Perfecting Your Pothos

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My first pothos was a trooper. It lived for three years in a dimly lit spot on top of a bookshelf. At the time, I didn’t know much about houseplants. I was just happy to see vines trailing down my shelf. Eventually, it grew sparse and lanky. When I took it down, I discovered that the top of the pot was bare, the leaves were limp, and the soil had mushrooms. I had no idea that the plant had been struggling. Pothos, or epipremnum aureums, are forgiving plants. They tend to look good even when they are stressed and bounce back easily. Provide the right growing conditions and you’ll have a lush, glossy, fast-growing pothos that lasts for years. Here are my tips for perfecting your pothos. 

Note: Different epipremnum varieties prefer slightly different conditions. The following tips apply to common varieties including and similar to; jade, golden, marble queen, neon, and Hawaiian.

Give Them More Light

Since pothos are marketed as “low light” plants, we often unknowingly deprive epipremnums  by placing them in dark corners or away from windows. This is especially true for pothos on shelves because they lack overhead light. This lack of top-lighting causes sparse vines and thin growth at the base of the pot. For a full, lush plant make sure it receives light from all angles. If that’s not possible, you can rotate your plant in and out of a shelf spot every few months. Also, don’t be afraid to give your epipremnum direct sunlight. Pothos love a few hours of direct morning sun. Just make sure to keep it out of hot, summer sun. During most of the year, gentle direct sunlight will ensure good variegation, rapid growth, and create a nice leafy plant.

Water On Time

Epipremnums need humidity and moisture, so for fast growth and shiny leaves, water before your plant dries out. Watering frequency makes a big difference in the way your plant develops. Some people wait until the leaves look droopy to water, but this resuscitation-style watering stunts growth. For big glossy leaves, water just before your plant needs it. I recommend using the soil as a barometer instead of the leaves. If the top inch is dry, your pothos is ready for water. If you use rainwater, even better, because it gives your plant bigger fuller leaves. 

Provide Structure

If you’ve ever seen an epipremnum in its native environment, it’s pretty amazing. Their strong stems wrap around trees and grow giant leaves as big as dinner plates! Don’t let your indoor pothos spill out of your pot with nowhere to go. Epipremnums like to crawl, hang, or climb, but grow biggest when they climb. Provide structure with a trellis or moss poll and the leaf size of your pothos will expand to new heights. I personally prefer a trellis because they are easier to work with, but you can use any upright structure that will withstand moisture without rotting or rusting. 

With a few small tweaks we can bring out the beauty of an epipremnum and perfect our pothos. 

Meet Paula Palma

Paula has a teaching background in pilates, yoga, and meditation. She is currently studying biology as a prerequisite for further education. One of her favorite…

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