Pothos
The trailing plant on every shelf for a reason. Pothos grows fast, tells you clearly when it is thirsty, and roots in a glass of water.
Pothos is the plant that taught us what "drooping means thirsty" looks like. It wilts a little, you water it, and it recovers within hours. It roots in water in a week, it trails six feet from a shelf, and it grows in light that would starve most plants.
The golden form is the classic. Marble Queen, Neon and Manjula are the same easy plant with different paint jobs, and the more white or yellow in the leaf, the more light it needs.
Light
Medium indirect light is ideal, but it copes from a north window to a spot several feet from any bright one. It even survives an interior room with a lamp. Variegated types lose their pattern in low light and revert to green. Direct sun scorches the leaves.
Water
Water when the top two inches are dry, roughly weekly in summer and every twelve days in winter. The leaves go slightly soft and the vines droop when it is thirsty, which is your cue. Yellow leaves with wet soil mean too much water, and pothos will forgive that too, once.
Soil and potting
Any standard potting mix with a little perlite. It fills a pot within a year and does not mind being root-bound, but repot annually in spring if you want it to keep growing fast. It also lives indefinitely in a jar of water.
Feeding
A half-strength balanced feed monthly in spring and summer. Plants kept in water want a few drops of liquid fertiliser every month.
Propagation
Cut a vine into pieces with one leaf and one node each, drop them in water, and you will have roots in a week or two. Plant several cuttings back into the parent pot to fix a leggy plant. This is the easiest propagation in the houseplant world.
In a hot, dry home
Untroubled by dry air. Brown tips appear only if it sits in an AC draft. It does mind hot glass: a west window in July will scorch it in an afternoon, so hang it where the sun cannot land on the leaves directly.
Pothos varieties
Same care, different look. These are the named forms you will see for sale.
- Golden
The classic: green leaves splashed with yellow. Fastest, toughest, and the best in low light.
- Jade
Solid dark green with no variegation. Handles the dimmest spots of all.
- Marble Queen
Heavily marbled cream and green. Slower than golden and needs brighter light to keep the cream.
- Neon
Solid chartreuse leaves that glow in a dark corner. Colour fades to lime in low light.
- N'Joy
Small leaves with crisp white and green patches, compact growth. Wants bright light.
- Manjula
Wavy-edged leaves with cream, silver and green swirls. Slow and showy.
- Global Green
Two-tone green mottling, dark on light. Compact and easy.
- Shangri La
Curled, crinkled leaves on a compact, upright plant. An oddity.
- Neon Queen
Neon with cream variegation.
- Lemon Meringue
Bright yellow variegation on lime green. Rare.
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Not a true pothos: a Scindapsus with silver-splashed matte leaves. Has its own profile.
Full profile -
A different Epipremnum species with narrow silver-blue leaves. Has its own profile.
Full profile
Problems and fixes
Lower leaves turning yellow
Likely cause: Overwatering or a pot with no drainage
Fix: Let it dry out fully. Check for drainage holes. Trim yellow leaves.
Long bare vines with small leaves
Likely cause: Not enough light
Fix: Move closer to a window and trim the vines back; root the cuttings in the same pot.
Variegation fading to green
Likely cause: Too little light for a variegated type
Fix: Brighter indirect light. The new growth will show the pattern again.
Brown crispy patches
Likely cause: Direct sun
Fix: Move out of the sun line. Damaged leaves do not recover; trim them.
Pothos questions
Can pothos grow in water forever?
Yes, with a little liquid fertiliser every month and a water change every week or two. Growth is slower than in soil.
Is pothos toxic to cats and dogs?
Yes. It contains calcium oxalate crystals that irritate the mouth. Hang it out of reach.
How do I make pothos fuller?
Cut the vines back and root the cuttings in the same pot. Brighter light also keeps the leaves closer together on the stem.
Plants with a similar rhythm
Heartleaf Philodendron
- Light
- Low to bright indirect
- Water
- Weekly
- Pets
- Toxic
