Hi, I am getting stem rot on my water prop cuttings. Have tried Pothos, Epi, Scindapsus, etc. Clean glass from dishwasher, filtered water, fresh cut with nodes dried out for some hrs, leaves only at top pull off rest. Have in window cill semi-shaded. After a day or two it starts to blacken the stem and rot in water.
Thanks!
by notahitandrun
3 Comments
Are you changing out the water every 1-2 days? I clean my jars about every 3-4 days, or whenever the inside feels slimy.
Also, direct sun is probably not helping either. I just root mine in my kitchen that doesn’t even get much light and they root quickly.
it can be too cold/too hot for this, or too much sun. i had my pothos cuttings propagating in the spring on the windowsill and it was fine even though it was pretty much sun there. it sat in the same water for a long time. what is the temperature there? what season is it now for you? where do the windows face?
Try sticking them directly into the water after cutting, no drying out. Succulents are really the only ones I find that’s necessary to do with. Things like pothos don’t need to callous, and the longer they sit after cutting, the more they start to wilt.
You want to make sure to water your mother plant well a couple days before you take the cuttings and then start them right away so they’re nice and hydrated. Until they grow roots, they can’t absorb water normally, so you need to make sure they have enough stored to get through it.
Aside from that, clean your tools with alcohol. Only have the water just covering the nodes you’re trying to root. And give them light. I only change the water when it looks murky. Rarely have anything rot.
If water still doesn’t work for you, I highly recommend giving damp vermiculite a try. I find roots grow much quicker in it, and it’s easy to keep it the right amount of moist.