How To Cut Back Pothos Ivy

I love pothos ivy.  Normally I allow my ivy to grow long tendrils during the summer, but I was recently asked how to cut an ivy plant back.  It is something I can't explain in words, so with the help of my oh so patient husband, I've decided to create a photo tutorial on how I cut back a pothos ivy. 

For the purpose of this tutorial, I will be cutting this tendril from my pothos Marble Queen ivy.  

Before I proceed, I have a confession to make.  It wasn't until last year that I learned the proper way to do this, but fortunately, God created a very forgiving, resilient plant when he created pothos ivies. My walking buddy, and former co-worker, Kim, taught me the correct way cut back my plants.

I used to cut the ivy tendrils off at the bottom of the pot.  Since ivy branches at the cut site, this caused excess weight, which drags the tendrils down, and stresses the root.  Kim showed me that if I made my cuts at the first knuckle (as shown in the photo) the branching will result in a fuller plant with a stronger root system.    

This photo is simply a close-up of the previous shot.  With my scissors, I am pointing out where I'll make the cut.  This cut is just above the first knuckle closest to the soil.

I'm happy to see that there's a leaf below the cut.  Kim assures me that all an ivy needs is one leaf to allow enough photosynthesis for the next growth spurt, but I prefer to leave as many ground-level leaves as I can, if only for my peace of mind.

This is the cutting. Simply remove the bottom leaves, and put this whole cutting in water.  This will keep it alive until you are ready to work with it.  You may choose to leave it long, or as I normally like to do, cut it into shorter cuttings.

I hope this tutorial has been helpful.  Tomorrow, I'll show how to root this cutting, and include pictures of plants I recently created from cuttings.