Latest Pothos Care Methods and Variety Guide
Pothos Care Methods Pothos Variety Guide Common Pothos Care Problems Pothos is a very popular indoor plant among modern people, tolerant of shade and fond of indirect light. It comes alive upon contact with water; whether grown in a pot or propagated by rooting a few stem cuttings in water, it can achieve good growth, and because of its tenacious vitality it is praised as the “flower of life.” With proper care, its leaves grow large and green, very beautiful. At the same time, pothos can also absorb impurities and has a strong air-purifying function; kept at home for a long time, it can effectively remove formaldehyde and dust, and can absorb radiation particles produced by electronic products. It is an evergreen vine with great ornamental and practical value. So how should pothos be grown to thrive? Let's take a look at pothos care methods and common pothos care problems!
I. Pothos Care Methods
As mentioned earlier, whether potted or hydroponic, pothos can grow. So in the care process, besides the growing method, what other factors should be noted? First let's learn about pothos care methods.
1. Two Growing Methods for Pothos
Soil culture: Pothos is easy to grow. The preparation for soil culture is choosing soil suitable for pothos growth. The soil should be as fertile as possible; most of the pothos's nutrients come from the soil. Try to get some soil from a field, mix in some animal manure, and put some finely crushed dead leaves into the soil. Pothos likes soft soil; dead leaves and manure serve to increase soil fertility and make it loose and breathable.
Hydroponics: Hydroponic pothos is one of the very good indoor decorative hydroponic plants, a climbing vine with ornamental foliage. The pothos stems are slender and soft, and the leaves are delicate and elegant. Hydroponic pothos is extremely shade-tolerant and can be placed in a bright indoor spot all year round. In a dimly lit room, it should be moved every half month to a brighter environment for a recovery period, otherwise the internodes tend to elongate and the leaves become smaller.
2. Light and Temperature for Pothos
Light: The original growing condition of pothos is in forests shaded by towering trees, so it is not strongly phototropic. But in the autumn and winter in the north, to supplement the lack of temperature and photosynthesis, its light exposure should be increased.
Temperature: In the north, pothos can safely overwinter at room temperature above 10°C, and can grow normally at room temperature above 20°C. Generally, households can reach this temperature without much trouble; note that large temperature differences should be avoided, and also note that the leaves should not be close to heating equipment.
3. Methods and Tips for Water and Fertilizer Management
Watering: The amount of watering in autumn and winter should be strictly controlled according to room temperature. Before heating, the temperature is lower, the plant's soil evaporates more slowly, so watering should be reduced, with the amount controlled between 1/4-1/2 of the original. Even after heating, watering should not be too frequent; water should be poured less into the pot and should seep through the coir. In addition, water should also be sprayed at the places where aerial roots grow on the coir pole, to reduce insufficient water absorption by the roots caused by too-rapid evaporation. Water used in winter is best after being left to sit for a day; water that is too cold easily damages the roots. When growing in water, the water amount must not be too much; just enough to submerge the roots. Too much water easily rots the stems and leaves.
Fertilizing: In the autumn and winter in the north, plants mostly grow slowly or even stop growing, so fertilizing should be reduced. Before winter sets in, mainly apply liquid inorganic fertilizer by watering or spraying, about once every 15 days. After winter sets in, fertilizing is mainly by foliar spraying, applied mainly through the stomata on the leaf surface; the fertilizer is absorbed through the stomata on the leaf surface, and the fertilizer effect can act directly on the leaf surface. Foliar fertilizer should be a special-purpose fertilizer; ordinary inorganic fertilizer is not easily absorbed by the leaf surface. The Beida Huhuashen series and Japan-made Hua Yifan etc. can all be used as foliar fertilizer.
4. Pothos Propagation Methods
Pothos is usually propagated by cuttings. In late spring and early summer, select a robust pothos vine, cut 15 cm to 30 cm stem sections, remove the leaves from the basal 1 to 2 nodes, being careful not to damage the aerial roots, then insert into plain sand or coal cinders, with a depth of 1/3 of the cutting. Water thoroughly and place in a shaded spot, spray water on the leaves every day or cover with plastic film to retain moisture. As long as the environment is kept at no less than 20°C, the survival rate is above 90%.
II. Precautions for Pothos Care
1. Shaping and Pruning of Pothos
As a foliage plant, if pothos is to grow beautifully, shaping and pruning is an indispensable part. When potting pothos, plant or directly insert 4-5 plants per pot, and set up a coir pole in the middle of the pot so that the pothos can twine upward. Shaping and pruning are done in spring. When the stems have climbed all over the coir pole and the tips extend about 20 cm beyond the coir pole, cut off 40 cm of the stem tips of 2-3 of the plants. After the shortened stems sprout new buds and new leaves, then cut off the stem tips of the remaining plants.
