How To Propagate Arrowhead Plant? (2 Ways+A Step-by-Step Guide)

Arrowhead plant or Syngonium is a tropical plant with beautiful spade-shaped leaves. One of the best features of arrowhead plants is that they are extremely easy to propagate. So if you want to know how you can propagate your arrowhead plant, you are at the right place.

You can propagate an arrowhead plant both in soil and in water. For that, you must take a healthy cutting of about 6-10 inches. Make the cutting right below a node as the roots grow from the node. Next, you must plant the cutting in soil or water and wait for the roots to appear.

After the roots appear, you can shift it to a bigger pot or keep growing it in water.

This article will explain the propagation steps, the best time for propagation, and why you need to propagate your arrowhead plant. So, keep reading.

When to propagate an arrowhead plant?

You can propagate your Syngonium for the following reasons:

Leggy plant: Noticing leggy growth on an arrowhead plant is not uncommon.

Arrowhead plants climb big trees in their natural habitat, and when you grow them indoors, they try to find objects that can help them climb.

This can make them leggy.

You can prune the leggy parts and use the healthy stems for propagation.

This will fix the leggy plant and allow you to use the cuttings for propagation.

You want new plants: If you love your arrowhead plant and want to get more of them, you can propagate instead of buying a new one.

It saves you money, and you get to experiment and improve your gardening skills.

You can propagate more than one plant at a time and gift them to your dear ones.

Your arrowhead is dying: If you have a sick Syngonium that is dying, you can give the plant one last chance by trying to propagate it.

A dying plant will not be healthy, but if you find a healthy stem, you can take the cutting from it and try propagating it while you discard the actual plant.

What is the best time to propagate an arrowhead plant?

Propagating an arrowhead plant during its growing season is the best time to do it.

Since all the cultural conditions will suit the plant, the cuttings will grow fast and grow into plants faster during the growing season.

Spring and summer seasons are the growing seasons for arrowhead plants.

So you can propagate it during these seasons to get successful results.

How to propagate the arrowhead plant?

ARROWHEAD PLANT PROPAGATION: 2 EASY WAYS TO PROPAGATE A SYNGONIUM

Before we discuss propagating your arrowhead plant, let’s check all the supplies you need for propagation.

Make sure you keep these tools near you before you start the propagation, so you don’t have to go about looking for the supplies.

• Sharp pruners or scissors
• Disinfectant
• Cotton balls
• Small pot
• Soil
• Glass jar and container for water propagation
• Water
• Chopsticks

Ways of propagating arrowhead plant

You can propagate your arrowhead plant through two methods.

• Soil propagation
• Water propagation 

You need to take a stem cutting from your mature arrowhead plant in both these methods.

Soil propagation of arrowhead plant

Before starting the propagation process, get your pruner or scissors and sterilize it with a cotton ball and a disinfectant.

Sterilize it again after using it to take the cutting.

Also, get a small pot and prepare a suitable soil mix that you will require in the propagation.

Step 1: Inspect your arrowhead plant and find the cutting

You need to take the cutting from a mature arrowhead plant.

Take a good look at the entire arrowhead plant and find one or more healthy stems that you would like to use for propagation.

Don’t opt for unhealthy or weak stems as they will not provide successful propagation.

You can do this when you are pruning your Syngonium.

Instead of throwing away the healthy stems that you pruned, you can propagate them to get new plants out of them.

Step 2: Take the cutting from your arrowhead plant

Now take the sterilized and sharp scissors or pruners and use them to take the cutting.

Don’t forget to sterilize the pruners to help avoid bacterial and fungal infections.

Make clean cuts while taking the cutting as roots won’t come out from a damaged or messy cut.

It will also affect the plant and cause issues to it.

Step 3: Plant the cutting in the soil

After taking the cuttings, plant them in the small pot and fresh soil mix you had prepared for the propagation.

But before that, take the chopsticks and make holes in the soil, which you can use for planting the arrowhead stems.

Step 4: Provide the ideal growing conditions for the cuttings.

Young cuttings require a lot of moisture, so you must maintain a humid environment around them.

You can mist the cuttings and then cover the pot with a plastic bag to keep them moist.

Next, you need to place the pot under bright and indirect light.

Water the cuttings whenever the soil goes dry, and don’t let the soil become compact.

But make sure you don’t overwater either.

Step 5: Let the cuttings grow roots.

The roots should come out after 4-5 weeks.

You might not notice the root growth every day, but you can take your Syngonium out after 4 weeks to check the roots.

Avoid taking the plant out too often, as that can cause damage to the roots.

You will notice leaves growing on the cutting, and once the plant grows big enough and the roots grow long, you can shift it to a bigger pot.

