Leggy houseplant

Question: This is not an outdoor gardening question, but I thought you may have some advice.  I was reluctant to re-pot this houseplant because my daughter gave it to me in this pot as a gift on her wedding, 2 and a half years ago.  It is now quite leggy.  Should I replant in a bigger pot?  If/when I do that, should I sink it deeper in the soil?  Any advice would be appreciated.  Thank you!

responder: Mary Beth B.  Replied April 13, 2023, 2:39 PM EDT
response: Hi there,  I don't have much expertise with houseplants, but I would be happy to do a little research. I am a little tied up today but should be able to get back to you tomorrow or Saturday.

responder: Mary Beth B.  Replied April 13, 2023, 8:12 PM EDT
response: Hi again,  Another Master Gardener Volunteer saw your question and offered to answer it, since she has a lot of experience with houseplants. I'm going to send your question over to her, and she will be able to help you.

responder: Best Regards,  Replied April 14, 2023, 9:11 AM EDT
response: Hello! Thank you for your question to AskExtension/Ask a Master Gardener. We are happy to answer your questions about house plants as well as yard and garden questions. You posed an excellent question, and the photos you included are very helpful. I think you will be happy with the information that follows!  The plant your daughter gifted you is commonly called an Arrowhead or Arrowhead Vine. It has other common names, American Evergreen, African Evergreen, Green Gold Naphthysis, and Trileaf Wonder, to name a few. (Its botanical name is Syngonium podophyllum, which is important to distinguish it from other “arrowhead” and similarly named plants.) Your plant looks to be in very good shape. It appears to be healthy and free of pests. You are taking excellent care; it must love the light in the location where it is growing, and it looks to have just the right amount of water. Keep up the great job! I can understand that you would like to keep the cute planter that is a treasured gift. It’s probable that you can grow an offspring of your plant in this planter. But I am getting ahead of myself! Read on! Your question asked if it was time to re-pot the plant. The short answer is "probably yes". This plant needs to be repotted every year or two for maximum growth and health. Do not, however, bury the plant deeper in soil. That wouldn’t be good for the plant and might even kill it. The “legginess” that you see is the vining growth pattern (called “habit”) that is normal for this plant. Syngonium podophyllum starts out as upright shoots with ovate or heart-shaped leaves and a bushy habit. As it matures the leaves become arrow shaped, and the plant habit becomes vining. You can provide a moss pole or trellis for the plant and “train” it to climb, or you can trim it back to maintain a more bush-like shape. Some people use Syngonium podophyllum in hanging baskets and allow it to vine. Here’s an excellent article from NC State Extension that gives great info about your plant. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/syngonium-podophyllum/ When deciding whether to re-pot, check the roots of your plant to see if they are packed tightly into the pot (rootbound). If not, you can rejuvenate your plant by trimming it back. I am guessing, it is rootbound and will need to be re-potted. Use a container that is two inches in diameter wider and one to two inches deeper than your current container, but no larger. Use fresh, good quality potting soil. Here are a couple of articles about re-potting houseplants that you might find helpful:  https://extension.psu.edu/repotting-houseplants  https://extension.umn.edu/news/tips-repotting-houseplants https://wayne.ces.ncsu.edu/2022/04/repotting-houseplants/ It is super easy to propagate your Arrowhead to create new plants, which you can then re-pot into the container given to you by your daughter. (Be sure to clean container thoroughly and use fresh potting soil.) You can take cuttings and root in water or soil. Alternately, you can split your plant. Some articles with information on propagating Syngonium podophyllum :  https://www.uaex.uada.edu/yard-garden/resource-library/plant-week/arrowhead-philodendron.aspx https://marylandgrows.umd.edu/2017/11/20/make-more-plants-from-cuttings-5-plants-that-root-easily-in-water/ https://naes.agnt.unr.edu/PMS/Pubs/1998-3384.pdf I hope to have answered your question, but if you need clarification, or if the response has generated additional questions, please feel free to reply to this email. It will come directly to me, and I will be happy to reply. Best of luck to you with your Arrowhead!

responder: The Question Asker Replied April 14, 2023, 1:48 PM EDT
response: Thank you, Debra, for your thoughtful and detailed recommendations!  I so appreciate the time you spent on this!  I, too, thought that it was doing well, but knew that something needed to be done before it toppled over!I'll look at the links for re-potting a plant and will do that if it looks rootbound.  Otherwise, I'll trim it back as you suggested.If I have other questions, I'll let you know.  Thank you again!  On Friday, April 14, 2023 at 09:11:58 AM EDT, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

responder: Best Regards,  Replied April 16, 2023, 1:56 PM EDT
response: Just to clarify: You could do both, take cuttings and then re-pot. I would give it a couple of weeks to "recover" from having the cuttings taken and then re-pot. Meanwhile, root the cuttings in water. When they have new roots you can plant them in the lovely butterfly planter from your daughter. LMK if you need more info.

responder: Best Regards,  Replied April 25, 2023, 1:49 PM EDT
response: I re-potted this Syngonium plant and I thought about you! Thinking maybe you are interested in seeing the results. After I replanted, I inserted the trellis, and then clipped the plant to it with tiny hair clips. If you zoom in on the photo, I think you can see them.   Hope your plant is doing well!

responder: The Question Asker Replied April 26, 2023, 8:01 PM EDT
response: Sorry -- I forgot to send the picture!!  Here it is!  On Tuesday, April 25, 2023 at 01:49:23 PM EDT, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

responder: The Question Asker Replied April 26, 2023, 8:01 PM EDT
response: Thank you for the picture!  The plant looks fantastic!I watched some of the videos with tips for repotting, and moved mine to a bigger pot about a week ago.  It seems to be doing well so far.  The dowels aren't very pretty, but it will do for now.  I will probably redo the cording and wrap it around each dowel to hold it in place a little better.Thanks again for your help!  I'll wait a while, until it adjusts to its new pot, before trying to start a few cuttings.  On Tuesday, April 25, 2023 at 01:49:23 PM EDT, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

responder: Best Regards,  Replied April 27, 2023, 9:31 AM EDT
response: Fantastic job repotting your plant!  It looks wonderful. Don't be alarmed if it loses a few leaves to "transplant shock" over the next few weeks. It is common. I like what you did with the dowel rods in creating a surround. Clever!  Let me know if I can be of any assistance, and all the best in your plant adventures.