For potted plants that have lost all their leaves or the lower half of their leaves due to winter cold damage or other reasons, half of the plant's stems can be shortened by 1/2, and the other half of the stems shortened by 2/3 or 3/4, so that the cut openings are staggered at different heights; in this way, the new leaves growing below the cut openings can quickly cover the coir pole.
2. Pothos Leaves Turning Yellow
Generally, newly bought pothos has an adaptation period of about 1 month in a new environment, and yellow leaves at the bottom are normal. However, remember: do not directly peel off yellow or dead leaves; cut them off from the middle of the petiole. This avoids excessive water loss and increased wounds caused by direct peeling, which would cause the upper leaves to turn yellow as well.
Although pothos is not afraid of shade, a very dark environment can also cause yellow leaves; you can regularly move it to a spot with good light. At the same time, it must not be exposed to strong sun; excessive exposure under strong light will not only cause yellow leaves and leaf drop, but also lead to the death of the whole plant. In summer, avoid strong light exposure.
3. Common Pothos Diseases
The more common diseases of pothos include: anthracnose, root rot, and leaf spot. These three are all common plant diseases, and all harm the plant's leaves, seriously affecting ornamental value. During care, be sure to observe carefully; when spots appear on the leaves, clean them up promptly and spray the appropriate chemicals in time.
III. Common Pothos Varieties
Now that we have learned the care methods related to pothos, next we will introduce several common pothos varieties. After reading, you can choose a suitable pothos according to your own preferences!
1. Green-leaf pothos: The leaves are entirely green, with no patterns or variegation;
2. Yellow-leaf pothos (Golden Pothos): The leaves are light golden yellow, and the leaves are relatively thin;
3. Variegated pothos: Variegated pothos refers to pothos with markings of various colors on the leaves; according to the color and characteristics of the patterns, 3 variants have been identified;
4. Silver Pothos (E.a.'MarbleQueen'): The leaves have creamy-white markings and are sturdier than the original variety;
5. Golden Pothos (E.a.'GoldenPothos'): The leaves have irregular yellow stripes;
6. Tricolor Pothos (E.a.'Tricolor'): The leaf surface has green and yellow creamy-white markings;
7. Star Point Vine: The leaf surface is velvety green, covered with silver-green patches or spots
Common Questions About Pothos Care
1. Question from Juedi de Chongjing
The office pothos
The office plant looked quite perky when we bought it back~ Why is it getting more and more wilted? It kept raining in Beijing a while ago, so I didn't water much, only sprayed the leaves a few times~ When it first arrived I put it in the sun~
I'm really afraid they'll die. What on earth is going on~
Answer: Although it is early summer now, the weather is already very hot, and moving it directly outdoors into the sun would make it faint. Moreover, after several cloudy days, suddenly exposing it to the sun makes leaf wilting normal. Before the pothos leaves turn yellow, move it indoors for care. Another reason for soft leaves is lack of water; you must not have watered for a long time, and the leaves are somewhat dehydrated. Water the pothos and spray frequently, and it will slowly recover.
2. Question from ok long time no see 000
Pothos cuttings seedlings
My pothos cuttings have sprouted new buds, and I cut off the old leaves. Is that right?
Answer: From the picture, the old leaves are growing normally and do not need to be cut off. Keeping the old leaves helps with photosynthesis, accumulates nutrients, and the new leaves will grow faster. But if the old leaves have already wilted or even rotted, cut them off immediately.
3. Question from Yiyi
How to make hydroponic pothos grow vines
Help, how can my pothos grow vines? I've been growing it for two or three months, and I only see it sprouting but not growing into that kind of vine shape. Please help everyone, how do I make it grow vines?
Answer: First you need to know that hydroponic pothos itself grows very slowly; at only 3 months, growing vines is a bit difficult. But you can put the container in a bright spot, such as in front of a window, and change the water frequently or add nutrient solution, which can speed up the pothos's growth. If you still feel it grows slowly, you can switch to soil culture.
Detailed answer: How to grow pothos fast!
4. Question from Xiaoxuanxuan883
How to grow pothos so it won't die
I just got my third pot, and I've killed two pots. Please give me some guidance
Answer: The branches and leaves are too dense, and the ventilation and light transmission of the leaves are poor. Especially now that summer has arrived and the weather is stuffy and hot, it is very easy for it to suffer from pests and diseases. You can divide it into two pots, or cut a few branches for hydroponics. In addition, do not water too much; too much water easily rots the roots.
