Devil’s Ivy is a versatile plant that can be propagated through several methods, each with its own advantages and difficulties. Below are the three most commonly used ways of propagating this plant
Stem Cuttings
As an horticulturalist and arborist, I can confirm that stem cuttings are indeed one of the most common methods of propagating Devil’s ivy. Taking a stem cutting from a healthy plant and rooting it in water or soil is a simple and effective way to grow new plants. It’s essential to choose a healthy plant to take the cutting from, and ideally, it should be done during the active growing season in the spring or summer.
The cutting should be about 4-6 inches long and have several leaves attached. This will provide enough plant material to develop new roots and leaves, and ensure the new plant can thrive. It’s important to ensure that the cutting is placed in well-draining soil or water, and given proper care and attention until it becomes established. With proper care and patience, stem cuttings can quickly grow into beautiful and healthy Devil’s ivy plants.
These are rooted stem cuttings from our Epipremnum Aureum, Golden Pothos. The process took 6 months, and they have developed healthy roots. Now we can plant them in soil.
Water Propagation
Water propagation is a good option for beginners, as it is low maintenance and allows for observation of the rooting process. To propagate in water, simply place the stem cutting in a jar filled with water and wait for roots to develop before planting in soil.
I propagated Golden Pothos from stem cuttings 6 months ago. As you can see its thriving on the window shell but not on a direct sunlight.
Soil Propagation
Soil propagation involves planting the stem cutting directly in soil. It requires attention to the potting mix and careful watering and fertilization while the plant establishes roots.
Whichever method of propagation you choose, proper care of the new plant is crucial to ensure healthy growth. Regular watering, fertilization, and pruning as necessary will help your devil’s ivy thrive.
Tips for Success
While propagating a devil’s ivy plant can be a rewarding and enjoyable experience, it’s important to follow the right steps and care for your new plant properly to ensure that it develops into a healthy, thriving plant. Here are some tips for success to keep in mind when propagating a devil’s ivy plant:
Choosing the Right Plant
Selecting the right plant for propagation is crucial to ensure the success of the process. A healthy, well-established plant with no signs of disease or pest infestation should be chosen. It is important to inspect the plant thoroughly and select stems or branches that are healthy and free of damage.
Ideal Conditions
For successful propagation, the ideal conditions for devil’s ivy should be maintained. This plant thrives in bright, indirect light and moderate temperatures ranging from 65-85°F. High humidity levels are also preferred, so it is essential to provide sufficient moisture and humidity during the propagation process. In addition, it is important to avoid exposing the newly propagated plant to direct sunlight and drafts until it has fully established. By maintaining the ideal conditions and selecting a healthy plant for propagation, you can ensure the success of your devil’s ivy plant collection.
Our Devil’s Ivy is placed on a wall 4 feet from the window. It grows healthy.
Caring for the Plant
Proper care to your devil’s ivy plant is crucial to help it grow healthy and thrive. Once your newly propagated plant has developed roots, it’s important to maintain proper care. Water the plant regularly, but avoid over-watering by allowing the soil to dry out slightly between waterings. Fertilize the plant every two to three months with a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer to ensure it gets the necessary nutrients for growth.
As the plant grows, it may outgrow its container and require repotting into a larger one to accommodate its expanding root system. When repotting, choose a pot that is one or two sizes larger than the current one and ensure that it has good drainage to prevent waterlogging.
Additionally, devil’s ivy is a vining plant, so it may benefit from support or training to grow in a specific direction. This can be done by using a stake or trellis for the plant to climb on.
By providing your devil’s ivy plant with proper care, you can enjoy a healthy and thriving plant that will beautify your home for many years.
Benefits of Propagating a Devil’s Ivy Plant
Propagating a devil’s ivy plant offers a variety of benefits, both practical and aesthetic. Here are some of the benefits of propagating a devil’s ivy plant:
Expanding Your Plant Collection
Propagating a devil’s ivy plant is an easy and cost-effective way to expand your plant collection. Once you’ve successfully propagated a plant, you can continue to propagate new plants from that plant, allowing you to create a whole collection of devil’s ivy plants. This can be a fun and rewarding experience, as you get to witness the growth and development of your plants over time. It’s important to note that while devil’s ivy is a relatively easy plant to propagate, it’s still important to follow the appropriate steps and care for your plants properly to ensure their success.
