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POTHOS PLANT CARE TIPS
Pothos is a houseplant classic and is one of the easiest houseplants to grow, even for beginner plant parents. Pothos is native to China, the Indian Subcontinent, Australia, New Guinea, Southeast Asia, and various islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It has pointed, heart-shaped green leaves, which are often mottled with yellow, pale green, or white motifs.
The beauty of Pothos is that they it is very low-maintenance, grows fast and does not require much light. It is also very easy to propagate.
Many names, one plant
From Wikipedia
The plant has a number of common names including golden pothos, Ceylon creeper, hunter’s robe, ivy arum, house plant, money plant, silver vine, Solomon Islands ivy, marble queen, and taro vine. It is also called devil’s vine or devil’s ivy because it is almost impossible to kill and it stays green even when kept in the dark. It is sometimes mistakenly labeled as a Philodendron in plant stores. It is commonly known as a money plant in many parts of the Indian subcontinent.
Aerial root system of Pothos posesses great vining skills. In its natural habitat, they can climb on trees or find its way across forest floors. You can easily “train” pothos to grow where you want it to. You can use hooks to trail your Pothos along walls and furniture. Be careful not to let the vines tangle as they tend to do if left unattended for a long time.
1. Pothos and light
When Pothos is grown and tended to indoors, it prefers bright indirect light. Even though Pothos can survive with not much light or just indoors fluorescent lights, the variegated types might lose its beautiful patterns. In that case, you can move your Pothos into a brightly lit corner of the room to restore the variegation. But be careful, too much light can be harmful, too. If the leaves suddenly turn pale, we recommend moving the plant to a place receiving less sunlight.
2. Well-drained Soil
The most important criteria when choosing soil for your Pothos is proper drainage. If your soil doesn’t allow excess water to escape, the soil will get clogged and the plants will suffer. When there is not enough drainage Pothos becomes oxyden-deficient. Clogged soil can also cause root rot, fungal and bacterial problems.
3. Room temperature and high humidity
Pothos love high humidity because of their native habitat (ex. Solomon Islands). But as might have already guessed Pothos will survive even in medium to dry air. If you want to help your Pothos grow make sure you mist it frequently, especially in winter. Or get an air humudufier, your other plants will apreciate it, too!
The perfect temperatures range for Pothos is between 70°F and 90°F (21C – 32C). In these conditions, your Pothos will flourish and grow quicker. Of course, it can survive temperatures as low as 55°F (13C), but it won´t be happy with such an arrangement. You will start seeing less growth and color in the leaves.
4. Watering
One of the worst things you could do to your Pothos is overwatering. Before watering make sure that the top inch of the soil is dry. If you see your pothos collapsing or dark spots appearing on the leaves, you watered your pothos too much and/or too often. But if the leaves start getting dry and brown you wated too long before the waterings.
Don't forget to add MARPHYL Organic Soil Enhancer every other watering
Plants rely on potassium to facilitate the circulation of nutrients and on nitrogen as the essential element in photosynthesis, while the roots need phosphorus to thrive. MARPHYL® Organic Soil Enhancer is high in potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus, and also contains trace amounts of other nutrients, such as calcium and magnesium for optimum plant health and growth.
Add MARPHYL® Organic Soil Enhancer to the water every other time you water your aloe plant. Recommended ratio is 1:20.
5. Pothos toxicity
Technically, Potos is not poisonous. However, Pothos contains a type of mineral called calcium oxalate crystals. It is not digested easily like most other minerals and can cause damage to soft tissues like the inside of a mouth or a nose. In the worst cases, it can also cause breathing trouble and digestive issues. Therefore, we recommend keeping Pothos out of reach of small children and animals.
6. Repotting Pothos
Why and when do you want to repot your Pothos? Repotting is a great way to check the condition of the plant´s roots and ensure that it is healthy. If your Poths stopped growing one of the reasons might be that its pot is becoming too small for it. Old soil might be also lacking nutrients. On average, it is recommended to repot Pothos once every 1 or 1.5 years. The best time to do that is during Spring or Summer when the plant is actively growing and is full of energy. Be careful if you decide to repot your Pothos in Winter as its growth will be slowed down and it might have less strength to cope with the stress of the change. In any case, after repotting we recomment using MARPHYL Organic Soil Enhancer to help your Pothos bounce back quickly and flourish.
7. Propagating Pothos
It is very easy to propagate Pothos. Look below the leaf or branch junctures, you will see root nodes on the stem. These tiny bumps on the stems of rooting pothos are the key to propagating pothos.
First, take a cutting. Find a healthy looking vine with a decent number of leaves and select a piece that includes at least 3-4 leaves. To get the cuttings to root you can just place them in water. Place it in a brightly lit spot with indirect sunlight. Change the water frequently and soon you will see roots appearing. 1-2 weeks after the roots have formed you can try planting the cutting into the soil.
8. Fertilizing
Pothos aren’t heavy feeders. Overfertilizing can harm the plant. Add MARPHYL® Organic Soil Enhancer to the water every other time you water your aloe plant. Recommended ratio is 1:20.
9. Pothos and pests
Pothos don’t tend to have many pest problems, but infestations can still pop up from time to time. The most common enemies of Pothos are mealybugs and scale, which can be taken care of using home remedies or commercial insecticides.