Low Maintenance Pothos Plant Care and Propagation

Frequently asked questions: How do I propagate Pothos? How often should I water my Pothos? This is a hardy indoor plant which can easily be grown and even reproduced from stem cuttings.

Pothos (Epipremnum aureum) is one of the easiest houseplants to care for and is a great choice for beginners. It is a tropical vine native to the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific that is easily trained to climb a support or path from a pot or hanging basket. This is an excellent houseplant from a home plant point of view, it’s and adaptable and also needs minimal maintenance.

Pothos are fast-growing plants that add 12 to 18 inches in length each month. The vines have spiky, heart-shaped green leaves that can be striped with white, yellow or light green. Be aware that pothos plants are poisonous to pets.

Pothos Care

Pothos plants live an average of five to ten years, but with minimal consistent care they can live much longer.

• If you're using a standard potting mix for houseplants or a well draining aroid mix, plant pothos.
• Get a lot of indirect light, ideally in a window facing east or west.
• Let the soil dry between waterings all the way.
• Feed them monthly in the spring and summer with a balanced houseplant fertilizer.

Light

Pothos likes sun or shade and can grow in areas with low light or only fluorescent lighting. If it is grown indoors, it prefers strong but indirect light. Variegated plants tend to return to full green leaves with too much shade. Moving to lighter conditions usually restores the color. Sudden pale leaves mean that the plant is exposed to too much direct sunlight.

Potting Soil

Pothos plants dry in simple, well-draining potting soil on the dry side and equally well in coarse, chunky planting media. It tolerates neutral to slightly acidic soil with a preferred soil pH of 6.1 to 6.8.

Water

Expect to water every one to two weeks; more often during the growing season, and less often in the winter. In between waterings allow the soil to dry completely. Left in constantly wet soil, the roots will rot. Black spots on the leaves (or sudden decay of the plant) indicate that the soil was too wet.

Pothos falls when it needs water. Do not wait until the leaves start to shrivel or the plant loses some of its leaves. Dry, brown edges mean that the plant has been dry for too long.

Temperature and Humidity

Keep pothos consistently above 50° F. and preferably between 65° F and 75° F. They grow best in high humidity conditions, but will adapt to low humidity. Keeping a typically humid area of the home, like the bathroom, or grouping plants together to create a humid microclimate will increase the humidity around the plant.

Fertilizer

Pothos plants are not heavy feeders but will benefit from occasional fertilization during the growing season. Once monthly, in spring and summer, feed them with a balanced houseplant fertilizer. When the plant is not growing, avoid fertilizing in winter.

Types of pothos

Pothos hybrids have a variety of leaf variations, with white, yellow or pale green spots accentuating the predominantly dark green leaves. Some varieties have firm light green leaves. Recommended varieties of pothos include:

• 'Marble Queen': A variety with an extremely attractive white-green variegated pattern. It needs more light than most pothos to maintain its unique color.
• 'Pearls and Jade': This variety is a passionate white and green climber, but instead of stripes, grey, green and white colors appear boldly around the edges of the leaves.
• 'Neon': A light chartreuse variety, this pothos needs less light and is great for brightening a dark area in your home.
• 'Silver Satin': This variety has thick grey-green leaves with silver spots. It is resistant to drought and low light conditions.

Pruning or Cut off

Because the pothos grows quickly, it can become spicy or leggy. Pruning is not necessary for the health of the plant, but occasional pruning can improve its shape. Use a sharp, sterile cutting instrument for incisions.

Pruning can make your pothos bushier. The way you prune is to cut below a node close to the crown, but to at least two leaf nodes on the vine you are cutting. If your plant is leggy, cut the growing tip to the desired length all along the vine.

You can prune your Pothos any time during the growing season, as long as you don’t prune during their dormant season.

The plants tend to develop a few yellow leaves here and there, which you can remove by cutting them off at the base.

