📝 Editor's Note · 2026-07-18 · by Rin Ito

Moved a 12-inch pothos cutting from water to soil — 3 leaves yellowed in week 1

I had a 12-inch golden pothos cutting floating in a mason jar for 6 weeks. Roots were 3 inches long, white, healthy-looking. Last night I potted it into a 6-inch nursery pot with standard potting mix + 20% perlite. By this morning 3 of the 8 leaves were yellowing at the base. Classic water-to-soil transplant shock — the water roots aren't built for soil moisture gradients.

What I should have done (and will next time): harden the cutting for 3 days first. Day 1 leave it in water but reduce the water level by half. Day 2 let it sit on a damp paper towel. Day 3 pot it into moist (not wet) soil and keep it out of direct light for a full week. The yellow leaves won't recover but the plant should bounce in 10-14 days if the stem stays firm.