I have covered some jars or bottles with foil because I was having trouble propagating certain plants. In those problematic cases, the roots would rot fairly quickly, and I tried multiple times. Upon covering the jars, rooting was much more successful. I agree with someone else in that pothos is probably not the best plant for this experiment because they grow pretty much anywhere, but it is still interesting that the roots grew faster in the roots that received light.
@@user-kq2we1ex3h that’s a very interesting theory! I’ve heard that you should put propagations in dark colored jars because it’s closer to the environment that you’ll transplant them into - soil
Love this! I think the next experiment should be “do plants co-propagated with pothos root faster?” Maybe have one plant that is notoriously slow to propagate in a jar by itself, the same plant with a pothos with a node, and another with a pothos stem without a node.
Well I put a jade pothos node with other golden pothos nodes, 2 moths passed by and the jade pothos node didn't grow any roots till I took off the golden pothos nodes out of that container it was crazy, but they like to be alone
Good job on blocking airflow to keep the experiment consistent, most people wouldn't think to do that, it was a small sample size but you did a good job with what you had.
Given that pothos are adapted to grow out of soil, and are unusual in this trait for growing well in conditions that most plants never would, it would be great to see you try this with other species that are adapted to growing in the soil.
Thanks for another data-driven video! I wonder if growth is affected at all by how one batch all came from the younger end of the vine while the other batch were from the older end.
I like to use tinted bottles if I have some purely to avoid algae growth on delicate cuttings, but have never had any issues using clear jars. Honestly the clear vessel cuttings tend to root faster for me and have been healthy growers after transplant.
Sided by side experiments like this are so useful. I recently saw one where a guy started some seeds with and with out seaweed extract and a mycorrhizae sprinkle and the difference in the tap root length was insane. You can learn so much in a shot time with just seedlings/ clones and a few variables. Great video man.
I'm actually very surprised with the results.....I thought for sure the dark roots would have done better. I think dieffenbachia need a dark container for faster roots. Great video!
I guess one thing to consider with pothos, is that if it is growing up a tree the roots and the growth would have access to light. That wouldn't be the case with plants that are not semi epiphytic.
@@TechplantChannel you denied the node access to light, of course the other one did better. Had nothing to do with the amount of light the roots got, in fact I believe the only difference is you cut back on algae. If you can't block the roots without blocking the node, it's probably not worth it to you.
I've never noticed a difference in propagation success with translucent or opaque containers, even with some of the plants I saw mentioned in other comments. I'd never even considered what differences might exist until I saw this video title - I had never even heard of this myth! It is a very interesting video, and I was surprised by the results.
I like that you consistently use pothos. That keeps the variables consistent. Not only do they produce consistent findings, but they are readily available. I think if people wanted to see it with different species, they could replicate your experiment and share their findings. Perhaps some of the haters could provide you with enough cutting of other varieties to change it up, but then I would still want to see it with the pothos anyway to compare the differences between varieties. Thanks for what you do. I love your experiments!
The sacrificial pothos! Haha I love your concise experiments, they are so interesting to me. I wonder if brown glass would work better, since it absorbs 98% of UV light and will naturally be warmer. Being a brewer I have lots of bottles, and they do well, but I never do single node props in them. One or two bare nodes under the water line.
I heard that if you're really struggling that a darker jar can 'help' and I also imagine that this might work better with some species than others as well, epiphytes vs ground plants That said I'm totally for using clear jars as I can see what's happening inside and change or add water when needed Also I'd love to see the one month update of them in the soil!
@@TechplantChannel Thanks for the reply and very nice you're willing to try other plants! I think non aroids (or non-epiphytes in this regard) will be a better representation for plants in general. Considering a lot of epiphytic plant species have specific adaptations to perform photosynthesis with their roots, which means growing with light on their roots actually benefits them. (something your experiment demonstrated)
proportionate response, pretty much always species specific to varying degrees. Knowing this is important if working with a species. epiphyte or not, doesnt change the fact a result is seen and pothos is an extremely highly propagated plant. Knowing what gets you to transplanting quicker, what gives you a better root:shoot ratio all comes in to play when a producer. You may think of the face value length of root growth trait, but there are many other growth traits and ratios behind that, that tell us a lot. Its not about this is a good plant for an experiment or not, species specificity is king in the world of plants.
@Techplant omg hey can you do a video comparing the growth rate between a plant grown in water that has soil added to it ( brown water) vs one that's just in normal water (clear)
I’m actually propagating pothos in water at the moment so I’m genuinely invested in this it’s taken them between 2-3 weeks to root in the light. I began propagating on Christmas Eve and it’s 11th January just for reference.
