My tips on the best way to care for a pothos plant can aid in growing this plant no matter how you decide to display it. Whether it’s cascading from a hanging planter, growing upward on a moss pole or horizontally across a windowsill, mantle or tabletop.
Most Pathos plants are easy to detect because of its heart shaped leaves that grow along a vine. It is most often known as the devils ivy because it’s hard to kill since it can withstand neglect. So, if you’re just getting started with adding houseplants into your home, I highly recommend starting off with a pothos while you develop the knack for a green thumb.
This is one of those plants that can actually live without soil. It can actually live in water for 5 – 10 years if you feed it with an all purpose liquid fertilizer.
Pothos Plant (aka the devils ivy, golden pothos, ceylon creeper, hunter’s robe, ivy arum, house plant, money plant, silver vine, Solomons island plant, marble queen, and taro vine.)
Botanical Name & Family: Epipremnum Aureum from the family Araceae
Other Pothos plant species include: Marble Queen Pothos, Neon Pothos, Jessenia Pothos, Manjula Pothos, Pearls and Jade Pothos (my favorite), Silver Satin Pothos, N-joy Pothos, and Cebu Blue Pothos to name a few.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
The Best Way To Care For Your Pothos Plant
- Light: Thrives in bright indirect light but can tolerate medium or low-light. Keep it away from intense direct sunlight
- Benefits: A great air purifier by eliminating formaldehyde, benzene, and carbon dioxide. It also helps eliminate odors and is said to help relax the eyes. This could explain why this plant is so popular in office spaces.
- Soil: Use a good well draining potting mix.
Watering: Water 1-2x weekly if placed in bright indirect light and less often in medium to low light. This plant has a way of talking to you when it’s lacking water. If the leaves start to droop, that’s a tell tale sign that it needs watering or repotting. A good old-fashioned method to use when determining if it’s time to water a pothos is to stick your finger into the soil up to the first knuckle. If the soil feels dry then you know it’s time.
Fertilizer: Use a 10-10-10 or 20-20-20 fertilizer once every 3 months
Repotting: It can survive in small pots so it doesn’t need repotting often. Repot if you see the roots blocking the drainage holes.
Toxicity: While this plant is toxic to dogs and cats it is rarely fatal. Some symptoms you may see if a pothos has been ingested are eye, mouth and tongue irritation. You can also see tongue swelling, foaming at the mouth, vomiting and difficulty in breathing. So, it’s a good idea to keep out of reach for your pets sake
How big it will grow: It can grow 20 – 40 feet long and 3 – 6 feet wide
- Propagating: Cut diagonally on the vine with 3-4 leaves just below a root node. Place in water until roots form changing the water weekly. Once the roots are about an inch or two long the cutting is ready to plant in soil.
Temperature: Keep your pothos between 60°F-75F/16°C – 24°C and doesn’t like to be in temperature below 50°F/10°C for any extended period of time.
Now that you know the best way to care for a pothos plant, other houseplants to add to your collection that are low maintenance are the rubber plant and the spider plant.
