SHOULD I ADD FERTILIZER TO NEW CUTTINGS? HYDROPONICS

[LadySamsara]

Greetings - I have kept pothos cuttings in water for many years and just now found out I should have been using fertilizer in the water. Please don't call the plant police! I have 2 quick questions:

Should I use the fertilizer (I just purchased MARPHYL Organic Liquid Hydroponics Fertilizer) for the new cuttings I just took? Not sure if using will damage them.

I want to thin out the existing pothos cuttings and prepare a new container. Can I cut the roots back to separate them? Should I trim the roots to get rid of the huge amounts I have? And lastly, if I do cut roots, should I add fertilizer right away or wait?

I have lots of research to do on hydroponics so I am more successful this time around. I can feel the dirty looks from the pothos that no longer have leaves on them

[pepperhead212]

Welcome to the forum!

I'm surprised that those cuttings grew that many roots w/o any nutrients, though cuttings are incredibly vigorous, as those are. You definitely need to get a larger container(s), for whatever those are. What are they, first of all (I don't recognize them), and are they something grown for the leaves or a fruiting plant? When I root things in small amounts of water, I add a little fertilizer, and change it every few days, and when they root, they go in the ground outside, or in the larger DW system inside.

[imafan26]

I am not surprised, pothos doesn't need a lot of nutrients. It looks like an old plant. If the vine isn't totally shriveled, you can take a cutting and start a new plant. If you want to keep this one, the container is too small. The water looks like it was never changed. You can add very dilute water soluble fertilizer to the water.

[LadySamsara]

Thank you pepperhead212 & mafan26! Yes they are pothos. I kept cutting them from my hanging ones and putting them in water. The container got pushed behind something and forgotten about. I agree that it's awful.

What size & type of container would you recommend? It was on a tall kitchen stand (pic). I don't know how big of a container I would be able to lift down to change the water. I have a few vases there with cuttings in as well, could I add some vases and evenly distribute the cuttings?

You both saved me! TY!

[pepperhead212]

That's why I didn't know that - it's not edible!

Good luck with it!

[imafan26]

You could take the plant out and see if it is divisible. If not you can trim back the roots by a third to give it more room and keep it in the same bottle with new water and some dilute water soluble fertilizer. I would also trim back the vine if you trim the roots since some leaves have already fallen off, it may help to stimulate new growth. You can make more cuttings from the parts you cut off. Frankly, pothos gets so long, that I usually just keep the tip cutting and toss the rest. I don't need it to take over. It loses leaves on the back end of the stem and cutting it back makes it look less bare. In the ground pathos can get quite large with the leaves approaching a foot across.

[LadySamsara]

This really is the Friendly Gardener Thank you both for the valuable information - It is much appreciated!!

[LadySamsara]

imafan26 - I just noticed your location - I hope you and yours are all safe.

[imafan26]

Thank you for your concern, but most of Hawaii is fine. Many people are affected because many people here will have family and friends on all islands.
This is fire season, so almost all of the islands have brush fires, especially since all the islands are in moderate to severe drought. Most of the fires are not impacting homes and most of the time, the firefighters along with their military and private partners (construction companies), do a good job of keeping fires under control. The East side of Maui was unaffected and actually needs tourists to return because it is the main economic driver of all of the island's since the decline of the plantations.

This is also Hurricane season, Hurricane Irwin will break up before it gets here as a remnant, but that will also increase the winds ( 45 mph) in very dry conditions. September and October are going to be the worse months for hurricanes as the water will be warmer and the Pacific High moves away from us so we get less protection from it. At this time of the year the Atlantic and Pacific hurricanes ramp up often with multiple storms following each other along similar tracks.

Florida now, cannot avoid the hurricane. They do have experience with hurricanes and they know what they can and cannot do to protect themselves. They will get significant damage from a cat 3 hurricane. What is worse is that the peak of the storm will be coming at night. Although the center of the storm won't hit till early Wednesday morning, most of the wind, rain, and storm surge initially will come during the night. Pray for them.

[LadySamsara]

imafan26 - I am so glad to hear that your area was not affected. I spent my 21st birthday on Maui, Kaanapali Beach (in search of the elusive Maui Wowie I was so touched and amazed by the beauty of Hawaii and her people. Unbelievably cool vibes and energy. I will continue to keep everyone affected by the wildfires in my prayers and also the residents of FL., where many of my friends live.