I love pothos. I have one specific plant I got as a gift and it immediately went down hill from the first week I got it. I recently decided to cut it all back since it was just four nodes with one leaf. I wrapped the three remaining nodes in a moist paper towel and there are already roots shooting out. This plant is amazing. Pothos is unstoppable 💪🏻
I really appreciate your scientific approach! Based on experience I know fresh pothos nodes root faster than older nodes. Perhaps you could repeat the experiment with alternating nodes that go in each group, or using two vines (if you have pothos to spare 😁)
Could you do a video/test on what aquarium plants could be easy to grow and multiply outside of water? I have an aquarium but no CO2 diffuser so my plants grow slowly. It would be cool to grow aquarium plants outside water and then add them later. I'd assume they'd grow quicker in some humid box than in the aquarium without added CO2. For example I think at least Anubias can be grown outside of water and be later added into water.
Brazilian Pennywort is a good one that grows fast. Most bacopa species would probably work too. Riccia Flutans grows pretty fast if you put some in a cup of aquarium water near light and just let it be. This video is also super helpful-- look up "DIY plant farm ryo watanabe" and you can see examples of lots of plants you can grow emersed. Im also trying out growing Anubias in LECA myself so hopefully it goes ok.
@@VinylUnboxings Oooh~ interesting! I gotta admit I did go on a Google deep dive already after sending that question after all.😂 I'll look up those plant species and the video you recommend! Thanks for the tips, I appreciate it!😄
@@TechplantChannel No I didn't before, but I'll be going there next it seems!😄 I'm SO looking forward to that type of content. Ps. You could add your Instagram link to your RUclips about section and video descriptions. That's where I looked first but ended up finding your just in Instagram search 😊
I love these experimental video.This one was surprising but I have an idea as to why but this is just guess. I think the dark ones only grow to support the greenery but the ones in the light are trying to find soil to grow into(aka dark) so the keep growing.
I love doing plant experiments too. I usually do them on the succulents, water v. soil, callous v. non-callous, etc. I would have hypothesized that light would be necessary for optimal growth. The plants naturally do not live in the dark so, why would they propagate better in the dark? That just doesn't make sense to me however, one can argue that the roots grow under the ground where there is no light. I wonder if the results would have been different if you had a larger plant with the leaves completely exposed to light and only the roots completely in the dark for the experimental plant. In addition, if you want to remove as many variables as possible, you may want to consider the water temperatures and assure that both remain constant. If you don't expose the dark jar to light, could it also be getting less heat? 🤓 Thank you for a fun video!!! BTW, followed your directions on watering the Aloe (Elvis) and happy to report still doing great! Thank You❣️
I do not know if it's something to consider, but Pothos is a climbing species that in nature produces aerial roots on regular basis, so their roots are acquainted to having some light shining on them. Maybe you should try to repeat the experiment using an entirely terrestrial species.
Yes, a few others have pointed this out. I will try and do some more terrestrial stuff, but i think a lot of the aroids that climb will benefit from light! Im not sure if i mentioned it in the video but that is my thinking as well. Any climber will obviously not mind light on the roots, its cool to see that its actually helpful too
My only complaint about using pothos for this experiment is that it's a vining plant which frequently has arial roots that are above ground and are more likely to be capable of receiving/processing sunlight in ways that other plants might not be?? As I have had some plants notably fare better in dark colored bottles vs clear, though that could also be due to plants with more sensitive/delicate/fine roots having a harder time thriving with the algae that tends to grow, causing rot.
Yeah I need to expand on this experiment to terrestrial plants, a lot of my stuff is geared more towards aroids but I don't make that clear. There have been others with your same sentiment so I really wanna do this with some other plants!
@@TechplantChannel I would definitely look forward to seeing that! I know you said you have a lack of other plants with plentiful nodes- I might recommend something like peperomia or begonia that don't require nodes and can just propagate by leaves, though of course there's lots of options out there!
Nice experiment, i see only 1 problem this kind of plant make a lot of aerial roots, maybe is more prepared for light in her root that other kind of plants.
My pothos cuttings defy all rooting trends and grow in water in clear containers, but my other ones (mostly peperomia varieties) are enjoying soil (coir+perlite) and amber glass water propagation more.
I think the white roots will have a easier time binding intracellularly with endomycorrhizal fungi because its not protected by a callous layer hardened from light.
I have found this to be true also, always wondered why it didn't work for me in dark containers versus clear but now I know it was a myth! Thank you for the experiment
Oxygen may also impact root growth. I’m curious if you added an air pump or aquatic aerating plants into the water how that would impact growth, with/without light
Thank you. The result of this experiment is different from what I learned from biology class. Not sure if this experiment result applies only to pothos or plants with aerial roots.
