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Chadwick Arboretum & Learning Gardens

College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

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Propagating Houseplants

Pothos, Philodendrons and Spider Plants

Propagating Houseplants

Cutting and Care

In order to propagate, you’ll need some clean, sharp scissors and a small jar to develop your cutting. Find a stem a few inches long with some leaves on it, and cut right beneath a root node at your desired length. If there are any leaves on your cutting that will be submerged in water, make sure to cut them off (they’ll just make the water dirty). Make sure to keep your jar upright in an area that is sunny, like in a windowsill. Monitor the root growth over the next three or four weeks, and replace the water if it gets dirty or cloudy. After a few weeks, your pothos cutting should start to develop roots. In order to plant, you’ll want the roots two to three inches long, so keep the stem in clean water until your roots are ready for planting. 

Planting Your Cuttings 

When the pothos has developed thick, white roots that are a few inches long, it is ready to be planted. Be sure to use a pot with draining holes to prevent your new plant from getting root rot, and some well-draining soil. Keep your new plant in an area that has some sun, and water about once a week. When watering, make sure that you saturate the soil, but let any extra water run out of the drain holes at the bottom of the pot to avoid over watering. These plants will grow over the edges of your pot, so when the stems get too long, you can propagate your plant again, and even give the cuttings out as gifts!

For extra tips and information, check out these websites!

Pothos

Philodendron

Spider Plants