How to care for a pothos
The pothos is the plant almost everyone ends up with: it tolerates low light, forgives forgetfulness and grows on any shelf. Here’s the essential, kept simple.
To care for a pothos, give it indirect light (it tolerates low light), water when the top few centimetres of soil have dried and use a pot with a drainage hole. At an east-facing window, in a 16 cm plastic pot, it needs water every 4 days in July. Drooping leaves tell you when it’s thirsty.
How much light does a pothos need?
The pothos (Epipremnum aureum) comes from the island of Mo’orea, in French Polynesia, where it climbs trees in tropical forest, hence its liking for filtered light. It is among the houseplants that put up best with dim light, which is why you meet it in offices, corridors and hallways. Putting up with it isn’t the same as liking it, though: in bright indirect light it grows faster, new leaves come out larger and variegated types such as ‘Marble Queen’ hold their pattern. In deep shade growth slows, new leaves come out small, the markings fade and the stems stretch. Direct summer sun scorches the leaves: an east- or west-facing window, or a spot set back from a south-facing one, usually suits.
When should you water a pothos?
It prefers soil that stays faintly damp, never soggy. Press a finger down to the first knuckle: with the top two or three centimetres dry, water thoroughly, until it escapes through the drainage hole, and empty the saucer. The gap varies quite a bit with light:
| Where it lives | In July | In January |
|---|---|---|
| South- or west-facing window | 4 days | 7 days |
| East-facing window | 4 days | 7 days |
| North-facing window | 7 days | 12 days |
| Hallway or corner with no window | 10 days | 17 days |
The finger test, the effect of the pot and of the season are laid out in how often to water a pothos.
What soil and pot suit a pothos?
- Light, general-purpose compost that holds some moisture but drains freely, with a handful of perlite or pine bark so air can circulate. Slightly acidic is the usual advice.
- A hole in the bottom, always. Without one the water has nowhere to go.
- A pot barely larger than the root ball. An over-wide container stores water nobody drinks. When the roots fill it, every two or three years, move up just one pot size.
What temperature and humidity does it like?
It’s content with ordinary home temperatures, roughly 18 to 30 °C, and the room shouldn’t drop below about 15 °C. Cold draughts upset it, and so do radiators. It likes moderate to high humidity (some care sheets say 50 to 70%) but adapts to ordinary indoor air, and crisp tips are the first sign the air is too dry. Keep it away from radiators and, if leaf tips crisp, stand it among other plants; misting gives only brief relief. If brown shows up, this guide to brown pothos leaves helps you find the cause.
Can you keep a pothos in the bathroom?
You can, provided the room has a window and decent light: the extra humidity tends to suit it. In a windowless bathroom the light never arrives and the plant fades, however humid the air. In that case, keep it in a brighter room and bring it in only as an occasional guest.
Which pothos varieties are there?
The classic has green leaves with golden flecks. There is also ‘Marble Queen’, with pale leaves marked in cream and white, ‘Neon’, a vivid lime green, and ‘N’Joy’, also variegated. The variegated and paler ones need more light to keep their colour: when light runs short, the pattern fades.
How should you feed it?
In spring and summer, a well-diluted liquid feed for green plants, once a month or every other month depending on strength. In winter the plant slows down, so it rests.
How do you prune a pothos to make it bushy?
Left unpruned, a pothos throws out long, bare vines that can pass four metres. To fill it out, snip the tips just above a node: new shoots usually appear there. What you cut makes cuttings, the cheapest way to own another pothos. The steps are in how to propagate pothos.
Where should a pothos go?
On a shelf, in a hanging pot, or climbing a pole, moss stick or length of string. Once it climbs, the leaves tend to grow larger, as they would on a tree. On high shelves, check that light actually reaches it.
Does it need cleaning?
Run a damp cloth over the leaves every so often: it clears the dust so the plant can use the light better.
When something goes wrong
| What you see | What it usually is | Where to read |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow leaves | Too much water | Yellow leaves |
| Brown tips and leaves | Dry air, thirst, sun | Brown leaves |
Summary: pothos care
| Care | What to do |
|---|---|
| Light | Indirect; tolerates low light |
| Watering | When the top few centimetres have dried |
| Soil | Light potting soil |
| Pot | With a drainage hole, only a little bigger than the roots |
| Temperature | About 18 to 30 °C; never below 15 °C |
| Fertiliser | In spring and summer, well diluted, monthly or every other month |
| Pruning | Above a node, to make it fuller |
Quick questions
Does a pothos need direct sun? No. A bright room is enough, and strong midday sun does more harm than good.
Is a pothos an indoor or outdoor plant? Mostly indoors. In summer it can spend time outside in the shade, and comes back in before the nights turn cold.
How big does a pothos grow? In the wild it climbs trees several metres high, and indoors, unpruned, the vines pass four metres; a stake or pole and good light bring out the most growth.
Caring with little effort
A pothos forgives a lot, but it pays you back for the right rhythm. In Verdejar, you choose the plant, the room and the light, and the app works out the watering and reminds you on the day.
Sources: Royal Horticultural Society · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · Missouri Botanical Garden · UF/IFAS Extension · Clemson Home & Garden Information Center · Penn State Extension · University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension · South Dakota State University Extension · NC State Extension · University of Maryland Extension. The days between waterings come from the Verdejar watering engine.