So glad I saw this, I was just about to get sucked in to the hype! Actually, I had a similar experience with a malabar spinach, the video said to keep it in the dark for the 1st few days, and it should grow like crazy. I got nothing until I moved it to the window. Duh, and i almost just fell for it again.
The longer i have this channel the more comments i read and im finding that like everyone can have success with different methods, I think there are a ton of factors at play and its best to see what works for your place! Glad you found what works for you!!
I've tried growing some plants in water but in dark jars like mugs and stuff and the roots tend to rot very quickly compared to clear or tinted glass. I've done snake plants, pothos, avocado seeds, monsteras, philodendrons, scindapsus and others. They do not always rot in the dark jar but about half of them do and my clear jars have a 90% or higher success rate. So I just quit using dark jars. 🤷♀️🤷♀️ Could be other reasons but not sure. Thanks for this cool video
I'm new and I haven't gotten the darkening of the roots and I think it might be because I'm paranoid and switch the water out every few days. Might also have to do with the size of the plants I'm propagating though since I only do little bitty plants
The main difference I have noticed is that the dark water gets yucky and needs changing much more often. Even though sunlight is known to cause algae growth in stagnant water, it seems to sterilize the water of mould and mildew and bits of plant matter. The water in clear jars seems to stay clean for a few weeks whereas the water in the dark is gross after a week.
To be more science, you could prepare 10 bottles, five pothos without light and five pothos with light from which we could get more data of the experiment .
it could be possible, they were right next to each other. Im going to repeat this experiment so ill try and find a way to block light but not change the temp
nice! thanks for sharing. i've been wanting to do that myself, but now i don't have to :) i have a question (maybe a new video idea): what about tinted jars? I have those tinted glass vitamin jars and i put some cuttings in them, they developed roots, but i didn't do a comparison. What do you think would be the result clear vs tinted?
Quite well done, also that you took the airflow into account, I wouldn't have thought about that! But from what one could see in the video, I wouldn't consider this a "huge" difference. I mean, yes, the leaves definitely developed better in light conditions (obviously), but in terms of root growth by itself, it doesn't really matter. Especially with a plant like pothos that grows like weed :) Nonetheless, good video!
Cool channel! I was thinking it ahouls be tried again with cark cloth. Perhaps the lack of earths emf, however weak is hindering the growth if the foil wrapped plants. I know there is a scientist that grew onions and sprouted plants using magnets, tuned like earths emf x10000. And the plats grew quicker and seeds had higher sprout rates. So many experiments to be done, so little time..
Black tinted glass is where it is at. You can still get the necessary sunlight while protecting from too much. The water barely has to be changed (almost no algae grows) and the roots go insane
I'd like to see if this works well for aglaonema as well, I've struggled with a cutting, for years it has never rooted past 1". All other's I tried rooting in soil never took at all. Even with rooting hormone.
I´ve seen a video before, where one was testing this with cannabis cutlings and didn´t had any difference in the end. Because of that I put my cutlings in empty (cleaned) spice/herb shakers (which are clear) and it works just great so far. Just had to swap all water for the first time in one shaker today, because some gooey stuff was building up and that´s no good.
@@TechplantChannel It sure is, after killing every single plant I had before (cacti, ivy, savannah gras only an idiot is going to kill), somehow I got successful with culturvating my own medical cannabis well enough, I´m now interested in expending what I grow. It´s gonna take some research, since my property is sourended by huge trees from neighbors, but I feel confident I can also grow food now. That´s why I´m currently watching tonns of grow-videos, no matter what they´re growing, maybe some tipps help me to grow stuff I thought it would work on this limited property. I´m sure gonna watch more videos of yours over time, I need not just new ideas but also hard facts. I defenetifly wanna my own herbs and spices and at least some own vegtables and if I can figure out how to on this property, some potatos and tomatos as well. I´m just bazzeld how a single plant for medical usage turned a plant killer into a plant lover, who wants to grow as much himself as possible.
I think this video is so interesting! Thank you so much for the experiment :) I was wondering if you noticed which part of the plant when in the dark and which one was in the light. Because the closer you are front the head of the plant (the end of the vine so), the more auxins there is in the node. And that plays an important role in the development of the roots. So maybe the one in the light was the top of the vine and the other one the bottom nodes of the vine. Even if I also think light is better because of the better leaf development, I'm still wondering if that could have had an influence on your experience. Maybe you redo it with two top nodes ahah A pleasure to watch you :)
at least for aroids similar to pothos i think these results stand true, however i need to try some other varieties of plants to see how they react as well
How do you get your cuttings to root so fast?! What is the environment you have them in? Do you put them under grow lights? My pothos cuttings literally take MONTHS to sprout a tiny root and I’m lucky if I get one of them to show new growth🙁
Do you do 3-4 hours of red and blue light to get roots going and leaves? I find it very helpful for night as the sun goes down on their normal cycle of red and blue and my cuttings and new foliage of babies get going in a week.
