Why Your Pothos Leaves Turn Yellow in Winter: 5 Things You Might Have Overlooked
Many plant lovers say that as soon as winter arrives, their pothos keeps turning yellow, making it look like it is about to die. So what is going on when pothos leaves turn yellow in winter? Why do pothos leaves so often turn yellow once winter comes, and how can this problem be solved? It may be that these 5 points have not been handled well!
1. Improper watering
From the perspective of winter temperatures, pothos generally stops growing at this time, so watering should be reduced and fertilizing should be stopped. If too much water is given at this time, it can easily cause the pothos roots to die, and the first sign of this is yellowing leaves.
Solution: After winter begins and temperatures drop, start reducing how often you water. If the leaves have already turned yellow, look at how severe the yellowing is. If it has just started, stop watering the pothos and put it in the sun to dry out. If it is fairly serious, consider repotting it.
2. Poor air circulation
Because the weather is too cold in winter, most plant lovers keep the doors and windows of their homes tightly shut, which prevents indoor air from circulating. Pothos needs a well-ventilated environment to grow, so this causes its leaves to start turning yellow.
Solution: After winter begins, you can choose a sunny midday and open the windows for a few hours to ventilate. This is good for both people and plants.
3. Not enough humidity
Winter is already fairly dry, and combined with the cold, many plant lovers run air conditioning indoors, which makes the indoor air even drier. When the weather is too dry, the pothos leaf surfaces lose water, which can also cause the leaves to turn yellow.
Solution: Frequently mist the pothos leaves with water to maintain air humidity.
4. Temperature too low
Because pothos is a plant that cannot tolerate low temperatures, if the temperature is too low in winter and there is plenty of moisture, it can cause root rot in the pothos, which in turn means the roots cannot supply enough water. The signs of this are that the leaves at the base start turning yellow, and the leaves at the top of the pothos lose their luster.
Solution: At first, you can drench the roots with a root rot treatment. If it has no effect, consider taking cuttings from stems without yellow leaves and propagating them again, so as not to lose the whole plant.
5. Getting frozen
Just as winter begins, the weather changes are not obvious, and many plant lovers do not manage to move their pothos indoors in time before a cold front arrives. The first sign shown by pothos that has been frozen is also yellowing leaves.
Solution: Move it back indoors in time after winter begins, and keep an eye on the weather forecast.
In addition, there are many uncertain factors when pothos overwinters. A relatively sturdy pothos is more cold-tolerant, while a pothos that usually grows weakly is less cold-tolerant.
In the end, if you want your pothos to get through winter safely, one thing is to keep the temperature as stable as possible, and the other is to control watering and not fertilize. In the same area, some plant lovers' pothos get through winter safely, while others freeze to death. So while controlling water appropriately, try to place the pothos somewhere with sunlight and keep it out of the wind.