Can Pothos Grow In Water
Frequently Asked Questions,  Pothos,  Propagation,  Water Propagation

Can Pothos Grow In Water?

Can pothos grow in water? Yes they are really easy to propagate in water and you can keep them in the jar indefinitely. Read on for all you need to know…

See our other Pothos articles: Jessenia Pothos, Hawaiian Pothos, Glacier Pothos, Neon Pothos Care, Neon Pothos Propagation In Water, Pothos Propagation.


How To Grow Pothos In Water

You want to water propagate a pothos so it roots in water, then keep the water topped up and keep the cutting in water for as long as you like. The plant should be fine ongoing if you keep the water topped up and keep an eye out for rot.

Follow these step by step instructions:

Step 1:

Cut off a whole branch of pothos.

a pothos branch

Step 2:

Chop the branch into smaller pieces so each cutting has only one leaf and one node (the wide bit of the main stem that the smaller stalks grow from, it is also the point that roots will grow from).

pothos cutings

Step 3:

Put some rubber bands over the top of a jar like I have in the image below, these will stop the cuttings falling into the water.

covering  a jam jar in rubber bands to help stop the cuttings from falling into the water

Step 4:

Put the cuttings in the jar so the nodes will be under the water and the leaves kept out of it. Do not fill it with water yet.

a small cutting held in place with a rubber band
all the pothos cuttings in a jam jar

Step 5:

Come back in a 4 or 5 hours when the wounds have healed over and are completely sealed and then fill the jar with water so that the nodes are wet, but the leaves are out of the water.

pothos growing in water

Step 6:

Keep the plant somewhere in indirect sunlight and it should root well. Keep the water topped up. And remove any cuttings that rot and die off. Change the water if it goes cloudy.

You can see some of my pothos below that have been growing in water for a year. The root system is well developed and I just keep them topped up with water and they grow well.

pothos growing in water
can pothos grow in water - rooted cuttings

You can find all our articles on water propagation here, like the Philodendron Burle Marx Water Propagation article.

Can You Grow Pothos In Water Only?

They can grow in water alone, and do not need anything more. They can grow fairly slowly though, you can increase the growth rate by giving them more root space in a bigger jar and by giving them a very diluted fertilizer (one third of the strength you would use for soil), so they get more nutrients.

Is It Better To Grow Pothos In Water Or Soil?

They are both good methods. I have a few growing in water and soil, they look great in a clear jar, but if I put them up high on shelf I use soil as it supports a much bigger plant (if the plant gets really big it can fall out of the water). Also, they tend to grow quicker in soil in general.

Will Pothos Roots Rot In Water?

The only real problem with propagating or growing pothos in water is that if a plant does die, then they rot in the water and the water goes cloudy. Then the rot can spread to other plants. So keep an eye the water and if it goes cloudy, change it and look for any rotting plants or leaves and remove them.

Further Reading

See also: Can Ivy Grow In Water? Can Philodendron Grow In Water?, Can Syngonium Grow In Water? Can Prayer Plants Grow In Water?

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