Propagating pothos in water

The short answer: Cut a vine just below a node (the small brown bump on the stem), keep 2–3 leaves, put the node underwater in a glass, and place it in bright, indirect light. Change the water weekly. Roots appear in 1–2 weeks; move to soil when they’re 2–3 inches long.

If you own one pothos, you can own ten. Pothos is one of the easiest plants to propagate: snip a piece, drop it in water, and a few weeks later it has roots. It’s also the best way to rescue a leggy plant or save healthy vines from a plant with root rot.

What you need

• A healthy pothos (or heartleaf philodendron — same method)
• Clean, sharp scissors or pruners (wipe with rubbing alcohol)
• A clear glass or jar (clear lets you watch the roots)
• Room-temperature water

Step 1: Find the nodes

Look along a vine. Where each leaf meets the stem, there’s a small brown or tan bump, sometimes with a tiny root nub already sticking out. That’s a node — and it’s where new roots grow. A cutting without a node won’t root.

Step 2: Make the cut

Cut the vine into pieces with 2–3 leaves each and at least one node. Cut about half an inch (1 cm) below a node.

Remove the leaf closest to the bottom so the node can sit underwater without a leaf rotting in the water.

Tip: take several cuttings at once. You’ll put them all back in one pot later, which makes a much fuller plant.

Step 3: Put them in water

Place the cuttings in your glass so the nodes are submerged but the remaining leaves stay above the water.

Put the glass in bright, indirect light — near a window, out of direct sun (direct sun heats the water and encourages algae). Warmth helps: 65–80°F (18–27°C) is ideal.

Step 4: Wait and change the water

• Change the water every 5–7 days — or whenever it looks cloudy.
• Week 1–2: small white root bumps appear at the nodes.
• Week 3–5: roots grow 2–3 inches (5–8 cm) long and may start branching.

Propagation is faster in spring and summer. In winter it might take twice as long — don’t give up.

Step 5: Move to soil (or don’t)

When roots are 2–3 inches long, plant your cuttings:

1. Fill a small pot (with a drainage hole) with regular potting mix.
2. Plant several cuttings together for a bushy look.
3. Keep the soil a little more moist than usual for the first 2 weeks — water roots need time to adjust to soil.
4. Then switch to normal pothos care: water when the top 2 inches are dry.

Or keep it in water. Pothos can live in water long-term. Change the water every week or two and add a few drops of liquid houseplant fertilizer once a month — pure water has no nutrients.

Make your original plant fuller

Here’s the secret plant people use: put the rooted cuttings back into the mother plant’s pot, right where it’s thin on top. Pothos grows long vines but rarely branches from the base, so this is the fastest way to fix a “bald” pot.

Cutting the vines also makes the mother plant branch at the cut points. Trim regularly in spring and summer and it will stay bushier.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Fix
No roots after 3 weeks	Check there’s a node underwater; move somewhere warmer and brighter
Stem turning mushy or black	Cut above the rotten part, rinse the glass, start again with fresh water
Cloudy, smelly water	Change the water more often; remove any leaves in the water
Green algae in the glass	Normal in clear glass with light; rinse the jar. Use a colored glass to reduce it
Leaves yellowing on the cutting	Usually the cutting using its stored energy; one yellow leaf is fine

What else can you propagate this way?

The same water method works for heartleaf philodendron, monstera (cut with a node and an aerial root), peperomia, English ivy and many more. Snake plants work too, but much more slowly.

Pet note: pothos is toxic to cats and dogs, so keep propagation jars somewhere your pets can’t knock over or chew. Is your mother plant looking unhappy? Here’s what yellow pothos leaves mean.