How to Fix Leggy Vines
Have you ever had a vining plant with long, trailing vines, and only a few leaves at the end? This is what we call a leggy vine. Stressors like drought and improper lighting can lead to the loss of lower leaves, leaving you with a stringy looking plant. Do not fret! Here are some tips to help your leggy vine grow bushy again, giving it stronger legs to stand on!
Causes
A plant is said to be “leggy” when there are large portions of stem without any leaves. When plants are growing, the area between leaves (internodes) can elongate as the plants are searching for light. The official term for legginess is called etiolation and is often a sign that your plant needs more light. If you have ever seen a succulent that has large spaces in between its leaves and is twisting toward a window, it is a perfect example of etiolation and legginess.
Not all legginess is caused by improper light. Many plants will drop their lowest leaves in response to drought stress as the plant tries to reallocate its resources to the growing portion of the plant. Pests can be another cause of legginess, feeding on portions of your plant until you realize, perhaps too late, that you are losing leaves.
Because of the way plants grow, once a vine has lost its lower leaves, it is unlikely to produce more leaves mid vine. Plants grow from the ends of branches and vines because that is where the primary meristem tissue is. When you remove the end of a branch or vine, you are telling the plant to redirect its energy back into the lower portions of the plant, creating new growth and branches, making the plant bushy again. Trimming leggy vines and redirecting that energy, while also creating more baby plants via rooted cuttings, is how we can solve the leggy vine problem!
Trimming
Pothos is an example of a vining plant that tends to become leggy when mistreated. While typically forgiving, if you forget to water Pothos a few times, its lower leaves may turn soft and yellow, eventually falling off and leaving you with a bare vine and only a handful of leaves at the end. If you are willing to sacrifice the length of your vine for its overall health, it is an easy fix! Remember to keep larger pruning projects like this for the Spring or Summer to allow your plant plenty of time to recover during its growing season.
First, gather your supplies. You will need:
Sterile scissors - it is important to sterilize your cutting tools with rubbing alcohol or a bleach solution to prevent the spread of diseases to your plants.
A jar or your favorite propagation container filled with clean water.
A leggy vine*
Fertilizer - be sure to choose the right type of fertilizer for your plant and follow instructions on the bottle!
Next, you will want to determine which vines you will be trimming. When you trim away vines, the mother plant will put its energy into new growth around the base of the plant. If there will be no leaves remaining in the pot after cutting off the vines, it will be more difficult for the mother plant to regrow, so you may have to start fresh with your new cuttings.
After you remove the long vines, you can cut them into smaller pieces and place them in water to get them to root. In plants like Pothos and Philodendron, you can actually see where the cuttings will grow roots. The small nodules right under the leaves are baby roots, and once submerged in water, they will grow! Ideally, you will want a few leaves on each cutting to help it gain energy to produce roots. You can create as many cuttings as you desire.
Once your cuttings produce a handful of long, strong roots, you can either plant them in their own pot or return them to the pot with the mother plant, filling out the pot and making a bushier plant. Be sure to water your cuttings into their new soil. Remember that you may have to be extra diligent about watering your cuttings until they have fully rooted into their new home.
Fertilizing your mother plant after you remove the leggy vines will give her a boost to help her produce new, healthy growth. You can also fertilize your newly potted cuttings, encouraging them to fill out their pot.
*A note about propagating vines: certain vines are much easier to propagate in water than others. For example, Pothos and vining varieties of Philodendron and Monstera will easily root in water alone. Other plants like ivies, however, typically need to be dipped in rooting hormone to form roots.