Causes of Yellowing and Wilting Pothos Leaves and How to Fix Them

Pothos is a common ornamental plant in daily life. It is so popular not only because it looks good, but also because it has a certain effect of absorbing formaldehyde. Many people place some in their homes, especially in new houses, but the pothos in many homes will develop some problems, such as: wilted leaves, yellowing, etc. So how should these be solved?

What to do when pothos leaves wilt

1. Water it in time, and water it thoroughly, for several days in a row, and it will be able to slowly recover. After that, pay attention to watering according to scientific methods.

2. Fertilize in time, and apply light fertilizer frequently, to avoid applying too much fertilizer at once and causing fertilizer burn to the seedlings.

3. Move it back indoors, cut off the leaves that have changed color from freezing, and then place it in a spot at 20°C~30°C for care. During this period, it needs to be exposed to the sun at noon.

4. Increase the duration of light, but it must not be too long, so as to avoid sunlight scorching the leaves.

5. Weed in time, and note that the weeds need to be pulled out by the roots. If only the part above the soil is cut off, it may still grow back.

Causes of yellowing pothos leaves and solutions

1. Improper watering. If pothos does not have enough water, watering continuously will only be counterproductive. If watered too much, the young leaves will be dark yellow and lose their luster, gradually stop growing, and the stems will become thin and yellow-green. But if you often forget to water the pothos, this is also not okay. With long-term water shortage, the leaf tips and edges of the pothos will dry up, and the old leaves will turn yellow and fall off from top to bottom.

Solution: If watered too much, immediately take the pothos out of the pot and place it in a ventilated, cool place, and wait until the soil is completely dry before putting it back into the flowerpot. If watered too little, water the pothos in time and maintain good watering habits.

2. Improper lighting. Pothos generally grows in a cool environment. If it is placed in strong sunlight for a long time, it is easy to cause the leaves to shrink, and then turn yellow and fall off.

Solution: If there is too much light, promptly move the pothos to a cool place with light, and water it appropriately; if there is a lack of light, place the pothos in a cool but well-lit place.

3. Unreasonable fertilization. If too much fertilizer is applied and the fertilizer concentration in the soil is too high, the tips of newly grown leaves will appear dry and brown, the leaf surface will be thick but lack luster, and the old leaves will turn scorched yellow and fall off.

Solution: If too much fertilizer is applied, first stop fertilizing immediately. If the situation is serious, also promptly use clean water to wash away part of the fertilizer, or directly replace the growing medium.

Causes of wilted pothos leaves

1. Watering cause: If the pothos lacks water for a long time, the cells in the leaves will lose water, and the originally swollen cells will shrink in volume. The outward manifestation is that the leaves wilt and look listless.

2. Fertilization cause: If the pothos is not fertilized for a long time, it will lack nutritional support, and the leaves may also wilt and droop because of this.

3. Heat preservation cause: The temperature in winter is relatively low, and pothos is not suitable for growing in a low-temperature environment, so it is very easy for it to freeze. Once frostbitten, its leaves will droop wiltedly.

4. Light supplementation cause: If there is no light for a long time, then the leaves of the pothos cannot normally carry out photosynthesis to produce nutrients, and in the end they will wilt and droop.

5. Weed removal cause: When weeds grow around the pothos, they will compete with it for nutrients in the soil, causing the pothos to receive fewer nutrients, which in turn makes the leaves droop and wilt.

How to prune pothos

1. Pruning pothos with root rot: When trimming the roots, first take the pothos out and clean the root system. Cut off all the rotten roots, residual roots, dense roots, and overly long roots of the pothos, leaving only fresh and intact white tender roots. Then replant the pothos.

2. Pruning pothos with thin and weak branches: If the stems of the pothos at home grow thinner and weaker, and the phenomenon of old leaves and yellow leaves becomes more and more serious, and even the leaves appear wilted, then it is time to start pruning. Pruning off the old leaves and yellow leaves of the pothos can reduce the consumption of nutrients and allow it to grow well.

The causes of wilted or yellowing pothos leaves generally come down to watering, light, fertilization, temperature, and so on. As long as the cause is identified and then thoroughly solved from the root, the pothos can be allowed to grow healthily. Of course, special attention needs to be paid during usual care!