Can you propagate pothos without a leaf?

Wondering if you can propagate Pothos without a leaf? Here’s a step by step guide to doing it the right way!

Pothos is one of my favorite houseplants. It’s beautiful, grows quickly, comes in lots of varieties, and propagates easily.

So easily, in fact, you don’t even need a leaf to propagate it!

Let’s talk about propagating pothos without a leaf + everything you need to know!

How to propagate pothos without a leaf

You can propagate any type of pothos from a stem cutting with or without a leaf!

However, you 100% need a node on your stem piece.

What are the nodes on pothos?

Nodes are the little brown bumps on the stem of the pothos plant. This is where leaves, roots, and aerial roots will grow from.

No node, no roots.

Can you root a pothos cutting with just one node?

A lot of advice that you see says to have cuttings with 5-6 nodes. This increases your odds of success. However, it is totally possible to root cuttings with only one node!

Will pothos vines with no leaves grow new ones?

Pothos vines with no leaves might have new growth at the end, but it will not go back and grow new leaves on old pieces of stem. If you want a bushier look, you are better off cutting off the long stem and doing plant propagation. The parent plant will grow a new branch at the closest node to where you cut it off!

How do I propagate pothos cuttings without a leaf

You propagate pothos exactly the same whether it has a leaf or not.

Take a cutting, be sure it has a node on it. Place the pothos in water and wait for roots to form!

Tools needed:

• Scissors
• Jar of water

Steps to propagate pothos

STEP 1: Identify a node

To propagate pothos, you are going to want to take a cutting. Check out the stem of your plant.

See those raised bumps every 2-3 inches? Those are called nodes. Nodes are what will grow roots!

STEP 2: Cut the stem

Use a sharp pair of scissors to cut right below a node. I like pieces that are at least 6 inches long, with 2-4 leaves. 

STEP 3: Remove the bottom leaves

Cut any leaves that would fall under water on your stem. They’ll just turn brown and soggy from being submerged, and make your water foggy. 

STEP 4: Place in water

Place the cutting in water. Place in indirect sun, like in a sunny window. 

STEP 5: Change water regularly

Check once a week. Change the water as it becomes cloudy.

You will see fat white pothos roots develop after a couple of weeks. I wait 6-8 weeks total to let roots get well developed. You want them about 2-3 inches long. 

STEP 6: Plant in soil

You may now plant your baby pothos plant in potting soil or potting mix. Keep the soil moist.

Why would you propagate pothos without a leaf?

The main reason that I have rooted pothos cuttings without leaves is when my pothos plants is getting leggy. Leggy means long branches with big bare spots. This could happen from leaf drop or just over time.

A great way to encourage your pothos plant to be fuller and bushier is to take cuttings. I don’t like my cuttings longer than 6-8 inches, so sometimes I turn a long branch into 2 or 3 cuttings.

In that case, a middle segment of the cutting might have no leaves!

Place the cutting in water like normal and it should root the same.

Tips for rooting pothos without a leaf

• Don’t let the whole stem go under water – this tends to make it rot. Have a way to prop it up so there is some stem above water (with at least 1 node under water).
• You may want to use rooting hormone to encourage root growth.
• Sometimes, cuttings without leaves can take a little longer to root. My theory is there is no leaf to absorb light and give it energy. Be sure it’s getting bright indirect light and be patient!

Thanks for reading!

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