5. Question from Qingci74
Can pothos be grown in a flower pot with a small hole
May I ask all the experts, can pothos be grown in a flower pot with only one small hole at the bottom
Answer: Yes, pothos does not have particularly high requirements for flower pots. As long as you water correctly, not to mention pots with small holes, even pots without holes can grow pothos well. When watering, be careful not to water too much!
6. Question from summer66shuai
Pothos overflows as soon as it is watered
The pothos I grow in a plastic pot overflows every time I pour in a little water, and the pot can't hold water. What should I do?
Answer: It is because of the soil. For newly bought pothos, the soil composition in the pot is relatively small, and most of it is sawdust and chaff-like material, which cannot hold water. When the weather turns cooler, you can take the plant out of the pot and add some soil. In addition, this kind of white plastic flower pot has poor breathability and also cannot hold water; when changing the soil, change the flower pot as well.
7. Question from Queenajay
I have never grown flowers before. I'm helping my teacher take care of an oversized pothos. These two days I suddenly found the leaves a bit yellow. Looking closer, I found mold in the soil, and then the leaves I pulled off became like this. Have I killed it? How can I remedy it now? It's my advisor's flower!! Right now I really feel like dying. Please give me some advice on what to do now, thank you!
What to do when pothos roots become moldy
Answer: The moldy roots are because of overwatering; just control the water, alternate between dry and wet, strengthen ventilation, and avoid strong light, and it can recover!
8. Question from Coffee Lover
I watered last night, and it has been sitting on the balcony ledge all along. At noon today I moved the flower pot and found many small white nematodes, about one millimeter, crawling at the place facing the hole at the bottom of the pot. How should this situation be handled?
Answer: Pull out the whole pothos, scald the potting soil with boiling water, and the insects become natural fertilizer! Also, you can buy insecticide to drench the roots!
9. Question from Weijie Aisha
Rooting like this, how long should the roots grow before they can be planted in soil?
Pothos rooting
Answer: This flower friend's pothos is grown very well. For pothos in this condition, even if it has not grown roots, it can still be planted into soil! I hope all pothos lovers can grow pothos as robust as this flower friend's!
10. Question from Crazy Girl 1024
I suddenly found many bean-like holes on the leaves; when I opened them up, almost every leaf had them. There are more on the tender leaves. What is going on and what should I do?
What to do when pothos leaves have holes
Answer: This is because insects have appeared. Scale insects will gnaw such holes in the leaves. Use laundry detergent mixed with water or tobacco soaked in water, then dip a toothbrush in this liquid and brush carefully to remove them. Don't be afraid; you can remove them directly by hand. Wait until the eggs and such are all gone, then clean up the leaves that have been severely gnawed.
11. Question from sundy Cat
Why do the newly grown leaves look as if they are burnt?
What to do when pothos leaves look burnt
Answer: It seems to be poor development. It is caused by abnormal development of the buds formed during gestation. It is also possible that the selected mother branch had defects (not internal genes), for example the branch had scars. It's okay; when it splits next time it will be normal!
12. Question from It Turns Out I Have Nothing to Say
I've grown pothos for almost two years; why can't it grow vines like yours? It only grows leaves but not longer vines. Is it a different variety?
Why pothos doesn't grow vines
Answer: Pothos is a large climbing vine. If it only grows leaves but not vines, it may be lacking fertilizer. It is suggested that the flower friend change to a larger flower pot, then water more and apply some flower fertilizer, such as compound fertilizer or Osmocote. After fertilizing, the vines will slowly grow out.
13. Question from Clanging Blooming Rose
I bought it a month ago, and before it was still standing firm, but recently it wilted like this. I spray a little water every two days, and keep it inside the balcony, basically only getting ten minutes of sun at six in the morning. Why did it become like this!!!
What to do when pothos wilts
Answer: First, let me explain that spraying water and watering are not the same. Spraying water only sprays water onto the leaves or stems, while watering means pouring water into the potting soil. This flower friend only sprayed water for such a long time after buying it, so this phenomenon of the whole pothos wilting appeared. What to do is: water thoroughly, avoid direct strong light, and after the plant absorbs water, it will slowly recover!
The above is an introduction to pothos care methods and pothos varieties, and answers to common problems when growing pothos in daily life. I hope it is of some help to pothos lovers.