Sharing Your Plants with Others
It’s important to remember to share only healthy plants that have been well-cared for and are free from pests and disease. Before sharing or trading your propagated plants, make sure to inspect them thoroughly to ensure that they are in good condition. Sharing your plants with others can also help to reduce the environmental impact of plant production and shipping, as more people can grow their own plants from your propagated cuttings instead of buying new plants that have been shipped from far away.
Improving Indoor Air Quality
Propagating devil’s ivy plants can be a beneficial way to improve the air quality in your home. Research has shown that devil’s ivy reduced air levels of benzene and trichloroethylene inside a Plexiglas chamber measuring 0.58 cubic yard from approximately 36 ppm to barely detectable levels within 2 hours. This means it can help remove pollutants such as formaldehyde, benzene, and xylene from indoor air, meaning you can use Devil’s Ivy to improve indoor air quality.
By propagating and adding more devil’s ivy plants to your home, you can increase the air-purifying effects and create a healthier living space for you and your family. Additionally, devil’s ivy is a low-maintenance plant that can thrive in a variety of indoor environments, making it an ideal choice for those who want to improve their indoor air quality without a lot of effort.
Creating a Beautiful Home Environment
As a person who loves plants, I can attest that propagating a devil’s ivy plant is not only a great way to enjoy the many benefits of plant ownership but also an opportunity to create a beautiful home environment. Devil’s ivy is a stunning, vibrant plant that adds a touch of lush greenery and life to any living space, making it more inviting and relaxing.
Just look how awesome it looks when its placed on a wall.
Moreover, devil’s ivy has been shown to be an effective air-purifying plant, which helps remove pollutants from indoor air. By propagating new plants and placing them strategically around your home, you can improve the air quality of your living space while enjoying the beauty of this plant.
In conclusion, taking the time to propagate a devil’s ivy plant is an easy and cost-effective way to create a beautiful, inviting, and healthy living environment that you and your loved ones can enjoy for years to come.
Are you tired of breathing in toxic air and feeling like you’re suffocating in your own home? Don’t worry, I’ve got a solution for you! Introducing: plants. These green, leafy friends not only add a pop of color to your living space, but they also help filter out pollutants and toxins from the air. And let me tell you, devil’s ivy (also known as pothos or Epipremnum aureum) is a personal favorite of mine when it comes to improving indoor air quality.
Meet Wall-3, my trio of pothos plants that are strategically placed on my wall to create a green oasis. With the perfect amount of light and ample ventilation, these plants are able to thrive and help clean the air in my home office.
In this blog post, we’ll dive into the many benefits of using devil’s ivy to improve indoor air quality, how it works its magic, and some tips on how to care for and incorporate this versatile plant into your home. Trust me, your lungs (and your Instagram followers) will thank you.
What is devil’s ivy and how does it improve air quality?
Meet the plant that’s taking the world (or at least, the plant-loving community) by storm: devil’s ivy, also known as pothos, Ceylon creeper, Hunter’s robe, Ivy arum, Solomon Islands ivy, Taro vine, and (its scientific name) Epipremnum aureum. Native to Southeast Asia and the South Pacific, this popular houseplant is known for its attractive, heart-shaped leaves that come in a variety of shades, from green to yellow to white.
And let me tell you, there’s no shortage of pothos varieties to choose from. My personal favorite is the Golden Pothos, but there’s also the Marble Queen Pothos, Jessenia Pothos, Manjula Pothos, and Pearls and Jade Pothos, to name a few. With so many options, you’re sure to find a Pothos that matches your personal style (or at least, your plant aesthetic).
But aside from being a pretty face, devil’s ivy is also a champion at improving indoor air quality. So not only will it add some greenery to your space, it’ll also help keep the air clean and fresh. It’s a win-win situation!”