The contribution of the sacrificial pothos to science is very much appreciated by the plant community 🌱🏅
lmaooo
I salute the photos for being a sacrificial plant all the time for the experiment AHHAHAHA
😄😄
Agreed!
I have covered some jars or bottles with foil because I was having trouble propagating certain plants. In those problematic cases, the roots would rot fairly quickly, and I tried multiple times. Upon covering the jars, rooting was much more successful. I agree with someone else in that pothos is probably not the best plant for this experiment because they grow pretty much anywhere, but it is still interesting that the roots grew faster in the roots that received light.
Can you tell me which plants grew better covered, I wanna do an updated experiment with plants that do not prefer light on roots
@techplant try cannabis
@@TechplantChannel ZZ plants never grow well in light for me, I always have to cover the jar to propagate them!
@@user-kq2we1ex3h that’s a very interesting theory! I’ve heard that you should put propagations in dark colored jars because it’s closer to the environment that you’ll transplant them into - soil
I havent tried but my oldies say Ficus cuttings need to be kept in the dark when trying to root them.
Love this! I think the next experiment should be “do plants co-propagated with pothos root faster?” Maybe have one plant that is notoriously slow to propagate in a jar by itself, the same plant with a pothos with a node, and another with a pothos stem without a node.
ive got some similar stuff going but ill do this one specifically
@@TechplantChannel ayeee
Yes I'd like to know this too. Have read it but not sure how much i buy it
I put my standleyana in with golden pothos. Honestly I don't know how much difference it made.
Well I put a jade pothos node with other golden pothos nodes, 2 moths passed by and the jade pothos node didn't grow any roots till I took off the golden pothos nodes out of that container it was crazy, but they like to be alone
Good job on blocking airflow to keep the experiment consistent, most people wouldn't think to do that, it was a small sample size but you did a good job with what you had.
Thanks!!
Given that pothos are adapted to grow out of soil, and are unusual in this trait for growing well in conditions that most plants never would, it would be great to see you try this with other species that are adapted to growing in the soil.
I'm trying that next
@@TechplantChannel 👍
i thought the same.. epiphyte or hemiepiphyte plants might not be n good representative of "plants in general"for this experiment.
but that doenst mean it isnt helpfull already lol. At least we now know that for philos and etc, that shouldnt be an concern :).
Thanks for another data-driven video! I wonder if growth is affected at all by how one batch all came from the younger end of the vine while the other batch were from the older end.
Its possible. Now that I have a little more space and time I might elaborate on these experiments!
That's a good question
This is a top plant channel.
I like how simple and fast the videos are, without music too.
Subscribed!
Thanks for thr kind words!
I like to use tinted bottles if I have some purely to avoid algae growth on delicate cuttings, but have never had any issues using clear jars. Honestly the clear vessel cuttings tend to root faster for me and have been healthy growers after transplant.
Nice, yeah algae can be a pain in the butt
My mother and gma always told me to use colored glass when propping.
Throw em in an aquarium if you don’t want the roots to have alage lol
Thanks for definitively solving a question I've been wondering about for a while. Great video!
Thanks for watching
Adding the plastic in the clear jar as a control was a very good idea 💡 👏🏾
Thanks! Yeah i know airflow can play a big part, so I wanted to at least seal it up about as much as the foil did!
Sided by side experiments like this are so useful. I recently saw one where a guy started some seeds with and with out seaweed extract and a mycorrhizae sprinkle and the difference in the tap root length was insane. You can learn so much in a shot time with just seedlings/ clones and a few variables. Great video man.
Thats awesome!
I'm actually very surprised with the results.....I thought for sure the dark roots would have done better. I think dieffenbachia need a dark container for faster roots. Great video!
Yeah I wanna try some terrestrial plants next
I guess one thing to consider with pothos, is that if it is growing up a tree the roots and the growth would have access to light. That wouldn't be the case with plants that are not semi epiphytic.
True, I can try and do some more terrestrial plants
@@TechplantChannel you denied the node access to light, of course the other one did better. Had nothing to do with the amount of light the roots got, in fact I believe the only difference is you cut back on algae. If you can't block the roots without blocking the node, it's probably not worth it to you.
