Syngonium plants have arrow-shaped leaves and appreciated for its easy care, they are simple yet elegant and versatile houseplant to have in your home. Great for people just getting started with indoor plants, but also sought by those with more experience. The plant is also known as the arrowhead plant or Nephthytis and is part of the scientific family Araceae. A plus point from this plant is that not only are they decorative, but they also have the ability to cleanse the air in your house and act as anti-pollutants.
As mentioned before, they are also easy to care for! In fact, the plants are rarely bothered by pests and doesn't seem to mind if you give less attention once in a while. These plants do not require direct sunlight to thrive as they are naturally shaded by taller trees and other foliage. In addition, propagating a syngonium is easy peasy! Propagating can be done with the typical soil method, but did you know they are one of the plants that can also be propagated in water?
Keep reading to learn how to take a cutting from your arrowhead plant to propagate in water
These plants are vining, so regular pruning is required to keep them looking attractive, healthy and bushy. Aside from being sparse, arrowhead plants have a tendency to flop, which means their leaves can become so heavy that the stems droop.
Fortunately, all you have to do is prune your plants two or three times a year. You can pinch off new growth or lower leaves as needed. Also, when you are tending to re-energize them, it is also the ideal time to propagate them from stem cuttings! Besides, we wouldn’t want to waste these clippings right?
The first step is to prepare stem cuttings from a healthy syngoniut plant to propagate the arrowhead plant in water. To take an arrowhead plant cutting, just use a clean knife or shears to cut as many stem cuttings as you’d like. Just make sure they have a few nodes and ideally some leaves each. Nodes are a set of two small protruding bumps (one on each side of the stem). Note that the cut should be made just a few centimeters below the nodes, as this is where the new roots will emerge. Here are the steps we have summarized for you.
- Find a healthy stem and snip off several cuttings just below the node.
- The size of the cuttings will depend on the size of your vase or container.
- Remove the bottom leaves from the stem cuttings.
- Plant the cuttings in a large glass jar or a vase filled with non-chlorinated water.
- Water level in the vase must not be too high that it starts touching the leaves.
- Position the cuttings so that they remain upright, and at least 2-3 nodes submerge in water.
Once or twice a week, it is recommended to change the water. If there is any algae growth, it is better to clean the container. Once you follow these steps and wait, you can see results in 7-14 days. The new plant can be kept forever in the water or you may transplant them into soil.
Ta-da! Now you have some new arrowhead plants. But the next concern is: how do I take care of an arrowhead plant in water? Since the majority is more familiar with taking care of plants in soil. Here are some general care tips on arrowhead plant care.
Location and Sunlight
Place your jar that is filled with your new syngoniums where it can get bright, indirect sunlight and warmth. Greener varieties can tolerate lower light levels, however the variegated ones will need brighter light. If you deprive the plant of light, it may grow leggy and weak due to the lack of good lighting. We recommend you to consider rotating your syngonium in order to encourage consistent growth on all sides.
Avoid exposing syngonium plants to direct sunlight because arrowhead plants cannot survive bright sunshine and their leaves will be burned. This arrowhead plant actually thrives well in a shady environment.
Watering
Since water is the main medium, you will need to often change the water of the jar in which your arrowhead plant is growing. Ideally it is recommended to change the water every 4-7 days to keep the plant fresh and thriving. However, if you notice a color change of the water then it is better to change it as soon as possible. Color change happens due to the fact that arrowhead plants grow aerial roots, which are roots that grow on the above-ground parts of a plant or roots that grow in air.
Also, avoid using water that is too hot or cold, since this might harm any syngonium plants. Consider choosing distilled water or rainwater that does not contain harmful minerals for the plant. We also recommend using a transparent glass jar. In this way, you can keep an eye on the water level, color and overall root development of the plant.
Fertilizer
For those who have a fish aquarium at home, use its water to give extra nutrition for your arrowhead plant. When it is time to change the water of the jar, mix ⅓ of aquarium water in your regular freshwater and fill up your jar with it. The plant will become lush and green as a result of using this mixture.
If you do not have a fish aquarium, do not worry, because a balanced liquid fertilizer is also possible. Use the liquid fertilizer once in 1 or 2 months to encourage healthier growth.