Pothos care guide

Pothos care at a glance

Everything a pothos needs, in one table.

How much light does a pothos need?

Pothos grows best in medium to bright, indirect light, such as near an east window or a few feet from a south or west one. It's one of the few plants that also tolerates low light and fluorescent office lighting, though growth slows and vines stretch out with gaps between leaves.

Variegation depends on light. Marble queen, snow queen, manjula and n'joy lose their white and cream in low light, and golden pothos turns plain green. Neon pothos fades to lime in dim spots. Keep pothos out of hot direct sun, which bleaches and scorches the leaves.

How often to water a pothos

Water when the top 1 to 2 inches of soil are dry, usually every 7 to 10 days in spring and summer and every 2 to 3 weeks in winter. Pothos tells you when it's thirsty: the leaves go soft and droop slightly, then perk up within hours of watering.

Water the soil until it drains, and empty the saucer. Yellow leaves, especially several at once, mean the soil is staying too wet.

• Hanging pothos dry out faster because warm air rises. Check them more often.
• Pothos can grow in plain water indefinitely. Use a clean vase, change the water every week or two, and add a drop of liquid fertilizer once a month.

Pothos winter care

In winter, water every 2 to 3 weeks and stop fertilizing. Keep pothos away from cold windows and drafts; leaves blacken below about 50°F. Move it closer to the light if new leaves come in small.

Pruning, propagation and keeping it full

Pothos gets leggy as vines grow. Cut vines back anytime, just above a leaf, to make the plant branch and stay bushy. Every cut piece is a free new plant.

To propagate, take a 4 to 6 inch cutting with at least one node (the brown bump below a leaf) and stand it in water. Roots appear in 1 to 2 weeks. Pot it once roots are 2 inches long, or poke the rooted cuttings back into the original pot to fill it out.

Soil, pots and repotting

Any good, well-draining potting mix works; add a handful of perlite for heavy soils. Repot every 1 to 2 years in spring when roots circle the pot, going up one size.

Feed monthly in spring and summer with a balanced liquid fertilizer at half strength.

Common pothos problems

Pothos problems are almost always about water or light.

• Yellow leaves: overwatering, or old leaves at the base dying back naturally.
• Brown, crispy leaves: underwatering or very dry air.
• Brown, mushy stems at the soil: root rot. Take healthy cuttings and restart.
• Leggy vines with small leaves: too little light. Move it brighter and trim it back.
• Lost variegation: too little light. New leaves regain color in brighter light.
• Pests: mealybugs and spider mites. Wipe with insecticidal soap.

Growing pothos outdoors

Pothos can live outdoors in shade all year in USDA zones 10 to 12, and on a shady patio in summer elsewhere. Don't plant it in the ground in South Florida, where it escapes and climbs trees. Bring potted plants in before nights drop below 55°F.

Pothos varieties and how to care for each

All true pothos share the same care. The main difference is how much light each needs to keep its color.