Multiplying your favorite plants by rooting cuttings in water is a rewarding and cost-effective process. However, some plant cuttings can take weeks to show any signs of life, and others simply rot before they ever grow a single root. While many people turn to synthetic rooting hormone powders from the store, you can achieve faster, stronger, and more reliable results using a completely natural, homemade method.
The secret lies in extracting natural rooting hormones from other plants and combining that liquid with a strict water-care routine.
The Power of Natural Rooting Hormones
The most powerful homemade rooting boosters come from two common plants: the Willow tree and the Pothos houseplant. Both of these plants contain exceptionally high levels of naturally occurring rooting hormones, specifically Indolebutyric acid. This acid is the exact chemical that tells a plant’s cells to stop growing leaves and start producing roots.
When you steep these specific plants in water, those natural hormones leach out into the liquid. When you place a fresh, unrooted cutting into that same water, it absorbs the hormones and begins developing a root system much faster than it would in plain tap water.
Choosing Your Rooting Booster
Depending on what you have access to in your home or neighborhood, you can choose one of these two options to create your hormone-rich rooting water:
The Willow Method: Willow trees grow rapidly because their branches are packed with rooting hormones. They also contain high amounts of salicylic acid, a natural compound that protects against bacteria, fungus, and rot.
The Pothos Method: If you do not have willow trees nearby, the common Pothos houseplant is an excellent indoor alternative. Pothos cuttings root rapidly in water and constantly release their natural hormones into the jar, helping any other plant sharing that water to root alongside them.
How to Make and Use the Homemade Rooting Water
Here is the exact step-by-step process to create your rooting liquid and prepare your plant cuttings for the best chance of success.
Making the Rooting Liquid:
Gather the material: Collect about two cups of young, flexible willow twigs. Look for the green or yellow branches, not the old, hard brown wood. If using Pothos, take two healthy vine cuttings from an existing plant.
Chop them up: Cut the willow twigs into small, one-inch pieces to expose the inner bark. If using Pothos, cut the vine so you have a few individual leaves, making sure each piece has a node (the small bump on the stem where roots grow).
Brew the water: If using willow, place the chopped twigs in a heat-safe jar and cover them entirely with boiling water. Let the mixture sit out of direct sunlight for 24 to 48 hours to steep. If using Pothos, simply place the fresh cuttings in a jar of room-temperature tap water and leave them for a few days so the hormones begin to release.
Strain and store: For the willow mixture, strain out the solid twigs and keep the yellowish liquid. You can store this liquid in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to two months.
Preparing Your Plant Cutting:
Cut at the right spot: Take a cutting from the plant you want to multiply. Make a clean cut just below a node. Roots will almost always emerge directly from this joint.
Remove lower leaves: Strip away any leaves on the bottom half of your cutting. If leaves sit submerged under the water, they will quickly rot and introduce harmful bacteria to your rooting jar.
