems from the pothos and picking the longest vine. The vines should contain between six and seven healthy leaves. All leaves must be healthy without parasites or disease, so carefully examine your stem before cutting.

Then, find a growth node somewhere along one of the vines on your pothos plant. It will be a small lump where a leaf petiole joins a leaf with a woody aerial stem.

It is possible to divide a long vine into sections or to take individual cuts of multiple vines. How you do this will vary based on the type of baby plants you want to create.

For fuller, bushier plants, you’ll want longer strands with multiple nodes on each one. However, if you wish to start a single vine, it is best to divide them into smaller pieces with one node on each of your pothos cuttings. When doing this, you’ll want to leave at least an inch of stem on each side of the node.

It’s also important to ensure you get a clean cut, so it’s best to use a sharp pair of pruning shears and clip in one fluid motion to avoid getting a messy cut. Cuts that are not smooth and clean are at higher risk of infection, which almost always means your plant propagation process will not be successful.

The Best Place to Cut Pothos for Propagation

When cutting a clipping from your pothos plant for propagation, it’s best to cut the stem just below the node.

Your cut can reach 6-10 inches. First, find the plant’s healthy branches, ideally ones showing signs of new growth.

Additionally, you should be careful not to cut off any of the nodes when cutting, as these are essential to root growth. The cut should have a node at the base of the cut to ensure that roots can be established close to the end of the cut.

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Pothos Propagation Methods

The method used to propagate pothos is to place the stems in water or soil. Each method requires a slightly different process; some are simpler than others. You can learn the best processes for each pothos propagation method below.

How to Propagate Pothos in Water

Propagating pothos cuttings in water is one of the simplest methods to propagate cuttings. You can use this method to propagate single vines or begin your root growth before planting them in soil.

1. First, you’ll want to choose your pothos cuttings. When propagating pothos in water, it’s best to use cuttings with one node on each cutting. Additionally, you should have a separate container for each stem cutting to ensure the best results.
2. Fill a container half-full with water. You should avoid using tap water containing chlorine if possible, as this could damage your pothos cuttings and prevent the baby pothos plant from thriving. Instead, filtered, reverse osmosis water or distilled water is ideal. Furthermore, adding a rooting hormone to the water can be helpful.
3. Submerge the growth node in water and place the cuttings in a warm room that is brightly lit, but avoid placing them in direct sunlight. Now, you wait and let your pothos cuttings root.
4. You must change the water every five days to prevent algae and bacteria buildup from killing your pothos cuttings. When you change the water, adding more of the rooting hormone is beneficial if you used it initially.
5. After approximately seven days, your cuttings should begin to grow roots. At this point, you can move your rooted pothos cuttings to a pot with a chunky soil mix if you wish to pot the plant and keep the soil moist as your plant continues to grow.

Moving your pothos cuttings into the soil is not required, but if you do not, you must continue to keep the water changed at the recommended intervals. It’s also critical to ensure the node remains submerged in the water at all times.

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How to Propagate Pothos Cuttings in Soil

You’ll experience about the same level of difficulty if you choose to propagate pothos plants in soil. When propagating pothos plants in soil, it’s best to use several leaf nodes. This will give your baby plant a fuller look.

1. Choose a pot with plenty of drainage holes and fill it with a chunky soil mix.
2. Next, gather your pothos cuttings from your parent pothos and place each one approximately one inch beneath the surface of the soil and pack them just tightly enough to ensure your pothos cutting stands upright.
3. Place your plant in indirect sunlight in a warm room and keep your soil moist to keep your plants thriving.

After three to four weeks, you can tug gently on your plant’s stem to see whether or not it has developed roots. If there is no resistance when you tug on the stem, your plant has not developed roots.

Which Method is Best? Water vs. Soil Propagation

Propagating pothos plants in soil is the best way to create a full and vibrant plant. However, there are benefits of using the water propagation method that you will not get when propagating pothos plants in soil.

Some reasons that propagating pothos in water is the better option include the following:

• Your pothos cuttings will develop roots much sooner.
• You can watch your roots grow if you place your pothos stem cuttings in a clear container.
• Root rot is less common with this method as long as the water is changed appropriately.
• It is easier to add a rooting hormone to the water to help ensure you get a healthy root system.

You can let the entire propagation process occur within the soil, and you’ll likely successfully propagate your pothos plant. However, when you start the root in water, it allows you to get a root much sooner, and it can always be moved to the soil after the roots have formed.

How To Propagate Pothos By Division

Dividing root balls is an excellent method for achieving greater plant numbers. You can split it according to the number of sections that you want.

1. If you wish to propagate pothos plants by division, the first thing you will need to do is remove your plant from its pot. You can do this by turning the pot on its side, grasping the stems, and gently working the plant from side to side until it releases.
2. Locate the areas where there are natural gaps in your pathos plant and work the roots apart. You may need to help the roots break away from one another, but you should use caution to avoid breaking more roots than is necessary.
3. Once the roots are separated well, pull the two pieces of the plant apart and plant the two separate plants in their own pots.

Once you’ve planted the pieces separately, you will need to give them special care as they heal. You should avoid using fertilizer, keep them in indirect light, and avoid overwatering them. If you overwater them immediately after the root damage that occurs during division, you’re more likely to experience root rot.

How Long Does Pothos Take to Grow?

The time needed for your baby pothos plant to grow from your cuttings will vary based on the environment it is in. For example, if your cuttings are kept in a warm, humid climate with plenty of light, you should see new roots begin to grow within the first two weeks of the process.

However, if the environment is cold, or your pothos cuttings are not given an adequate amount of light or water, it could take up to a month- or longer- before your cutting begins to grow roots.

It can also vary based on whether you used the soil propagation or water propagation method. Plant propagation takes slightly longer when you propagate them in soil. Rather than seeing results in one to two weeks, soil propagation may take three to four weeks.

Why Pothos Cuttings Do Not Grow

Regardless of the propagation method you choose, there are several things that could cause your pothos cuttings not to grow.

For example, any method will fail if you do not begin the process with a healthy stem. In this case, there’s nothing you could have done differently to help your pothos vines root.

Your pothos vines may also fail to grow roots if they get too much or too little lighting or if they are not kept moist.

All of these things are critical when propagating pothos cuttings in water or soil.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can You Propagate a Leafless Node?

You can propagate pothos with a leafless node. As long as the node is still healthy, it will still produce roots, making it possible to propagate pothos without a leaf. However, getting the node to develop a root can be slightly more challenging.

Will a Pothos Node Grow Without a Leaf?

Although it is more of a challenge, you can still propagate pothos without a leaf. The leaf is very beneficial to the process and seems to speed up the process, but it is not required. If you wish to propagate pothos without a leaf, consider adding a rooting hormone. You’ll also want to keep the node from becoming completely submerged in water to avoid root rot.

Can You Propagate Pothos From Just a Stem?

If there’s no node on the stem cutting, you will not be able to use it to propagate pothos. However, if there is a node on the stem cuttings, that can be used to propagate pothos successfully.

Can You Propagate Pothos With One Node?

It is possible to propagate pothos cuttings with only one node. However, if you want to give yourself the best chance of growing roots, gathering a stem with multiple nodes is best. This way, if one node fails to root, it’s likely that one of the others will.