How to care for a pothos plant

A pothos at Patch Plants

In the world of houseplants, the name ‘pothos’ refers to several climbing plants, but here we’re mainly talking about Epipremnum aureum. Commonly known as golden pothos, it is a self-clinging evergreen vine, with glossy bright-green ovate leaves that are splashed with cream or gold. Although it hails from just one island (Mo’orea, one of the Society Islands in the Pacific), it has naturalised in forests around the world, including in Australia, South Africa, and the West Indies. After taking root on the forest floor, it pulls itself up trees using self-clinging aerial roots. In some places (such as Sri Lanka), it has made a devastating nuisance of itself, so it should never be planted outside in warm regions where it isn’t native and may run amok. But, as a climbing houseplant, it is superb, being difficult to kill and having been shown to rid the air of harmful indoor pollutants (such as formaldehyde, xylene, and benzene). In the right conditions, it can form columns of greenery and even coat walls in curtains of lush leaves.

Bright indirect light is best for the healthiest, most enthusiastic growth, with large leaves, strong colour, and distinct variegation. Strong direct sun could scorch the leaves. Pothos is known as devil’s ivy because it remains green in deep shade; however, although it will tolerate very low light, growth will be slow, the leaves will remain small, and variegated forms could revert to the colour of the parent species. The ‘pothos’ that perform best in low, indirect light are the Philodendron varieties.

Good air circulation is great, but keep the plant well away from draughts, as well as radiators and dehumidifiers. Humidity is preferable, but not necessary. They will perform best in the room temperatures that we feel comfortable in, but their toleration range is 12 to 26°.

Pothos are climbing plants that pull themselves up trees in the wild. When they are given a structure to climb – as well as the right care and conditions – their leaves can grow very big (up to 90cm). When the plant is young, usually the best option is to plunge a coir pole into the pot. Despite being self-clinging vines, pothos usually need help by being regularly tied in. Once the plant is a good size, it can be tricky to remove it from its original support – in which case, repot it, providing a second structure to climb, alongside the existing nursery pole. This can be anything sturdy: if you want a frame, consider a wall trellis or, in a large room, ornate salvaged iron gates or doors; if you prefer one central support, a metal obelisk is ideal or a salvaged pillar, post, or column could provide a beautiful floor to ceiling column.

'Rapunzel' Devil's Ivy

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Pothos look beautiful trailing from a container hung from the ceiling or sat atop a high shelf or cabinet. However, their leaves won’t be as big if they can’t climb. A combination of climbing and trailing looks fabulous, once the plant reaches a certain size. In Brighton, houseplant enthusiast Asha Kirkby sent her 14-year-old pothos climbing to the ceiling of her living room and then employed a system of hooks and string to support the plant around the tops of the walls, just under the cornice. ‘It grows all around the room – stretching 16 metres, but the stems cascade down intermittently from the main growth, so the plant is longer than that,’ she says. ‘I stuck large hooks into the wall, near the high ceiling, at 1.5 metre intervals, and then tied her to the hooks using strong garden twine. The new ends of the plant need threading through every 1 to 2 months.’

Water when the upper half of the compost is dry (usually every 1 to 2 weeks in summer); if the pot feels relatively light when lifted or the leaves begin to droop, it needs a drink. When watered, the compost should be thoroughly moist, but let the excess water drain out after watering; don’t leave the plant sitting in a tray of water for long periods. Overwatering is the worst thing you can do to a pothos: waterlogging could lead to poor growth, rotting, or susceptibility to pests (such as spider mite and mealybugs). They will tolerate drought, but prefer to be watered when necessary. A lot less watering is required during winter. Philodendron forms of ‘pothos’ tend to need a bit more watering than Epipremnum and Scindapsus.

Because golden pothos grows in wet tropical forest in the wild, it loves the moist air of a bathroom or kitchen. It is incredibly resilient, so it will tolerate rooms with low to average humidity, but it’s best to boost humidity in those places, either by sitting the plant on a tray of pebbles and water or by regularly misting it. If your pothos is growing up a coir pole, you could also spray that with water.

