Gadenin日本語Get the appWithout a node, nothing happens
A monstera leaf on its own, however large, will never become a plant. Roots and shoots both come from the node, the swollen point on the stem where a leaf and usually an aerial root emerge. Every method below is a way of getting a node to root.
| What you want | Method | When |
|---|---|---|
| Cut back an overgrown plant and keep the top | Stem cutting | Late spring to midsummer |
| Watch the roots form | Rooting in water | Late spring to early autumn |
| Get several plants from an old stem | Laying the stem down | Late spring to midsummer |
| Divide a large plant without risk | Air layering | Early to late summer |
Below about 68F (20C) rooting stops, and the cut rots before it can callus. Do not attempt any of this in winter.
Choosing between the four methods
They differ mainly in how long they take and how much they disturb the parent plant.
| Method | What you use | Time to root | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stem cutting | A tip with one or two nodes | Three to five weeks | Propagating while you prune |
| Water rooting | A tip with one or two nodes | Two to four weeks | Seeing progress as it happens |
| Laying a stem down | Old stem with the leaves removed | Four to eight weeks | Getting numbers from one old stem |
| Air layering | An aerial root wrapped in moss, uncut | Six to ten weeks | Dividing a large plant safely |
Taking a stem cutting
Cut just below a node with clean pruners, so the node is at the bottom of the cutting. One or two nodes and one or two leaves is plenty: a cutting with several large leaves loses more water than its non-existent roots can supply.
Let the cut dry for an hour or two, then push it into a free draining mix with the node buried. Keep it warm, bright and out of direct sun, and keep the compost just damp rather than wet.
Rooting in water
The same cutting in a jar of water roots slightly faster and you can see it happening, which makes it the easiest method to judge. Change the water every few days and keep the leaf out of it.
Move it into compost once the roots are two to three inches (5 to 8 cm) long. Water roots are structurally different from soil roots, so a cutting left in water for months struggles when you finally pot it.
A cutting kept in water indefinitely stays alive but produces almost no new leaves. If the aim is a plant, pot it up early.
Laying an old stem down
An old, bare section of stem carrying several nodes can be cut into pieces, each with a node, and laid on damp compost with the node in contact. Each node produces roots and then a shoot.
It is the slowest method but it produces the most plants from one stem, and it is what to do with the leggy section you would otherwise throw away.
Air layering
Rather than cutting first, wrap damp sphagnum moss around a node and its aerial root, hold it with film, and keep it damp. Roots grow into the moss while the piece is still attached to and supported by the parent plant.
When there is a good ball of roots, cut below them and pot the new plant up. It takes longer than a cutting but it almost never fails, and the parent plant is never left with a piece that might not root.
Air layering keeps the parent's shape intact while you propagate. If you are not in a hurry, it is the most reliable method there is.
Why cuttings fail
There are only really four reasons. The piece had no node. It was taken when the room was too cold. It was left with too many large leaves, so it dried out. Or it was kept wet rather than damp and the cut rotted.
Check those four before concluding that the plant is difficult. Given a node, warmth, one or two leaves and damp rather than wet, a monstera roots readily.