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Can I plant my pothos cuttings when roots are shorter than an inch?

2 years ago

I have several jars with about 6 leaf cuttings with nodes in each that have been rooting in water since the beginning of February. The roots started growing after a day or two but slowed down after a week. So far, only one or two of the cuttings have roots that are almost an inch long. However, most cuttings have new leaf growth that are popping out from near the nodes. Some of the small leaves are even underwater due to the roots being so closer together. Can I plant the cuttings before the roots are an inch long because they have leaves growing? Or should I leave them in the water and hope the roots get longer? I change the water once a week and they are sitting about 6 feet from a south facing window, but never in direct sunlight. I live in Northern California, about an hour north of San Francisco, in case location helps answer the question. Thank you!

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Comments (2)

popmama (Colorado, USDA z5)
2 years ago
I don't see any roots on this cutting in the picture. I see what look like adventitious roots, the little nubs that can turn into roots. But I see no new roots. The new roots should be bright white. I would wait. Pothos create huge root systems in water normally.

But if you choose to plant them, you just need to make sure the media stays consistently damp. Not soaking but just lightly moist. That's how nurseries propagate. They don't root in water. They just stick the cuttings in soil and keep the soil moist and the greenhouse has high humidity. You could put them in a container or ziploc bag to mimic that type of humid environment.
leah dean
Original Author
2 years ago
Thank you! There are cuttings that do have some white roots but they are still small but that’s good to know the ones in the photo are not. I have no problem with leaving them in the water longer. Thank you so much for the quick response! I spent too much time researching and finding no real answer.
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