The Epipremnum aureum, commonly known as Pothos or Devil’s Ivy, is a resilient vining plant known for its attractive heart-shaped foliage. Its long, trailing stems often require intervention to maintain a desired shape or size. Gardeners typically need to cut their Pothos for one of two distinct purposes: pruning, which involves trimming the plant for health and aesthetics, or propagation, which is the process of creating entirely new plants from cuttings. Understanding the precise location to make a cut is essential for success in both of these gardening tasks.
Understanding the Pothos Node
The location where a cut must be made is dictated by the plant’s anatomy, specifically a structure called the node. A node is the slightly swollen, raised bump on the Pothos stem where a leaf petiole—the small stalk connecting the leaf to the vine—emerges. Small, dark nubs, which are aerial roots, are also a strong visual indicator of the node’s location.
This specific point contains meristematic tissue, which is undifferentiated plant tissue capable of developing into new roots or new shoots. The section of stem between two nodes is called the internode, and this area lacks the specialized tissue required for new growth. Therefore, any cutting taken without at least one node will not be able to develop roots, making the node crucial for successful propagation and pruning.
Cutting for Propagation
To successfully propagate a Pothos, a cutting must be taken that includes at least one viable node. Select a healthy vine and use clean, sharp scissors or pruning shears to prevent crushing the stem and minimize the risk of disease transmission. The ideal cutting should have one to three nodes, ensuring that at least one of these nodes will be submerged for rooting.
Make the cut approximately one-quarter to one-half inch below the chosen node. Cutting slightly below the node ensures that the growth-producing tissue remains intact on the cutting. After the cutting is taken, any leaves that would be submerged in water or buried in soil should be removed to prevent them from rotting, which could contaminate the rooting medium.
Cutting for Pruning and Shaping
Pruning involves cutting the Pothos vine to encourage the parent plant to grow fuller and more compact. When a vine is cut, the plant responds by activating a dormant lateral bud at the nearest node below the cut, leading to new side growth. This process, known as breaking apical dominance, results in a bushier plant.
To achieve this desired fullness, the maintenance cut should be made just above a node or a leaf junction on the vine you wish to shorten. A cut made in this location leaves the node intact and ready to produce a new shoot that will grow out in a different direction. By making strategic cuts along the vine, you can control the plant’s shape and encourage multiple new growth points. Always sanitize your cutting tools with rubbing alcohol before and after pruning to prevent the transfer of plant diseases.