The pothos plant goes by many names, the most popular of which is Devil’s ivy which it earned by being nearly impossible to kill. It can even survive the most forgetful gardener who tends to disregard plant care from time to time. This plant requires very little maintenance and care, so learning how to grow pothos indoors is a quick and easy task. There are also a variety of pothos plants to choose from which gives lots of options for gardener lovers to choose from.
Pothos Varieties
There are several different pothos varieties to choose from so you can pick the one that most appeals to you, or even try out a few of them in your home. The Golden Pothos is the most common, with medium-green leaves streaked with gold. The Neon variety has bright leaves that are colored a vibrant chartreuse when they first appear but turn a soft green as they mature.
The Marble Queen and the Manjula Pothos plants have leaves that are mostly green with some light variegation, or white coloring, over the leaves. There are also Jessenia, Pearls and Jade, Silver Satin, Cebu Blue, and Hawaiian Pothos plants, all of which vary in leaf coloring, though their care is almost identical.
Regardless of the type you buy, the leaves on the pothos plants tend to be shiny, with a heart or lance shape, and grow to be about 4 to 12 inches long. Though there is some flowering in their natural habitat, don’t expect to see any when you grow pothos indoors unless you have an exceptionally sunny spot for them to live. The vines grow to about 6 to 10 feet in length, so you can let them dangle down the pot or hang them from hooks or over curtain rods as you see fit. Pothos are often prized for their ability to “hang” and are among one of the easiest to grow hanging plants.
Planting and Soil
When planting a new pothos plant you should place it into a pot one size larger than the one it’s purchased in. This gives it some room for the roots to grow and spread. The soil you use should be well-draining to avoid soggy roots, with a pH of 6.1 to 6.5, though this isn’t a hard requirement. Pothos can handle soil that ranges from neutral to acidic, making it one of the most versatile plants around. In general, most store bought potting soils will work perfectly fine.
Pothos are also fairly easy to propagate which allows you to make new ones for yourself or share them with friends and family. This is also a good way to start your first plant if you know someone willing to supply you with a cutting. Simply cut the plant about 6 inches below one of the leaf nodes and place it into water.
Change the water every few days. New roots should appear within 2 months, at which point you can plant them into some fresh, well-draining potting soil. You can even add several stems to one pot for a lusher plant.
Lighting
Pothos can be grown in a variety of lighting conditions, so you can keep them alive even in a dimly lit room. They prefer bright light, though they do not want direct sunlight as this can damage the plant. You can place them on a bookshelf or hang them wherever you like, as long as they get a bit of light to keep them healthy.
These plants can handle low light conditions as well, so you can even put them in a bathroom or office with minimal lighting. If you aren’t sure if they are getting the right amount of light the best thing to do is pay attention to the leaves. The coloring starting to pale the is a sign that the plant is getting too much sun. If you notice reduced variegation, it needs a bit more light.
Overall, lighting is often not a huge concern for those growing pothos plants. It’s ability to live in even very low light conditions means that it’s difficult to give it too little light, the opposite problem you’ll see with most plants.
Watering
An erratic watering schedule is perfect for pothos since it doesn’t like to be overwatered. In fact, these plants prefer when the soil dries out completely before any more water is added. This doesn’t mean that you should leave it for months on end before you give it a drink, but you can be a bit more easygoing. If the plant goes too long without water, it will start to lose some leaves but even then it’s usually easy to fix any damage that may have been done.
Be sure to avoid overwatering this plant. Given too much water, it will develop soggy roots that begin to rot. This will show up on the leaves in the form of black spots. The plant could also collapse suddenly, which is difficult to come back from. Before watering, check the soil to be sure it is mostly or completely dry. Well-draining soil and a pot with drainage holes will help prevent any overwatering issues.
Less is often more when watering a Pothos, so keep that in mind when giving it a drink.
Other Care Tips
There are a few other care tips you may want to keep in mind when growing pothos indoors. The first is fertilizer, which this plant doesn’t need too much of. They don’t require an abundance of nutrients, so you can add any balanced fertilizer for houseplants every couple of months to keep them healthy. You can also opt to repot once a year or so, and the new soil should provide enough nutrients that fertilizing is not needed.
Pothos are used to tropical conditions, so they don’t like the cold. Keep them in a room that is about 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, though they can handle temperatures as low as 50 degrees Fahrenheit if necessary. Anything below that and the plant likely won’t survive. This also means you will need to protect them from any frosts if grown outside.
These plants also prefer high humidity, so kitchens and bathrooms are good places to house these beauties. If you prefer to keep it in another room, it can still survive in low humidity, so you don’t need to worry about adding any humidifiers to keep it alive. It may just grow a bit more slowly.
If you have pets or small children, it is best to keep pothos out of reach. This plant is toxic, and can be harmful if ingested. Though not fatal if parts of the plants are consumed, this plant can cause some mild oral irritation with symptoms like vomiting, tongue swelling, difficulty breathing, and foaming at the mouth. A high shelf out of reach of pets or small hands is best to keep everyone safe.
How To Grow Pothos Indoors
Pothos is one of the easiest plants to grow indoors and that’s why we so heartily recommend it. If you’re looking for a beautiful yet low maintenance house plant look no further than pothos. We’d love to hear if you grew any pothos in your own home!
