this post was submitted on 19 Apr 2026
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Nature and Gardening
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The spots you picked to cut look good! I'd cut to favor blue, and let go of purple in favor of orange but great job. You can keep blue and purple on the same stem together, but if that pair look sad after a few days I'd recommend cutting across the leaves to remove 40-50% of each leaf. Doing that reduces the amount of water lost to respiration and the amount of leaf to maintain on reduced roots.
The ones you've rooted already look great. Another 2-3 days in water and they would be at a point where I would feel confident transferring them to potting soil. Keep in mind that those roots are delicate, so take care when you're firming them into the pot.
Water changes every 2-3 days is a good practice, more often if you notice any cloudiness in the water. The cuttings will release a little bit of rooting hormone into the water as they grow, spurring on the others, but not usually enough to change the appearance of the water.
Would you say the red line leaf is worth trying to save with the rest of the sad roots it has now?
I’ll try making those cuts and post a follow-up on how it works out. I’ll probably keep the blue and purple together like you said, but drop the purple if it struggles.
https://i.postimg.cc/65Xn3Fwj/IMG-3581.jpg
Here are the clippings. One more question I guess, do the tops of the clippings’ stems need to be sticking out of the water or is it okay that they are submerged while in water to grow roots? They are just so short, but I suppose I could use bread ties to hold them in position.
Yes, I definitely think it's worth saving each section (I have a problem, and the problem is not enough plants). Those couple of shorter sections should be just fine for the few days it will take for them to begin rooting.
As for blue and purple together: I don't recommend removing the topmost leaf or bud (also called an apical bud) because they help to regulate the growth hormones of the plant and will have a stronger growth response than leaves or buds further down. Cutting a leaf as pictured below will preserve that hormone regulator but give the plant less to maintain while new roots are forming.