Houseplant hacks: is candle wax useful for taking cuttings?

"Putting a wax cap on a cutting is supposed to keep bacteria out and force new roots to sprout from the nodes above. In practice, you're coating a wound that already knows how to heal, with a substance that does nothing to help it. The test I used a control: one cutting with the end dipped in cooled candle wax, one simply placed in water. The plain cutting rooted quickly and cleanly."

"The waxed one sat there sulking, with the sealed end doing nothing and roots eventually emerging from higher up the stem anyway. The verdict The plant is doing the work, not the candle wax. Dipping pothos cuttings in wax adds faff, fragrance and potential contaminants for no benefit. A sharp cut, clean water and good light remain the best hack for propagating pothos."

Wax capping aims to keep bacteria out and force root growth from nodes, but it simply coats a self-healing wound with an inert substance. The recommended method calls for dipping a fresh stem cutting's cut end into melted candle wax, letting it harden, and placing the node under water while leaves remain above the surface. In a controlled comparison, a plain-water cutting rooted quickly while the wax-sealed cutting stalled and only produced roots from higher nodes. Wax introduces extra effort, scent and possible contaminants without benefit. A clean cut, fresh water changes and bright indirect light reliably produce healthy pothos roots.

Read at www.theguardian.com