Propagation of Pothos

You can buy mature pothos from a plant store, but it is easily propagated with stem cuttings rooted in water. Collect a vase or a clear glass with a sharp hand cutter in it. It’s pretty much a potting mix and a houseplant mix after that. Follow these steps:

• Use a sterile, sharp cutter to remove a healthy stem with at least three leaves. Cut at an angle about half an inch or an inch below the bottom leaf.
• Remove the bottom leaf from the stem (you do not need to remove the other leaves).
• Place the stem in a vase or glass of water, but do not let the remaining leaves touch the water.
• New roots appear in a week to ten days. When the roots are a few centimeters long, transplant the cuttings into containers as soon as possible.
• Place the containers in a place with strong indirect light and keep the soil moist but not wet.

Planting and transplanting pothos

Over time, your pothos will become pot-bound. If the leaves continue to fall no matter how much or how often you water, it is a sign that the roots have filled the container. Look for roots growing through the drainage holes or carefully lift the plant to check the roots.

When the plant reaches this stage, you can transplant it into a container one or two sizes larger in diameter and depth. Maintain the plant with fresh potting soil and water once watered well. When possible, wait for the transplant when the plant starts to grow actively. Use a plastic, ceramic, metal or terracotta container with sufficient drainage. If your pothos lives in an area with little light, consider using terra cotta, which helps wick away moisture.

Pothos is good for hanging baskets and macrame planters, with its long trailing vines. You can even grow pothos in water as long as the container is non-porous and waterproof.

General pests and plant diseases

Even hardy, low-maintenance pothos can have common houseplant problems, including pests and diseases.

Pothos is usually pest free, but can attract spider mites, whiteflies, scale and mealybugs. If you see pests, wipe with a soft clean cloth or use neem oil or insecticidal soap.

Plants can also succumb to bacterial leaf spot or root rot; two conditions that are often caused by overwatering, wet soil and insufficient light. Reduce the frequency of watering and in case of root rot, try to trim the damaged roots and transplant them into fresh, dry soil.

Pests	What to look for	How to treat
Mites	spots on leaves, webs on leaves and stems, small spider-like bugs	Wipe the leaves with a soft, damp cloth; Spray with horticultural or neem oil.
Whitefly	Small heart-shaped flies that emerge from the plant when disturbed	Spray the plant with water or insecticidal soap, use sticky traps
Scale	accumulation of shell-like growth on stems or leaves	Cut off affected stems, rub insects with cotton soaked in alcohol
Mealybugs	Small, white, 1/4 inch oval insects and powdery wax on plant stems	Spray with water, insecticidal soap or neem oil

Common problems with Pothos

1. The leaves turn yellow

: This is nothing to worry about as long as the plant is growing new growth, but if leaves suddenly or widely yellow out, something is wrong. The cause may be root rot due to excessive watering or bacterial or fungal disease.

2. Brown leaves: Brown leaves can be caused by a number of problems, including too little light or overwatering. Brown leaves that are dry and crispy indicate insufficient water or lack of moisture.

3. Leave leaves: Loose or wilted pothos leaves are signs that the plant is under stress, often due to lack of water. Water your plant deeply and check the soil moisture in the future. Loose leaves can also be a symptom that the plant is pot-bound or sick.

#Useful Tip-

If your pothos is problematic, take some cuttings from healthy growth to propagate into new plants. When you are going to repot your root pothos cuttings, you can also add rooted pothos cuttings to your plant to fill out the growth.

Common Questions from Readers

Is pothos a good houseplant?
Pothos is an excellent indoor plant for beginners and experienced indoor plant lovers alike.It doesn’t require too much light, it is resistant to most common pests and diseases and can still be successfully grown in a variety of conditions.

Why is pothos called devil's ivy?
Pothos are commonly referred to as devil's ivy, because they really do seem to be almost impossible to kill and no matter how you treat the light, pothos will still be green.

Should pothos hang or climb?
It can be a climbing plant or a hanging plant, if you have the space. It is a great option for hanging plants and will hang naturally. If you want, you can equip the pothos with a moss column or trellis to encourage it to grow upwards.