How to Grow Pothos

Pothos grows easily from cuttings.

Pothos and devil's ivy are two common names for Epipremnum aureum, a species of epiphytic trailing plant native to the Solomon Islands. The attractive, heart-shaped leaves display a number of color variations ranging from solid bright-green to variegated, making them valuable as a houseplant or outdoor ornamental in warm areas where frost seldom occurs. Pothos grows effortlessly from stem cuttings and will quickly attain a mature size if it is provided with indirect light and warm temperatures, but it must be protected from direct sunlight at all times to keep the leaves from scorching and dropping off.

Things You'll Need

• Floral snips or small scissors
• 0.1-percent IBA (indole butyric acid) rooting hormone powder
• Small paintbrush or cotton ball
• Perlite
• 4-inch plastic pot
• 1-gallon plastic bag
• 20-20-20 ratio fertilizer

Instructions

1. Take a tip cutting from a vigorous pothos plant in spring as new growth emerges. Measure approximately 6 inches from the tip of the vine. Make the cut less than 1/2-inch below the lowest set of leaves using floral snips or small scissors.

2. Peel off the lower two sets of leaves to reveal the nodes since they possess the highest concentration of meristematic, or growth, cells and will produce roots quickly. Measure the defoliated segment of the pothos cutting to ensure it is approximately 2 inches long.

3. Dust the defoliated portion of the stem with 0.1-percent IBA rooting hormone powder to enhance the speed of root production. Apply the powder with a small watercolor paintbrush or dab it on with a cotton ball.

4. Insert the hormone-treated end of the pothos cutting into a perlite-filled 4-inch plastic pot. Make sure the stem is upright and steady in the pot. Pour 1/4 cup of water over the perlite.

5. Place the potted pothos cutting under bright, indirect light such as near a north- or west-facing window, or under angled fluorescent lamps. Place a 1-gallon plastic bag over the pothos cutting to hold warmth and moisture around the foliage.

6. Remoisten the perlite every other day with 1/8 cup of water. Frequent watering is necessary since pothos cuttings drink heavily and perlite holds only a small amount of water.

7. Look for small, white roots in two to three weeks by gently pushing aside some of the perlite to see the nodes. Keep checking once a week until rooting is confirmed.

8. Transplant the pothos cutting into a larger pot filled with standard potting soil one week after rooting. Feed it once monthly with 20-20-20 ratio houseplant fertilizer in accordance with the directions on the label.

Tips & Warnings

• Pothos cuttings will also root in a glass of water, but the water must be changed daily to prevent the cutting from rotting.

• Wash your hands after handling pothos cuttings since they are slightly toxic to people and pets.

References

• University of Oklahoma Department of Botany and Microbiology: Epipremnum aureum
• "American Horticultural Society Plant Propagation: The Fully Illustrated Plant-by-Plant Manual of Practical Techniques"; Alan Toogood; 1999