Pothos - An Easy to Grow Houseplant, Pothos

Common Name(s):

Foliage: Leaves are a pointed heart-shape and can be green or variegated in white, yellow or a paler green.

Flowers: Pothos is rarely seen in flower. When it is found flowering, the flowers are white.

Form: The natural form of pothos is a trailing vine. It can get very leggy if left unpruned and if allowed to dry out too drastically, the older leaves will yellow and wither, leaving the vine stripped at the base, with leaves only on the new growth. Pruning will keep the plant fuller.

Pothos vines will not cling to trellises and supports on their own, but they can be twined onto them and appear to grow upward.

If you do choose to let your pothos grown into a long vine, it can be secured on hooks along walls and over window frames, like the plant that took over Katherine Hepburn’s office in "Desk Set". Vines left to grow on their own can get very tangled, so shake them loose every now and then to keep them from becoming a mess.

Pothos can be used in containers and borders in the summer.

• 'Marble Queen' - A white-variegated variety that grows very slowly.
• 'Golden' - Leaves and stems have a yellow hue.
• 'Tricolor' - mottled with or yellow, cream and pale green. Harder to find.

Soil: Pothos prefer a slightly acidic soil, but any well-draining potting mix will suffice.

Water: Pothos like to have their soil dry out completely between waterings. If left continually in damp soil, the roots will rot. Let the plant tell you when to water. When it starts to droop, it needs a good drink. Don’t wait until the leaves start to shrivel or you will lose some leaves. Unlike the general rule of watering deeply and infrequently, I have found my pothos grow best if I give them a splash of water whenever they start to droop.

Fertilize: Pothos aren’t heavy feeders, but since there are no nutrients in most potting soils, feed monthly to bi-monthly, with any balanced houseplant fertilizer.

Pruning: is not required, but can be done to shape or control the size of your plant. Cut back to a leaf that is about 2" from the base of the plant, to keep new growth coming in.

Re-Potting: Eventually your pothos will become pot bound. When the leaves droop no matter how much or often you water them, the roots have probably filled the pot. Carefully lift the plant and check if that is the problem. When the plant has reached this stage, you can repot in a pot 1 or 2 sizes larger, with fresh soil. It helps to trim the plant back at this time also. If you don’t want a larger plant, you can try dividing the plant or simply takes some cuttings and start over.

Propagating: Pothos are incredibly easy to root from cuttings. Simply put the cuttings in damp soil or even in a glass of water. I have had them growing over my compost heap, where I’d tossed out the excess. Move cuttings rooted in water into soil as soon as possible, so they can begin getting nutrients.

Pests and Problems: Pothos are usually pest free, but they can get infested with mealy bugs. Insecticidal soap works against them, but the easiest method is to simply dab them with an alcohol soaked cotton swab.

Most pothos problems are caused by poor growing contiditons:

• Black spots on the leaves and the sudden collapse of the plant indicate the soil has been kept too wet.

• Dry, brown edges mean the plant was kept dry too long.

• Loss of variegation can mean the plant needs a bit more light.

• Suddenly paler looking leaves mean the plant is getting too much sun.

NOTE: All parts of the pothos plant are poisonous if ingested.