Easy Care Pothos

The Pothos – Jade, Golden and Marble Queen leads the way in houseplants. In fact, it is one of the Top houseplants. So many people care for this “tough,” versatile plant. Everything from small pots, hanging baskets, totems and even as their only bit out green they see all day - a vine hanging in their office cubicle, the Pothos needs so more basic plant care instructions.

Origin

The Pothos comes to the indoor house plant world from Southeast Asia to narrow it down closer the jungles of Malaysia. The botanical name is – Epipremnum – Pothos is much easier to pronounce.

Light
When caring for any plant indoors – water, pest and light are all important but - light - is at the top of the plant success list. For Pothos natural but bright indirect light would be my preference. You don’t want Pothos leaves sitting in direct sun - a northern exposure with sunlight coming through fully opened blinds will serve the plant well. If fluorescent lights are the only option, 12-14 hours per day should keep the Pothos in great shape.

Since we’re on the subject of light – how does the plant look if it gets too much or too little?

Usually houseplants don’t get enough light so… When Pothos doesn’t get enough light the new growth – stems get smaller, thin and weak, the new leaves “shrink” in size. This doesn’t happen overnight, it can takes months of low light levels to see the effects. Now Pothos when exposed to direct sun or too much light will slowly lose that rich lush color – and slowly turn a pale green.

Water

Watering houseplants or more correctly over watering is second to light in plant care success. Success with Pothos is no different. How much water and how often depend on many factors:

• Light - how intense and for how long
• Humidity
• Pot size
• Root system – how good is it?
• Temperature
• Soil – Make up and Quality

As a general rule check the soil. Water the plant when the top inch of soil feels dry. When watering any plant indoors make sure to water the complete rootball and not just the top, The entire soil mass should be saturated with the excess water poured or drained off. The water quantity will vary depending on the amount all the items listed above.

The Pothos is not much different than most houseplants. If the plant receives too little water the leaves will begin to wilt, older leaves often turn a bright yellow. This is why it’s important to thoroughly water the entire rootball. The root system of Pothos is small compared to other indoor plants. When the plant is over watered and the soil stays wet the roots will rot. In turn the leaves begin to wilt and the leaves lose their healthy look and turn to a pale dull green color.

If possible use distilled or rainwater the next best would be filtered water. The purer the water the better. Many growers have installed systems to get remove any minerals before watering the plants.

Temperature

Remember the Pothos comes from Malaysia. Generally they like the same temperatures you do - 65 to 85 degrees (Fahrenheit is best for steady growth.

Fertilizer

I’m not a big fan of using fertilizer on indoor plants. When most houseplants are purchased, since good soil is used, all the needed nutrients are sitting in the soil and should hold the plant for a long time. In the case of plants planted in a poor soil mix the Pothos responses well to very light doses. If I had to fertilize – for the homeowner - I would recommend a liquid type instead of a solid or granular.

Uses and Plant Size

Pothos can be grown and used in a variety of ways and locations. Inside or outside doesn’t matter, Good filtered light, 65-85 degrees and a well drained soil that holds moisture (not wet) and the plant will thrive. I’ve seen Pothos used as:

• Potted plant - small
• Hanging baskets
• Ground covers indoors and out
• Totem
• Covering the base of a larger plant
• Stand alone specimen – Large at Disneyworld

When Pothos receive “good growing conditions” as described above they can grow all year, For those of you up north with Pothos you may notice a slow down during the winter months.

One true advantage the Pothos offers – they’re easy to find and it’s a great plant to get started with and learn how to care for indoor houseplants.