Houseplant hacks: can pothos help new cuttings to root?

The problem Propagation can provide never-ending plants, but sometimes you have to wait weeks for something to happen. Anything that speeds up those reluctant rooters is worth knowing about, especially if it’s free. The hack According to a popular plant hack, placing a pothos in the same water as other cuttings encourages them to root faster. This is often attributed to pothos releasing auxins – the plant hormones involved in root development – into the shared water. The method Take a healthy pothos cutting with a node or two and stand it in the same water as the cuttings you are trying to root. Keep it in bright, indirect sunlight, change the water regularly and wait. The test I have done this many times, and cuttings do seem to root faster in a jar of water shared with pothos cuttings than those propagated alone. The verdict No scientific studies prove auxins can be shared through water, and to another plant. There is good reason for doubting this theory: even commercial rooting hormones are considered near-useless in water as they break down quickly. My cuttings root well alongside pothos, and yours may too, but most cuttings root readily in good conditions anyway. So, by all means try it. It certainly does no harm; it might help a little, and at least you will get a free pothos out of it.