Both of these plants root from cuttings without much fuss, and the underlying requirement is exactly the same for each: the cutting needs a node. Everything else — water or soil, how long to wait, whether to bother with rooting hormone — is a detail on top of that one non-negotiable fact.
Finding the node
A node is the small bump or ridge on the stem, usually right where a leaf attaches. It's the only part of the plant that can grow new roots — a leaf on its own, with no node attached, will sit in water looking fine for a while and then quietly rot, never rooting no matter how long you wait. On both pothos and monstera, look for it as a slightly raised, often brownish bump on the stem, sometimes with a stubby aerial root already growing from it.
Propagating pothos
Cut a 4–6 inch section of vine that includes at least one node and a couple of leaves, snipping just below the node. Strip off any leaves that would sit underwater — left on, they rot and cloud the water. Then:
- Set the cutting in a jar of room-temperature water, node submerged, leaves clear of the waterline.
- Place it somewhere with bright, indirect light — direct sun tends to overheat the water and encourage algae.
- Change the water roughly once a week, or sooner if it turns cloudy.
- Pot it into soil once roots have developed — a gentle tug that meets resistance is the usual sign they've taken hold.
Soil propagation works too: plant the same kind of cutting directly into moist potting mix, with the node buried, and keep the soil consistently damp while it roots.
Propagating monstera
The method is similar, with a bit more patience required. Cut below a node with at least one healthy leaf attached — smaller, younger leaves tend to root faster than large, mature ones, since a big cutting has more foliage for a still-nonexistent root system to support. An aerial root on the cutting isn't required, but if one's already there, it tends to speed things along.
Three methods are commonly used, and they trade off speed against effort:
- Water — easiest to monitor, generally the fastest and most reliable, but the cutting still has to make the adjustment from water roots to soil roots later.
- Soil — skips that transition, but you can't see what's happening underground, so it takes patience and a bit of trust.
- Sphagnum moss — a middle ground: damp moss packed around the node, wrapped to hold humidity, checked every week or so and remoistened as needed.
Moving a rooted cutting to soil
Once roots are a couple of inches long, pot the cutting into well-draining soil, burying the roots and the node itself. Water it in, then keep the soil lightly moist while it settles — a plant that's only ever known water can sulk for a week or two after the move, sometimes pausing new growth while it adjusts. That pause is normal, not a sign something's gone wrong.