Pothos
Pothos is arguably one of the easiest houseplants to grow, even if you have a habit of forgetting to water your plants regularly. This trailing vine from the South Pacific's Solomon Islands has pointed, heart-shaped green leaves that are sometimes variegated with white, yellow, or pale green striations. Pothos is a year-round indoor plant that proliferates, often adding 12 to 18 inches of length in a month. Pets should be kept away from pothos plants.
- Common Name Pothos, Golden Pothos, Devil's Vine, Devil's Ivy
- Botanical Name: Epipremnum aureum
- Family: Araceae
- Plant Type: Vine
- Mature Size: 20–40 ft. long, 3–6 ft. wide
- Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial shade
- Soil Type: Moist but well-drained
- Soil pH: Neutral to slightly acidic
- Bloom Time: Rarely flowers
- Flower Color: Gold/Yellow, Purple/Lavender
- Hardiness Zones: 10–12 (USDA)
- Native Areas: South Pacific
- Toxicity: All parts of this plant are toxic to dogs and cats1
Pothos Care
Pothos vines do not cling to trellises and supports on their own (as ivy does), but they can be trained to look like they are twinning. Pothos specimens can grow to be 30 feet long as indoor plants, though most are kept at a much shorter, neater length. If you let your pothos grow into a long vine, you can secure it on hooks and let it trail along walls and over window frames. Vines can become very tangled if left to grow on their own, so shake them loose every now and then to keep them from becoming a tangled mess.
While pothos prefers bright, indirect light, it can also thrive in low-light or fluorescent-only environments, making it an excellent choice for offices and dorm rooms.
Light
Pothos prefers sun or shade, but it should not be exposed to too much of either. Pothos prefers bright but indirect light when grown indoors. If they don't get enough light, variegated plants can lose their leaf pattern and revert to all-green foliage. Bringing them into brighter light usually restores the variegation. Suddenly pale-looking leaves indicate that the plant is getting too much sunlight.
Soil
Pothos plants thrive in regular, well-draining potting soil that can be dry or rocky. Pothos grows best in soil with a pH range of 6.1 to 6.8. It can withstand a wide range of conditions, from neutral to slightly acidic.
Water
A pothos plant prefers to have its soil completely dry between waterings. The plant's roots will rot if left in constantly wet soil. The presence of black spots on the leaves (or the sudden collapse of the plant) indicates that the soil has been kept excessively moist. 2 When the plant requires water, it will let you know. It requires water when it begins to droop. However, if you wait until the leaves begin to fade, the plant will lose some of its leaves. Dry, brown edges indicate that the plant was kept too dry for too long.
Temperature and Humidity
Pothos should be kept in temperatures that are consistently above 50 degrees Fahrenheit, but they prefer a room temperature that is between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Pothos plants also prefer high humidity. Keep the plant in a typically humid area of the house, such as the kitchen or bathroom, to increase humidity around it. Nonetheless, the plant is very tolerant and can thrive even in low humidity environments, so a humidifier is unnecessary.
Fertilizer
Pothos plants are not voracious eaters. However, because most potting soils lack nutrients, you can feed the plant with any balanced houseplant fertiliser bi-monthly, except when dormant in the winter, to increase nutrition.