Water propagation of arrowhead plant

I think water propagation is easier than propagating your arrowhead plant in soil.

It requires less effort, and you can see the root growth if you use a glass jar.

Let’s check the steps of propagating an arrowhead plant in water.

Step 1: Choose a healthy stem with a node

Like the soil propagation method, you need to choose a healthy stem from a mature Syngonium.

The stem should have a leaf node as the roots will come out of it.

The stem doesn’t need too many leaves on it.

Leaving 2-3 leaves on the stem will be enough for successful propagation.

Step 2: Prune the stem

Take your pruner, sterilize it, and use it to take the cutting from your arrowhead plant.

Be sure to make a clean cut as you would for the stem while propagating in soil.

Step 3: Insert the stem cutting into water

After taking the cutting, take a glass jar and fill it with water.

You can also use any other container instead of a glass jar.

Now, insert the cutting into water and ensure that the node remains inside the water.

Step 4: Allow the roots to grow

Similar to soil propagation, the roots will take anywhere between 4-6 weeks to grow.

If you used a glass jar or container for propagation, you would be able to see the progress of the roots.

Keep the water clean and change it whenever you find it dirty.

You can also add 1-2 drops of liquid fertilizer to the water to boost the growth.

It might take more than 4-6 weeks to notice root growth, so you need to be a little patient.

Step 5: Transplant the young plant

After you notice the roots, allow them to grow a little longer.

Once they are long enough, take the plant out and transplant it in a pot with potting mix.

Or, you can let it grow in water.

Step 6: Take care of the young plant

After transplanting the young plant or letting it grow in water, you must watch its needs and surroundings.

You must provide enough light, water, temperature, and humidity to the young arrowhead plant.

Taking the right care of the plant will help it thrive.

Why is my arrowhead plant cutting not growing roots?

One common problem people face while propagating their arrowhead plants is that they don’t notice root growth.

You might have taken a healthy cutting and did everything right, but the problem might be lying in the care routine of these plants.

The cutting is probably not getting the ideal growing conditions.

Some common issues that restrict root growth are:

• Low light
• Wrong potting mix
• Lack of humidity

Cuttings require bright indirect light and a lot of humidity for successful propagation and proper root growth.

If you use the wrong potting mix, it might be holding too much water or draining water too fast.

Both these situations can affect root growth.

Taking care of a newly propagated arrowhead plant

Before you start the propagation and get a new arrowhead plant, you must understand the basic requirements of the plant.

If you can maintain suitable conditions and provide the right care, your Syngonium will thrive.

We have mentioned all the basic requirements to help you take care of the newly propagated arrowhead plant.

Factor	Care Requirements
Light	Arrowhead plants thrive in bright indirect light. You can keep it in moderate to bright light depending on the variety you have. A variegated variety will require brighter lighting conditions than a greener one. Therefore, find a spot where the young plant will receive bright indirect light and not be exposed to direct sunlight. Direct sunlight can be very harmful to the plant, so always keep it away from the sun’s intense rays. If your house doesn’t get enough natural light, you can use artificial lights.
Water	Depending on how fast the soil dries out, arrowhead plants might require watering 1-3 times a week. You must always check the soil and ensure that it is 50-75% dry before watering your Syngonium. Avoid following any watering schedule blindly, as that can affect the plant’s health. Never keep the plant thirsty for too long, as that will stunt its growth and cause other issues.
Soil	Syngonium requires a fertile and well-drained potting mix. You can create an ideal potting mix before transplanting your arrowhead plant by mixing: 1 part potting soil, 1 part peat moss, and 1 part orchid bark This mix will balance the soil’s drainage and retention capacity and make the soil nutrient-rich. Try to maintain a soil pH of 5.5 to 6.5.
Fertilizer	Arrowhead plants will benefit from being fed during their growing season. You can use a well-balanced all-purpose fertilizer with an NPK ratio of 10:10:10 or 20:20:20 for your Syngonium. I recommend diluting the dose, so there is no chance of overfertilization. You should also avoid fertilizing during the dormant season as the plant doesn’t require any fertilizer during that time as it remains dormant.
Temperature	Arrowhead plants prefer warm temperatures as they belong from the tropical and subtropical regions where they get warm conditions. The ideal temperature for the arrowhead plant ranges between 60-85°F. You should protect the plant from temperatures higher or lower than the ideal range.
Humidity	Arrowhead plants are used to high humidity in their natural habitat. Even if you can’t provide it as high humidity, you must provide humidity between 50-60%. You can use a humidifier or a pebble tray or group it with humidity-loving plants to raise the humidity levels around it.

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Reference: CABI, Britannica, United States Department of Agriculture, Wikipedia, Children’s Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service, Missouri Botanical Garden.

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