@@toastiesburned9929 its pretty hard to deny roots light and also give light to the node only on aroid cuttings but yeah that's true
I've never noticed a difference in propagation success with translucent or opaque containers, even with some of the plants I saw mentioned in other comments. I'd never even considered what differences might exist until I saw this video title - I had never even heard of this myth! It is a very interesting video, and I was surprised by the results.
Me too! Its why I like doing these experiments because sometimes you don't notice the differences unless its actually documented and compared
I like that you consistently use pothos. That keeps the variables consistent. Not only do they produce consistent findings, but they are readily available. I think if people wanted to see it with different species, they could replicate your experiment and share their findings. Perhaps some of the haters could provide you with enough cutting of other varieties to change it up, but then I would still want to see it with the pothos anyway to compare the differences between varieties. Thanks for what you do. I love your experiments!
New year, new experiments!
yup yup! happy new year!
Loves it
I just love to see the roots grow, light jawrs for me always!
same, its easier to monitor water level and everything else as well
I'd be curious to see an experiment blocking by epiphytic roots vs terrestrial ones! Thanks for the great videos :)
Thats next! this is mainly for aroids that are epiphytic
Exactly what I was thinking…. Airial roots are going to behave differently to terrestrial ones
I love that you're still making videos. Thank you
Thanks for watching them!
The sacrificial pothos! Haha I love your concise experiments, they are so interesting to me. I wonder if brown glass would work better, since it absorbs 98% of UV light and will naturally be warmer. Being a brewer I have lots of bottles, and they do well, but I never do single node props in them. One or two bare nodes under the water line.
I'll have to get some and try!
I was a bit worried at first that you used aluminum considering it reflects light, so I'm glad you took that into consideration!
Yup yup, I might use a different material foe the next iteration of this
Very cool experiment, giving very helpful information.
Thanks for watching
Very interesting, carefully designed experiment - thanks.
Thanks for watching
Thanks for doing this experiment! I also wondered which was better!
Thanks for watching!
I've never put my plants into a dark container for propagation and now I know, I never will. Thank, it was useful!
id say thats good for most aroids but i should really do this test with other terrestrial plants too to rule them out! Thanks for watching!
I use red jars to reflect that red light for roots as well
Very interesting!
I love your dedication to a strong experiment! It's a pleasure to see so much things considered.
Thanks for the kind words and watching!
very well done and complete experiment! I found all the answers i was looking for
Excellent!
I heard that if you're really struggling that a darker jar can 'help' and I also imagine that this might work better with some species than others as well, epiphytes vs ground plants
That said I'm totally for using clear jars as I can see what's happening inside and change or add water when needed
Also I'd love to see the one month update of them in the soil!
Yeah I gotta try some terrestrial plants next
I enjoy your experiments. You use whatever plants you want and have.
Interesting experiment! I'd be interested to see the effect in sunlight vs. in the dark. Have always heard keep light away from the roots too!
I used a grow light for this one but thr sun could be a good experiment too
I wonder if it would make a difference on vegetable starts in soil. Might have to try it. Intersting indeed.
Fun video but pothos are a really bad example for an experiment like this considering they're epiphytic and have adapted to grow outside of soil.
I can try with some other aroids and non aroids as well
@@TechplantChannel Thanks for the reply and very nice you're willing to try other plants! I think non aroids (or non-epiphytes in this regard) will be a better representation for plants in general. Considering a lot of epiphytic plant species have specific adaptations to perform photosynthesis with their roots, which means growing with light on their roots actually benefits them. (something your experiment demonstrated)
was just about to write the same.. pothos are simply not a good guinea pig for root experiments in general..
@@TechplantChannel You go boy. This granny will look forward to your next vid. You like a challenge it seems.
proportionate response, pretty much always species specific to varying degrees. Knowing this is important if working with a species.
epiphyte or not, doesnt change the fact a result is seen and pothos is an extremely highly propagated plant.
Knowing what gets you to transplanting quicker, what gives you a better root:shoot ratio all comes in to play when a producer.
You may think of the face value length of root growth trait, but there are many other growth traits and ratios behind that, that tell us a lot.
Its not about this is a good plant for an experiment or not, species specificity is king in the world of plants.
The difference is that in nature the ones that grow in the dark grow in soil. It's the soil that will make them grow better and stronger.
Makes sense since they get nutrients right away
@Techplant omg hey can you do a video comparing the growth rate between a plant grown in water that has soil added to it ( brown water) vs one that's just in normal water (clear)
@@Raylen_Fa-ield sure sounds interesting
I’m actually propagating pothos in water at the moment so I’m genuinely invested in this it’s taken them between 2-3 weeks to root in the light. I began propagating on Christmas Eve and it’s 11th January just for reference.
Nice!