How does Devil’s Ivy (Epipremnum Aureum) remove toxins from your home?
Did you know that your beloved Devil’s Ivy (also known as pothos or Epipremnum Aureum) is a natural toxin-fighting superhero? It’s true! This plant uses a process called phytoremediation to absorb and break down harmful substances from the air, soil, or water through its leaves, roots, and microorganisms in the soil. In other words, it helps clean up contaminated environments, like the air in your home.
Pothos is particularly effective at removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like formaldehyde, xylene, and benzene, which are often found in household products and paints. These chemicals can have negative impacts on human health if inhaled over a long period of time, so it’s important to reduce their presence in our indoor environments.
When these toxic molecules are floating around in the air, the pothos plant absorbs them through tiny openings in its leaves called stomata. The leaves then convert the toxins into a food that the plant can use for energy, all while “cleaning” the air in the process. It’s like the plant is saying, “Hey, I’ll take those toxins off your hands and turn them into something useful. No problem!”
In addition to its toxin-fighting abilities, Devil’s Ivy is also a natural humidifier. It releases moisture into the air through the process of transpiration, which can be especially beneficial in dry environments where the air can become dry and stagnant. So not only is it cleaning the air, it’s also keeping things nice and humid. Talk about a multitasking marvel!
All in all, Devil’s Ivy is a great natural way to improve indoor air quality and reduce the levels of harmful chemicals in our homes and offices. It’s like having a personal, green-thumbed bodyguard for your health.
Improving the Air Quality in our office with my green wall of Devil’s Ivy (Photos) in combination with Snake Plants, Spider Plants and Mi Air Purifier.
How to care for a Devil’s ivy plant so it can improve the air quality more effectively
Good news, plant parents! Caring for a Devil’s Ivy plant is a breeze, whether you’re a beginner or a green thumb pro. Just follow these basic care tips and your plant will be purifying the air in no time:
Water:
While Devil’s Ivies are pretty drought-tolerant, they still need to be watered when the soil feels dry to the touch. Make sure to water your plant thoroughly and allow the excess water to drain out of the pot. This is important to prevent root rot! If you notice the leaves getting soft or yellow, it’s time to water your plant. And remember, a well-watered Devil’s Ivy makes for an even better natural humidifier, improving the air quality around it. Fun fact: you might even spot water droplets on the tips of the leaves!
Sunlight:
Wall-3 (aka my 3 Pothos plants) don’t like direct sunlight as it can turn their leaves yellow or even burn them. Instead, they prefer bright but indirect sunlight. While they can tolerate low light levels, they’ll thrive and produce more vibrant leaves in moderate to bright indirect light. And don’t worry, even without direct sunlight, your Devil’s Ivy will still be able to photosynthesize, converting any available light source into chemical energy and producing more oxygen for better air quality. Another fun fact: Pothos leaves will always turn towards the light!
Fertilizing:
You might not need to fertilize your Devil’s Ivy if you repot it often, but it will benefit from fertilization during the growing season in spring and summer. Use a balanced liquid fertilizer at half strength every three weeks, and a granulated fertilizer once in spring and late summer. In the fall and winter, reduce the frequency of fertilizing to once every two months. Fertilizing helps give your plant strength and makes the air purifying process (called phytoremediation) more effective.
Propagation:
Want more Pothos plants? No need to buy more – just propagate them from stem cuttings! It’s a simple three-step process: cut a stem with at least a few leaves, remove the leaves closest to the cut, and place the stem in a jar of water until roots form. Then, transfer it to average soil with good drainage.
By following these basic care tips, you’ll be able to enjoy the beauty and air-purifying benefits of a healthy Devil’s Ivy plant in your home.
Tips for strategically incorporating devil’s ivy into your home for better air quality.
I placed my Wall-3, the three Devil’s Ivy plants on an distanced shelf from wall for extra phytoremediation. Stems grow from front and behind the shelf, allowing for better air purification
Now that you’re a pro at taking care of your Epipremnum Aureum, it’s time to get strategic with its placement in your home. After all, you want it to be as effective as possible at producing oxygen and filtering the air.
