Pothos Plants: A Detailed Guide To Growing And Caring

How to Cultivate and Maintain Pothos Plants? Even if you are the type of person who tends to forget to water their houseplants regularly, you should still be able to cultivate a pothos plant successfully. Natural habitat trailing vine's pointy, heart-shaped green leaves are frequently variegated with white, yellow, or pale green striations. Its natural habitat is the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific. A pothos makes an excellent houseplant throughout the year since it grows swiftly, typically adding between 12 and 18 inches to its length in only one month. Be cautious that pothos plants are hazardous to pets. 

1. Pothos, Golden Pothos, Devil's Vine, and Devil's Ivy are common names for the Pothos plant.
2. Botanical Name: Epipremnum aureum
3. Family: Araceae
4. Plant Type: Vine
5. Size at maturity: 20–40 feet in length and 3–6 feet in width
6. Sun Exposure: Full sun, moderate shade
7. Type of Soil: Moist yet with Good Drainage
8. PH ranges from neutral to slightly acidic in the soil.
9. Bloom Time: Pothos plant blooms seldom.
10. Flower Colors Are Yellow/Gold, Purple/Lavender, and Purple/Gold.
11. Hardiness Zones: 10–12 (USDA)
12. South Pacific is their native region.
13. Every part of this plant harms dogs and cats due to its high level of toxicity.

Care For Pothos Plants

Pothos vines are not like ivy in that they naturally attach themselves to trellises and other supports; nevertheless, they may be taught onto supports to create the illusion that they are twining. Even though most pothos are maintained at a considerably shorter and more manageable length, it is not uncommon for pothos specimens to reach thirty feet when grown indoors. If you want your pothos to develop into a long vine, you may train it along walls and over window frames by securing it to hooks and allowing it to grow freely. If you want to prevent your vines from becoming a tangled mess, shake them loose every once in a while. Vines that are allowed to develop on their own can get highly knotted. Pothos is a plant that does well in low-light environments and those that have fluorescent lighting. Because of this, it is an ideal choice for places like workplaces and dorm rooms, even though it prefers bright, indirect light.

The pothos may thrive in either full sun or partial shade, but you need to monitor their exposure to ensure it doesn't get too much of either. When planted inside, pothos thrives best in bright but indirect light. When they do not get enough sunlight, variegated plants frequently lose the pattern on their leaves and return to having entirely green foliage. Putting them in situations with more light will typically cause the variation to return. Sudden bleaching of the plant's leaves indicates that it is exposed to an unhealthy amount of sunlight.

Soil

Pothos plants do best in 65 traditional, well-draining potting soil medium to high in rocky content and can even be on the dry side. A pH of 6.1 to 6.8 is ideal for growing pothos, which prefers slightly acidic conditions. It can survive in environments ranging from those that are entirely neutral to those that are somewhat acidic.

Water

It is best for a pothos plant if the soil is allowed to dry out in between waterings. The roots of the plant will decay if they are allowed to remain in soil that is always moist. If there are black patches on the leaves of the plant, or if the plant suddenly dies, this is a sign that the soil has been maintained overly moist. 2 When it's time to water the plant, it will give you a sign. When it starts to droop, it requires water. Please do not wait until the leaves begin to shrink since this may cause the plant to lose its leaves. If the plant has dried, brown edges, it was kept dry for an excessive amount of time.

Temperature As Well As Relative Humidity

Temperatures regularly above 50 degrees Fahrenheit are ideal for pothos, but they will do OK with temperatures that range from 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit in the room they are housed in. Pothos should be kept at temperatures that are consistently above 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Additionally, pothos plants like high humidity. Keeping the plant in an area of the house that is naturally humid, such as the kitchen or the bathroom, is one way to raise the overall humidity level surrounding the plant. Despite this, the plant is quite resistant and can flourish even in areas with low humidity. Therefore there is no requirement to purchase a humidifier for it.

Fertilizer

The pothos plant does not require a lot of food. However, because most potting soils do not include nutrients, you will need to provide the plant with a balanced houseplant fertilizer every two months, except for the winter months when the plant is dormant.

Different Kinds Of Pothos

Pothos hybrids have been created with a wide variety of distinct patterns of leaf variegation, including areas of white, yellow, or light green interspersed among the darkest green leaves. Some cultivars have leaves that have a uniform pale green color. The following are some types of pothos that come highly recommended:

• "Marble Queen" is the name of a variety that has a particularly stunning pattern of white and green stripes throughout its leaves. This particular pothos needs more light than other varieties to keep its one-of-a-kind hue.
• 'Pearls and Jade': This cultivar is a vigorous white and green climber; however, rather than striping, the colors grey, green, and white appear prominently along the margins of the leaves.
• "Neon" is a brilliant chartreuse variation of the pothos plant. It is a pothos that requires less light and is excellent for illuminating a dimly lit space in your house.
• "Silver Satin" is the name of a variety with thick, gray-green leaves spotted with silver. It can survive in environments of low light and prolonged periods of drought.

Putting Pothos In Pots And Repotting It

Your pothos will become root-bound in its container at some point. When the leaves begin to droop, it does not matter how much or how frequently you water them; this is a definite indicator that the roots have probably filled the pot, and there is no place for the plant to continue growing. Carefully taking the plant out of its container will allow you to determine whether or not this is the cause of the issue. You may be able to spot some roots protruding through the drainage openings. When the plant has developed to this point, you can report it by moving it into an enormous container in diameter and depth by one or two sizes and then adding new potting soil to the new container.

Propagating Pothos

When performed with stem cuttings, the propagation of pothos is a simple process. Cuttings taken from pothos are most successful when started in water. The following is a list of the actions to take:

1. Choose a healthy stem that has at least three leaves and cut it at an angle about a half inch to an inch below the leaf that is the lowest on the stem using a cutting instrument that is sterile and sharp.
2. You need to remove the leaf attached to the base of the stem; the remaining leaves can remain.
3. Put the branch into a vase or container containing water, but ensure that the remaining leaves do not come into contact with the liquid.
4. As soon as the cutting has produced new roots that are several inches long, which will probably take a few weeks, they should transplant into a container containing potting soil as soon as possible so that it may begin to grow a robust root system.
5. Place the pot in an area that receives solid indirect light, and ensure that the soil remains moist but not soaked at all times.

Common Pests

In most cases, pests do not bother pothos. However, there is a possibility that the plant will become plagued with mealybugs at some point. 3 The problems can be controlled using an insecticidal soap, but the simplest option is to dab the insects with an alcohol-soaked cotton swab and removes them that way.