The latest pruning method for pothos, how should you cut it for the best results?
Pothos is very easy to grow and grows quickly. Honestly, there is no fixed standard for how to prune pothos, because pothos is different from other plants where pruning can promote flowering, branching, and so on. The main purpose of pruning pothos should be shaping, and the original shape of pothos varies as well. There are potted pothos on a moss pole, hanging basket pothos, and so on. Below, let us take a look at how to prune pothos for the best results!
How do you prune pothos?
Pothos is generally pruned in spring. When the stems and vines have climbed all over the moss pole and the tips extend about 20 cm beyond the moss pole, cut off the stem tips of 2 to 3 of the plants by 40 cm. After the cutback, when new buds and new leaves emerge, cut off the stem tips of the remaining plants. For potted plants that have lost leaves on the whole plant or the lower half due to winter cold damage or other reasons, you can cut back half of the stems by 1/2 and the other half by 2/3 or 3/4, so that the cut points are staggered in height. In this way, the new leaves growing below the cut points can quickly cover the moss pole.
How do you shape pothos?
1. Column style: Use a small dragon jar, large flower tray, or oil basin filled with soil, and stand a wooden stick or bamboo pole about 1 m high and 5 to 6 cm in diameter in the middle, with palm fiber or palm bark tied to the outside of the pole. Plant 4 to 5 pothos plants of similar size with sturdy stems and leaves around the pole, preferably plants that have already been propagated by cuttings, rooted, and are ready to be transplanted into pots, so that they take shape faster.
2. Trailing style: Use pots of various sizes filled with soil, plant 1 to 3 pothos plants in the pot, and hang them or place them in high places indoors. As they grow and develop, the stems and leaves trail down along the rim of the pot, swaying in the wind and making the whole room shine. If grown in a small pot, put it in a porcelain decorative pot and hang it indoors or in a doorway. If grown in a wall-mounted pot, it can be hung on a wall or window.
3. Waterfall style: Use a flower trough and plant one pothos every 15 cm. The flower trough is 80 to 100 cm long, and then hang it on the wall or place it on top of a wall, balcony, or similar location. Depending on the conditions of the hanging or placement location, you can hang or place one to several flower troughs. You can also place the flower trough under a wall so that the pothos vines climb up along ropes stretched on the wall.
How do you grow pothos?
1. Light: Pothos is not strongly phototropic. However, in northern regions in autumn and winter, to supplement the lack of temperature and photosynthesis, light intensity should be increased. At the same time, when the temperature is low, open windows as little as possible, because the leaves may be frostbitten in a very short time.
2. Humidity: Pothos grows faster in environments with higher air humidity. It is recommended to maintain indoor humidity. You can use a humidifier to increase air humidity, or cover the plant with a transparent plastic bag to create a mini greenhouse effect, but it should not exceed two hours.
3. Temperature: Pothos is very sensitive to temperature. If the temperature is too low, it is easily frostbitten. A room temperature of about 20 degrees is enough. If heating equipment is running, the pothos leaves should not be too close to it. Keeping the indoor temperature above 10 degrees is enough for it to pass through winter safely.
4. Fertilizing: Because pothos grown indoors absorbs nutrients less abundantly than outdoors, it is recommended to apply fertilizer once every half month. You can buy fertilizer specially made for pothos on the market. Or ask the flower shop owner to help choose fertilizer.
5. Watering: When watering pothos, do not pour water directly into the pot. Instead, first slowly pour in the water, wait for it to seep down, then spray evenly, and wait for the water to penetrate. In addition, you should also spray water on the places where aerial roots grow, to reduce insufficient root water uptake caused by excessive evaporation.
6. Pests and diseases: Pothos plants are easily affected by pests and pathogens. Typical pests affecting pothos include mealybugs, red spider mites, scale insects, and so on. Mealybugs are usually the most common, and alcohol can be used to kill them, remove them with a cotton swab, or take them off by hand.