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Fertilise with nitrogen-rich liquid food once a fortnight during spring and summer. Without sufficient food, growth won’t be as vigorous, the leaves won’t be as big, and variegated plants could revert to the form of their parent species. Once a year, remove the upper layer of compost, and replace with fresh peat-free compost.

Cut the plant back to boost bushiness if it has become too leggy for your liking; a regular trim at any time of year will help to maintain lush, healthy growth, although spring and summer are the optimum seasons to do it. The closer to the base of the plant you cut, the bushier it will grow back.

If the plant looks thin and leggy, prune it (as above) or pin a few sections up at the base. Use plant, floristry, or hair pins to attach the node (lumpy protrusion) of a long section up onto the compost; this immediately creates a fuller looking plant, and the pinned sections will produce roots.

Since pothos really enjoy being a little pot-bound, only transfer into a bigger container when absolutely necessary. Use multipurpose peat-free compost mixed with coir or moss.

If your variegated pothos has started to revert back to the colour of its parent species, cut out the reverted growth; move the plant to a position that has bright indirect light and feed it regularly.

New plants are easy to make via stem cuttings taken in spring or summer. Cut a length of trail and then section it into the pieces you need, using a sharp, clean pair of secateurs. Cut a few centimetres above and below a node (the lumpy bit on the stem, close to a leaf), so that you are left with a node and a leaf. Cut the upper end horizontal and the lower end at an angle, so you remember which is which. Then insert 10 to 20 of these little cuttings into the same pot of moist compost, plunging the lower ends (cut at an angle) in. If you only use a few, you won’t produce a generous, bushy plant. Keep the compost moist (but never waterlogged) for the first month; then revert to the scant watering that mature pothos enjoy. It’s also worth boosting the humidity for the first month (by misting, sitting the pot on a tray of pebbles and water, or placing it in a bright bathroom), but once they are established, such humidity is not necessary.

Pothos is toxic to dogs and cats. It is also mildly toxic to humans, so be careful if you have young children, and wear gloves and long sleeves when handling the plant to prevent skin irritation.

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Although Epipremnum aureum may take centre stage, other plants are included under the umbrella term ‘pothos’. They are mainly Epipremnum pinnatum (the money plant), Scindapsus pictus (silver vine), and Philodendron hederaceum (syn. Philodendron scandens; heart leaf). It all gets rather incestuous and confusing because Epipremnum pinnatum used to be known as Philodendron epipremnum, and Epipremnum aureum used to be classed as Scindapsus aureus and, before that, was originally labelled Pothos aureus – which is why it is still referred to as ‘pothos’ today, even though Pothos is in fact a different genus. Retailers offer a plethora of varieties stemming from these four species and, while they vary ever so slightly in shape, colour, patterning, and texture, they look very similar and their growing requirements are identical, so they are all referred to as pothos. If you pick up a trailing plant with large heart-shaped leaves in a houseplant shop, it’s probably a pothos.

The principal species, Epipremnum aureum, has smooth, glossy green ovate leaves marbled with gold or cream. But there are many varieties of pothos available with wonderful foliage colours and markings. Scindapsus pictus ‘Argyraeus’ produces neat fir-green leaves with grey blotches; Scindapsus pictus ‘Trebie’ enchanting silver leaves are marked green; Epipremnum aureum ‘Njoy’ is a striking green and cream-white; Epipremnum aureum ‘Neon’ is a cheering shade of golden lime; Epipremnum pinnatum Marble Planet has rough-textured emerald leaves; and Epipremnum aureum ‘Global Green’ is a lush combination of dark green and apple green. Most have an ovate heart leaf shape, but some (such as glaucous Epipremnum pinnatum ‘Cebu Blue’) are markedly more lanceolate.

Philodendron leaves are thinner, smoother, and have more of a distinct heart shape, with a pointed tip, and, when variegated, the colouring tends to be more defined and distinct. Also new growth on a Philodendron can be pinkish or reddish, and they tend to be leggier. Philodendron ‘Lemon Lime’ is a vivid shade of green yellow, and Philodendron hederaceum ‘Brasil’ has two-tone green and lime leaves.

When shopping, always choose a bushy, healthy-looking plant that has lots of base stems (ideally, 10 or more) emerging from the compost.