Wondering how to get started with Pothos propagation? Here is exactly where to cut pothos for propagation.
Propagating pothos is such a fun and easy way to turn one plant into many plants to swap, share, or fill out your pot!
However, the first time you take a cutting can be stressful. Hello, you are chopping your plant baby up!
You definitely want to make sure that you cut your Pothos in the right place so that the cuttings actually grow roots and don’t rot!
Other pothos content you might enjoy:
- Golden pothos care guide
- Cebu Blue pothos care guide
- Baltic Blue pothos care guide
- Marble Queen pothos care guide
- Global Green pothos care guide
- Neon pothos care guide
- NJoy Pothos Care Guide
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Printable Pothos Plant Care Guide
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Where to cut pothos for propagation
You can cut your pothos cutting anywhere along the stem – the most important part of taking a pothos cutting is that the cutting must have a node on it or it will not grow roots.
What is a node?
The node is the bump on the stem of your plant that roots and leaves grow from. You can identify the node from the bump or from the leaf, root, or aerial root growing from it.
What if my cutting does not have a node?
Cuttings without nodes will not grow roots no matter how long they sit in soil or water.
This is different for succulents which can root from a leaf – but vining plants like pothos need a node to root.
How to cut pothos for propagation
You can really cut your pothos plant anywhere to propagate it – as long as the cutting has a node.
I have actually recently changed how I cut my cuttings. I now like to have a node at the very bottom of my cutting. This makes roots grow at the bottom of the cutting – which is usually where you want them.
I then almost always cut the excess stem on the parent plant back to the node. This is because the new growth on the existing vine will start at the last node on the remaining stem.
Any stem past the node is almost guaranteed to dry up and die off.
So, I cut it off and typically trash or compost that section between the two nodes (the node for the cutting and the last node on the vine of the parent plant).
How long should a pothos cutting be?
I suggest that your cuttings be 3 – 8 inches long. Any longer and I cut it up into sections, as long as each section will have at least one node.
Longer sections just never seem to root. It’s almost like the plant is using all it’s energy to keep all that stem alive and doesn’t have the energy for roots. (may or may not be the actual reason, that’s just my notes!)
You can root a section thats only 1/2 an inch long, as long as it has a node! I just find tiny sections slippy and hard to keep in the water before it evaporates and dries out.
Any more questions about where to cut pothos for propagation?
Thanks for reading!
Hey there, I’m Morgan, a houseplant enthusiast from sunny Charleston, South Carolina. Growing up surrounded by my mom’s lush orchids and African violets, I discovered the magic of bringing nature indoors. Thanks to the pandemic, I delved deeper into houseplants, discovering their power to uplift moods and transform spaces. I’m here to spill all my secrets, helping you pick the perfect houseplant – and make it happy. Let’s keep your plants alive, together! 😊