by Evin Morrison, Extension Master Gardener
Photos © Evin Morrison
Help! My plant is all stem and only has leaves at the top.
There are a few things to untangle here and not just the stems of your plant. First, we want to figure out why your plant has ended up in this situation so you can remedy the problem and not end up right back here in a few months.
Factors that commonly lead to unsightly plants are too little water and not enough light. Plants will often stretch to the light if they aren’t in bright enough areas. This leads to what’s called a leggy plant, and it happens quite often with succulents in low light conditions and with vining plants that aren’t getting enough sunshine. The plant will stretch its stems to get the leaves as close to the light source as possible, leaving you with a plant with an out-of-whack stem/leaf ratio. Plants are good at conserving the energy they need to survive. If a plant isn’t getting enough light to fuel photosynthesis and support itself, it isn’t going to continue to produce more leaves until light conditions improve.
As for watering, again this is usually a product of the plant trying to protect itself from harsh living conditions. Plants that get too dry will start dropping leaves to conserve the water it does have. The plant needs much more water to sustain leaves than it does the stem, so the bottom leaves will start to die and fall off, leaving the healthier, newer leaves at the top to sustain photosynthesis. So, step back and look at your plant. Does it need more light? Maybe it needs to be watered more often? Either way, let’s fix it now so you go back to having a prettier, fuller plant.
You’ll need a pair of sharp scissors or shears, a chopstick or pencil, and some orchid bark for this project. First, we need to identify the nodes of the stem. These are the raised areas where the leaves once were attached. On our example, this philodendron will produce new roots from where the leaves used to be.
Now the scary part—it’s time to cut. Technically, each node will be able to produce new roots and could in time turn into a whole new plant, but for now we want to replant our cuttings into the same pot. So, with that goal in mind, cut long sections that include multiple nodes. That way these new pieces not only have a better chance to produce roots, but if multiple nodes do produce roots then the new stem will have a much stronger anchor in the soil.
Next, you have two options. You can unpot the whole plant and replant it with your new pieces buried in the soil, or you can use your chopstick or pencil to create a hole that the new stem can go into. You want to make sure that multiple nodes are buried and that they are in contact with the soil. Remember that there’s nothing currently holding the new stem in place, so you want to make sure that it is secure enough not to topple out of the planter. If you have any leftover pieces that you don’t want to add back in, pop those in a container of water and propagate them that way.
Now for the orchid bark. This is very similar to mulching your flower beds outside. Adding a layer that will retain extra moisture is going to help the success of your unrooted cuttings. For the next few weeks, it will be crucial to keep the plant on the moister side, but not drenching wet. The moisture will encourage the new roots to grow.
In a few months, these new pieces should start producing more leaves and by the end of the season, with better care than before, your straggly plant will have transformed into a full and healthy one.
Help! I propagated my plant in water, and it has so many roots, but what now?
It’s so fun to create new plants from the ones that are already in your collection, but what’s the right time to move them from their propagation vessel into a planter with soil? The good news is that if you are seeing roots on the plant, then it’s ready to go to a new home. There are some tricks, though, to ensure that the transition goes smoothly.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that the roots you see now are adapted to existing in water and only in water. Moving them into soil will require a bit of a transition period, so it will be important to keep an eye on your plant for the next few weeks. Imagine you’ve been living on the blandest of diets for the last few months, and then suddenly for dinner you’re served a super spicy curry. Your system won’t be ready to handle the change without some supplemental aids.
The type of soil you use is critical. You’ll need fresh soil that has plenty of nutrients for the new roots to grow. You’ll also want soil that holds moisture well but doesn’t stay sodden. These new tender roots aren’t quite ready for synthetic fertilizer, so hold off on that for a few weeks to avoid burning them. Remember the plant has only grown in water, so it will need to continue to have a fairly wet home while the roots readapt to pulling nutrients from the soil rather than just using the oxygen they were able to pull from the water. Of course, these tender roots are prone to rotting, so that’s why it’s necessary to maintain moist and airy soil, not dripping wet and compact.
First, let’s prepare the plant to be potted. Remove it from the water and rinse the roots with fresh, room temperature water from the tap. Make sure to remove any rotted, squishy, or brown parts. The roots should be a white, .creamy, or even slightly green color, and they should be firm. Introducing any part into the soil that is starting to rot can lead to a failed transplant.
Next, prepare your soil. A blend of cactus soil, perlite, horticultural charcoal, orchid bark, and worm castings is a good combination for most tropical houseplants. If you are transplanting a plant that prefers drier conditions, just stick to a cactus soil blend with additional perlite and horticultural charcoal mixed in. The addition of the charcoal helps with rot, as it has natural antimicrobial properties.
You can now pot your plant as you would any other! Once it’s in place, tap the sides of the pot firmly to help the soil settle into the gaps. Try to avoid firming the plant by pushing too hard from the top as you would with an established plant. Your new propagation may have a lot of water roots, but we want to avoid breaking any of them off during this process. It will need as many roots as possible to transition into soil. Plus, broken roots will eventually rot in the soil, potentially harming your plant.