How to Propagate Pothos Cuttings in Water

Why pothos is the easiest cutting to root

Pothos, also sold as devil's ivy, is the plant most likely to forgive you. It tolerates the low light of a north-facing flat, shrugs off the dry air thrown out by central heating, and — crucially for us here — roots so readily in water that you can often see the first white nubs appear within a fortnight. That makes it the ideal plant to learn propagation on before you move on to fussier things like string of pearls or calathea.

The method is simple: take a healthy stem cutting, stand it in water, wait for roots, then pot it into fresh compost. There is something quietly satisfying about watching a jam jar on the kitchen windowsill turn into a full plant, and it costs nothing but a little patience.

Choosing the right stem and taking the cutting

Start with a plant that is already growing well. Look for a trailing stem with several healthy leaves, no yellowing, and no sign of pests. The single most important thing to understand is the node — the slightly swollen bump on the stem where a leaf joins it. This is where roots emerge, often with a small brown aerial root already visible. Every cutting needs at least one node.

• Use clean, sharp scissors or secateurs. Wipe the blades with hot soapy water first to avoid pushing bacteria into the wound.
• Cut a length of stem roughly 10–15cm long, making your cut just below a node.
• Strip off the bottom leaf or two so that a bare stretch of stem sits at the base of the cutting. Any leaf left underwater will rot and cloud the water.
• Take three or four cuttings at once rather than one. Some will root faster than others, and a grouped pot looks far better than a single lonely vine.

If your plant has a long, straggly trail, this is also a good opportunity to tidy it up. You are pruning and propagating in one go.

Setting your cuttings in water

A clean glass jar is ideal, though dark glass slows the growth of algae. Fill it with room-temperature water — cold water shocks the cutting. If you live in a hard water area, which covers much of London, the south-east and East Anglia, let the tap water stand in an open jug overnight so the chlorine can dissipate, or use filtered or rainwater if you have it.

• Lower the cuttings in so the node is fully submerged but all leaves sit above the waterline.
• Two or three cuttings per jar is plenty. Crowding them invites rot.
• Pop the jar somewhere you will actually look at it — a kitchen windowsill, a bathroom shelf — so you remember to check the water.

Light, warmth and the patient fortnight

Bright but indirect light is what you are after. An east or west windowsill is perfect. Direct midday sun through glass will scorch the leaves and can overheat the water, so if your only spot is a south-facing sill, pull the jar back a little or filter the light with a sheer curtain. Pothos roots fastest at around 18–24°C, so a warm room suits it well — just keep the jar off the radiator itself, as fluctuating heat encourages rot.

Change the water every five to seven days. Tip the old water away, rinse the stems gently under the tap, and wipe away any slippery film from the glass. This single habit prevents most problems. You should see small white root tips within two to four weeks in spring and summer, and rather longer in the darker months — a cutting taken in November may sit dormant until February, which is entirely normal and not a failure.

Knowing when to move your cuttings into compost

Water roots are thinner and more brittle than soil roots, so resist the temptation to pot up the moment you spot a stub. Wait until the roots are around 5–10cm long and, ideally, are starting to branch. Leaving cuttings in water for months produces a weak root system that sulks badly once it meets compost.

• Use a small pot — around 9cm — with drainage holes, filled with a free-draining peat-free multipurpose compost mixed with a handful of perlite.
• Plant two or three rooted cuttings together for a fuller, bushier plant from the start.
• Water thoroughly, let it drain, and keep the pot out of direct sun for a week while it settles.
• Do not feed for the first month. Fresh compost already holds plenty of nutrients, and extra feed can burn new roots.

Troubleshooting and aftercare

Most problems are easy to read once you know what you are looking for.

• Mushy, brown or black stem: this is rot. Cut above the damaged section, discard the rest, and start again with fresh water and a clean jar.
• One yellowing leaf below the waterline: usually harmless decay of a leaf you should have removed. If leaves above the water turn yellow, the cutting is too cold, too dark, or sitting in direct sun.
• No roots after four weeks: check warmth and light first. If the base looks sealed over, snip a few millimetres off and return it to the water.
• Green algae coating the jar: harmless to the plant, but switch to a dark jar or change the water more often.

Once potted, treat your new plant like any other pothos: water when the top couple of centimetres of compost feel dry, mist occasionally if the room is heated, and give a diluted houseplant feed monthly through spring and summer. Pinch out the growing tips now and then to keep it bushy, and you will soon have enough material to start the whole lovely process again — and perhaps a few spare plants to give away.