I love pothos. I have one specific plant I got as a gift and it immediately went down hill from the first week I got it. I recently decided to cut it all back since it was just four nodes with one leaf. I wrapped the three remaining nodes in a moist paper towel and there are already roots shooting out. This plant is amazing. Pothos is unstoppable 💪🏻
yeah for sure I love it!
Thank you for your time!
Your videos are great!!
Thank you for watching!
Yasss finally someone jumps in on this
I gotta test some more terrestrial plants tho but yeah I'm trying to figure this out!
Thank you for doing this experiment!! I was so curious about this question, so I appreciate this video
I really appreciate your scientific approach! Based on experience I know fresh pothos nodes root faster than older nodes. Perhaps you could repeat the experiment with alternating nodes that go in each group, or using two vines (if you have pothos to spare 😁)
I'll give it a shot
Thank you for this experiment!! Very educational for those of us that propagate often in mason jars or clear jars.
Thanks for watching!
Could you do a video/test on what aquarium plants could be easy to grow and multiply outside of water? I have an aquarium but no CO2 diffuser so my plants grow slowly. It would be cool to grow aquarium plants outside water and then add them later. I'd assume they'd grow quicker in some humid box than in the aquarium without added CO2. For example I think at least Anubias can be grown outside of water and be later added into water.
I could Google this, but eh where's the fun in that~😁
I dont know if you follow my instagram but i just built an aquarium rack for 12 aquariums so i can start doing those types of experiments
Brazilian Pennywort is a good one that grows fast.
Most bacopa species would probably work too.
Riccia Flutans grows pretty fast if you put some in a cup of aquarium water near light and just let it be.
This video is also super helpful-- look up "DIY plant farm ryo watanabe" and you can see examples of lots of plants you can grow emersed.
Im also trying out growing Anubias in LECA myself so hopefully it goes ok.
@@VinylUnboxings Oooh~ interesting! I gotta admit I did go on a Google deep dive already after sending that question after all.😂 I'll look up those plant species and the video you recommend! Thanks for the tips, I appreciate it!😄
@@TechplantChannel No I didn't before, but I'll be going there next it seems!😄 I'm SO looking forward to that type of content.
Ps. You could add your Instagram link to your RUclips about section and video descriptions. That's where I looked first but ended up finding your just in Instagram search 😊
I love your videos! They're so informative
Thank you so much!
I love these experimental video.This one was surprising but I have an idea as to why but this is just guess. I think the dark ones only grow to support the greenery but the ones in the light are trying to find soil to grow into(aka dark) so the keep growing.
I love doing plant experiments too. I usually do them on the succulents, water v. soil, callous v. non-callous, etc. I would have hypothesized that light would be necessary for optimal growth. The plants naturally do not live in the dark so, why would they propagate better in the dark? That just doesn't make sense to me however, one can argue that the roots grow under the ground where there is no light. I wonder if the results would have been different if you had a larger plant with the leaves completely exposed to light and only the roots completely in the dark for the experimental plant. In addition, if you want to remove as many variables as possible, you may want to consider the water temperatures and assure that both remain constant. If you don't expose the dark jar to light, could it also be getting less heat? 🤓 Thank you for a fun video!!! BTW, followed your directions on watering the Aloe (Elvis) and happy to report still doing great! Thank You❣️
Glad to hear elvis is doing well!
I do not know if it's something to consider, but Pothos is a climbing species that in nature produces aerial roots on regular basis, so their roots are acquainted to having some light shining on them. Maybe you should try to repeat the experiment using an entirely terrestrial species.
Yes, a few others have pointed this out. I will try and do some more terrestrial stuff, but i think a lot of the aroids that climb will benefit from light! Im not sure if i mentioned it in the video but that is my thinking as well. Any climber will obviously not mind light on the roots, its cool to see that its actually helpful too
Wow that was quite interesting, thanks for sharing this with us
Thanks for watching
My only complaint about using pothos for this experiment is that it's a vining plant which frequently has arial roots that are above ground and are more likely to be capable of receiving/processing sunlight in ways that other plants might not be?? As I have had some plants notably fare better in dark colored bottles vs clear, though that could also be due to plants with more sensitive/delicate/fine roots having a harder time thriving with the algae that tends to grow, causing rot.
Yeah I need to expand on this experiment to terrestrial plants, a lot of my stuff is geared more towards aroids but I don't make that clear. There have been others with your same sentiment so I really wanna do this with some other plants!
@@TechplantChannel I would definitely look forward to seeing that! I know you said you have a lack of other plants with plentiful nodes- I might recommend something like peperomia or begonia that don't require nodes and can just propagate by leaves, though of course there's lots of options out there!
