The cool thing about Aroids is that many of them can be propagated in water, as they have evolved from swamp dwelling plants and have held their ability to grow in water, moss and other moist mediums. By taking advantage of this we can easily and succesfully grow new plants to enjoy.
You may have read about the awesome buy I unknowingly got with two Philodendron Tuxtla. Well I have a spare and not a lot of room. So why not follow through on my original idea and use it to share propagation methaods. I always see posts on social media of people asking how to cut their vining plants like Philodendron, Monstera and Pothos. So here goes…
It is best to have your tools ready before starting. You will need;
- A clean work space
- Propagating medium. Let’s say a jar of water, a container of Sphagnum Moss or Coconut Coir
- A sharp knife
- Your plant
I normally take the knife to the plant. Mostly because I don’t normally cut a whole plant up. But for cutting a whole plant it is easier to remove the pot and soil first.
Aerial Roots grow from nodes that form on the stem above the ground. They act as an anchor for the plant and can absorb air, moisture and nutrients to help feed it. These nodes are important in propagating, as this is where your new roots will grow from. These nodes are the brown nobbly bumps that you can see in the picture above. You will notice they grow on the underside of where leaves grow from.
I cut this plant into four pieces. See above where I planned to cut.
On any cutting you take, there should be around 2 – 3cm of stem below the node and at least that above. (See below) make you cut clean to avoid rotting and dont cut the leaves of the plant. They feed the plant and promote growth.
The cutting at the end of the vine is called the tip cutting. With this cutting you can cut back as far as you like. It could be one set of nodes or 10. It is the cutting that will continue to grow and will not need to rely on budding and shooting a new growth point. It dosn’t need to and this makes it the most valuable part of the plant with buying and selling cuttings.
I have decided to try different propagation methods and to finally decide which is best and fastest. I have one cutting in Sphagnum moss, one in Coconut Coir and two in water. I also took a stem cutting with roots from the base of the plant. I want to give that a go as well. So we will be able to compare the results and I will do a few posts updating their progress.
And…
And there you have it, a lovely plant cut up and ready to grow more.
I have to say that is was a bit hard cutting up this stunning plant. But I will be able to share the greatness of the original with others when I decide who gets a cutting.
I hope sharing this post helps you or others be clear on how to cut a vining Aroid.
I will be sure to share what happens next with these cuttings.
Enjoy reading and happy Growing. Xx
Velvet Leaves Of Adelaide 