Displaying the plant:
As a trailing vine, devil’s ivy is perfect for hanging baskets. You can also place it on indoor stairs or terraces, but be sure to keep its growth in check. Or, if you have a bare wall or empty shelf, why not create a living wall like I did? I had an empty wall with the perfect amount of sunlight, so I placed a shelf a few inches away from the wall (for double the purifying effect) and placed my three pothos plants on it. I like to call them Wall-3.
Choosing the right location:
When selecting a spot for your devil’s ivy, be sure to consider the amount of light it will receive. It prefers bright but indirect sunlight, so a nearby window is the ideal location.
What plants go well with devil’s ivy:
If you want to take your air purification to the next level, consider pairing your devil’s ivy with other air-purifying plants such as snake plants, spider plants, and peace lilies. They all require the same amount of sunlight, moisture, and humidity, and you can water and fertilize them at the same time.
By following these tips and using a little bit of creativity, you can easily incorporate devil’s ivy into your home and enjoy the air-improving benefits it has to offer
Devils ivy in combination with Spider Plants
Conclusion
In conclusion, devil’s ivy is a versatile and effective plant for improving indoor air quality. Not only does it look beautiful with its heart-shaped leaves in a variety of shades, it also uses phytoremediation to absorb and break down harmful substances from the air, soil, or water. It is particularly effective at removing volatile organic compounds like formaldehyde, xylene, and benzene, and it can also act as a natural humidifier by releasing moisture into the air through transpiration.
To get the most out of your devil’s ivy’s air-purifying abilities, be sure to place it in a location with bright but indirect sunlight and water it regularly. You can also pair it with other air-purifying plants like snake plants, spider plants, and peace lilies for even more clean air. And with a little bit of TLC, your devil’s ivy will thrive and keep your home’s air fresh and clean. So go ahead and bring some greenery into your life – your lungs will thank you.
Plants remove pollutants from Air by trapping them in their leaves. But also in the Soil and roots.
The Study also tells us which Houseplants are the best Air Cleaners.
However,
It was designed to test air purification for the space station.
Check out this short explainer video made by Quartz.
Plants Also Produce Oxygen. Which means if you live in a very polluted city, and can’t open a window often to get some fresh air. Plants should be your choice.
Unfortunately
You gonna need plenty of Plants to make a big impact.
Bottom Line:
Any amount of Oxygen, Humidity and other Benefits from plants(increased productivity) are welcomed.
Air Purifier
The Air Cleaner can purify the Air faster,
It can be more effective for some unwanted contaminants.
but
They require electricity and can be expensive.
Keep in mind that you need to change their filters 1-2 times a year. Which add to the cost. However, they can help you faster if you have allergies.
How do Air Purifiers Clean the Air?
It all leads down to three steps:
Step One: The Polluted Air goes in the Air Purifier by using some kind of ventilation system.
Step Two: The Air Purifier Cleans the Air Through filters like HEPA, or other types of filters
Step Three: Filtered Air goes back to the Room.
Have a Look at the Purifying Process and effectiveness of an Air purifier.
As you can see in the video the Air Purifier cleans the Polluted Air at a very fast rate.
However
It all depends on the Air Purifier that you have, and its Clean Air Delivery Rating.
Plants and Air Purifier.
The Air Purifier Vs Plants Alternative.
This may be the smartest choice for improving indoor air quality.
I cannot stress enough how much better is this combination for a person like me with allergies.
Yup, the Air purifier alone helps with symptoms relief.
but,
The plants weren’t so much effective at cleaning the air. But they humidify it and produce oxygen.
Bottom line:
If you live in a polluted city, use Plants and Air purifier in combination.
Because they supplement each other.
Conclusion:
You may have your own reasons for choosing either an Air Purifier or plants for your home or office.
The Air Purifier needs less care, filters the air faster, but its more expensive
The Plants Produce Oxygen, they are cheaper, but they purify the air slower and require more care.
Just keep in mind that Air Purifier vs Plantsalternative.