The additional light coming through the jar hitting the undersides of the leaves probably explains the additional growth
possibly, these are super ridged so its hard to say
Thank you so much for doing this video!!!! Very interesting results, did you use grow lights on these?
Yes they sat next to each other under grow lights!
Nice experiment, i see only 1 problem this kind of plant make a lot of aerial roots, maybe is more prepared for light in her root that other kind of plants.
probably right
I do know from outdoor gardening in pots, roots will opt to grow away from the sun while the plant grows towards it
My pothos cuttings defy all rooting trends and grow in water in clear containers, but my other ones (mostly peperomia varieties) are enjoying soil (coir+perlite) and amber glass water propagation more.
I have been wondering this very question. Thank you so much for doing this video
No problem!
Great video! I’ve definitely wondered about this as well
Thanks for watching
This is the exact experiment I needed to see. Conclusion- I should use clear jars to root my cuttings.
thanks for the content. Maybe stress is a factor, especially for flowering plants. do you think this could affect flowering plants in any way?
As always, amazing content!
Thank you thank you!
There's an ALGI associated with the rooting process with tropical plants like oothos etc just like bacterias are beneficial for other plants rooting.
I think the white roots will have a easier time binding intracellularly with endomycorrhizal fungi because its not protected by a callous layer hardened from light.
interesting!
I have found this to be true also, always wondered why it didn't work for me in dark containers versus clear but now I know it was a myth! Thank you for the experiment
Thanks for watching!
Oxygen may also impact root growth. I’m curious if you added an air pump or aquatic aerating plants into the water how that would impact growth, with/without light
I'll do some tests!
Thank you. The result of this experiment is different from what I learned from biology class. Not sure if this experiment result applies only to pothos or plants with aerial roots.
I gotta do some tests on more terrestrial plants too
So glad I saw this, I was just about to get sucked in to the hype! Actually, I had a similar experience with a malabar spinach, the video said to keep it in the dark for the 1st few days, and it should grow like crazy. I got nothing until I moved it to the window. Duh, and i almost just fell for it again.
The longer i have this channel the more comments i read and im finding that like everyone can have success with different methods, I think there are a ton of factors at play and its best to see what works for your place! Glad you found what works for you!!
Awesome video! Thanks for posting
Thank you for watching!
I wonder if light is only better for epiphytic plants since the aerial roots are obviously fine being out of the soil and exposed to light.
I think this is probably true
You are very gifted. Keep it up.
I've tried growing some plants in water but in dark jars like mugs and stuff and the roots tend to rot very quickly compared to clear or tinted glass. I've done snake plants, pothos, avocado seeds, monsteras, philodendrons, scindapsus and others. They do not always rot in the dark jar but about half of them do and my clear jars have a 90% or higher success rate. So I just quit using dark jars. 🤷♀️🤷♀️ Could be other reasons but not sure. Thanks for this cool video
nice, interesting to hear your results thank for sharing!
Excellent experiment, excellent video, but what do you want from me? To listen to you or to the music?
Was the music that loud?
I'm new and I haven't gotten the darkening of the roots and I think it might be because I'm paranoid and switch the water out every few days.
Might also have to do with the size of the plants I'm propagating though since I only do little bitty plants
propagation can go wildly different depending on the water and environment you are doing it in so if you find something that works keep it up
The main difference I have noticed is that the dark water gets yucky and needs changing much more often. Even though sunlight is known to cause algae growth in stagnant water, it seems to sterilize the water of mould and mildew and bits of plant matter. The water in clear jars seems to stay clean for a few weeks whereas the water in the dark is gross after a week.
I've noticed that too
What about the water change? Frequency and what water used ?
To be more science, you could prepare 10 bottles, five pothos without light and five pothos with light from which we could get more data of the experiment .
you are correct, I might revisit this soon!
You should do an experiment on using pothos to speed up rooting of other slower rooting plants! Must be exciting to explore :D
Challenge accepted
i appreciate the attention to detail but i cant help but wonder if the tin foil effected the water temp.
it could be possible, they were right next to each other. Im going to repeat this experiment so ill try and find a way to block light but not change the temp
Awesome experiment, I love pothos
Thanks
What a fun experiment! Thx for sharing! I 💚 pothos!
Thanks for watching
nice! thanks for sharing. i've been wanting to do that myself, but now i don't have to :) i have a question (maybe a new video idea): what about tinted jars? I have those tinted glass vitamin jars and i put some cuttings in them, they developed roots, but i didn't do a comparison. What do you think would be the result clear vs tinted?
Quite well done, also that you took the airflow into account, I wouldn't have thought about that!
