How to Propagate Philodendron by Stem Cuttings
You can root philodendron stem cuttings in either a small container of potting soil or a cup of water. To make a cutting, use a clean, sharp knife or garden snips ($14, The Home Depot) to remove a piece of stem about 3 to 6 inches long. It’s best to make your cut just above another leaf on the stem. This allows the rest of your plant to neatly produce more shoots and leaves from that point, and your cut stem will also have plenty of room for forming new roots. Next, snip or gently break off all of the leaves from the cutting except the top three or four. Put the bare stem into the cup of water or moist potting soil, and firm the soil around the stem to hold it in place. Make sure that none of the leaves are buried or submerged. If they are, perch the cutting a little higher or remove another leaf. Place your container in bright, indirect sunlight near a window and keep the soil moist or the cup of water topped up. In two or three weeks, roots will appear, followed by new leaves. In water, the roots will be easy to see. It’s possible to grow trailing philodendron in just water indefinitely, but the plants won’t reach their full size. If you’d prefer to pot your rooted cutting, wait until the roots are about an inch long before moving the cutting into a container that’s about 3-4 inches wide and filled with fresh potting soil. Keep your newly potted philodendron well-watered to help it adapt to its new home. When rooting philodendron cuttings in potting soil ($12, Walmart), after a couple of weeks, give the stem a gentle tug; if you feel resistance, you’ll know that roots have formed. If not, let it be for another week, making sure to keep the soil moist. If your mother plant is large enough, take three to five cuttings at one time and let all of them root in the same container. Then when you plant them, you’ll have a pot that looks full and lush without having to wait for just a single cutting to branch out.