But from what one could see in the video, I wouldn't consider this a "huge" difference. I mean, yes, the leaves definitely developed better in light conditions (obviously), but in terms of root growth by itself, it doesn't really matter. Especially with a plant like pothos that grows like weed :)
Nonetheless, good video!
Very true, I think it was only about .5 to 1 inches longer. I wanna expand this experiment to other plants as well and see what happens!
Cool channel!
I was thinking it ahouls be tried again with cark cloth.
Perhaps the lack of earths emf, however weak is hindering the growth if the foil wrapped plants.
I know there is a scientist that grew onions and sprouted plants using magnets, tuned like earths emf x10000. And the plats grew quicker and seeds had higher sprout rates.
So many experiments to be done, so little time..
Yo thanks for this comment, Ive never even considered EMF or anything related in regards to plants! opens up a lot of interesting ideas
Black tinted glass is where it is at. You can still get the necessary sunlight while protecting from too much. The water barely has to be changed (almost no algae grows) and the roots go insane
Ill have to try some!
How often did you change water? Did you add something else apart from the water?
I never changed or added any water. I also did not add anything to the water
I'd like to see if this works well for aglaonema as well, I've struggled with a cutting, for years it has never rooted past 1". All other's I tried rooting in soil never took at all. Even with rooting hormone.
Ill see what i can do, I think i have one!
TechPlant seems like the type of guy to have that lowkey fire playlist
I got some wierd ones for sure lol
@@TechplantChannel You gotta share homie 🙏
I´ve seen a video before, where one was testing this with cannabis cutlings and didn´t had any difference in the end. Because of that I put my cutlings in empty (cleaned) spice/herb shakers (which are clear) and it works just great so far. Just had to swap all water for the first time in one shaker today, because some gooey stuff was building up and that´s no good.
Nice!
@@TechplantChannel It sure is, after killing every single plant I had before (cacti, ivy, savannah gras only an idiot is going to kill), somehow I got successful with culturvating my own medical cannabis well enough, I´m now interested in expending what I grow. It´s gonna take some research, since my property is sourended by huge trees from neighbors, but I feel confident I can also grow food now. That´s why I´m currently watching tonns of grow-videos, no matter what they´re growing, maybe some tipps help me to grow stuff I thought it would work on this limited property. I´m sure gonna watch more videos of yours over time, I need not just new ideas but also hard facts. I defenetifly wanna my own herbs and spices and at least some own vegtables and if I can figure out how to on this property, some potatos and tomatos as well. I´m just bazzeld how a single plant for medical usage turned a plant killer into a plant lover, who wants to grow as much himself as possible.
I think this video is so interesting! Thank you so much for the experiment :) I was wondering if you noticed which part of the plant when in the dark and which one was in the light. Because the closer you are front the head of the plant (the end of the vine so), the more auxins there is in the node. And that plays an important role in the development of the roots. So maybe the one in the light was the top of the vine and the other one the bottom nodes of the vine. Even if I also think light is better because of the better leaf development, I'm still wondering if that could have had an influence on your experience. Maybe you redo it with two top nodes ahah
A pleasure to watch you :)
wow thanks for the great info!!
@@TechplantChannel with pleasure ! :)
tysm for sharing result of this experiment with us
Thanks for watching and interacting with the channel!
Well done, always wondered if that was true!
at least for aroids similar to pothos i think these results stand true, however i need to try some other varieties of plants to see how they react as well
Incredible. When you do water propagation you don't add any rooting hormone or aspirin to the water ?
Great vid, well done!
Very informative and interesting vlog
Thanks
Did the roots, being they were water roots, convert to soil roots, or did they die?
For plants that are hard to propagate it's probably easiest to use auxins.
ive used some rooting hormones in the past but i dont think they were auxins
have you thought of usuing carbon paper intead of reynolds?
No but i can try it if i can find it
How do you get your cuttings to root so fast?! What is the environment you have them in? Do you put them under grow lights? My pothos cuttings literally take MONTHS to sprout a tiny root and I’m lucky if I get one of them to show new growth🙁
They are under grow lights, I will do a plant room tour soon and you can see then!
Well this is great, I'll just carry on as usual then! Thank you!
Thanks for watching!
Do you do 3-4 hours of red and blue light to get roots going and leaves? I find it very helpful for night as the sun goes down on their normal cycle of red and blue and my cuttings and new foliage of babies get going in a week.
Ill have to try!
So water propagation in a Glas Jar is the superior method?
It works well for pothos, but a lot of other more finicky plants i use perlite or sphagnum moss
Thenk you very much sacrificial pothos your deeds shall be remembered by the whole houseplant community
I should make a memorial plaque
Interesting video!!!
Thanks for watching!