How to Grow Pothos? The Latest Care Methods and Tips
How to grow pothos? Pothos belongs to the Araceae family and is a large evergreen climbing vine that grows in tropical regions, often climbing on rocks and tree trunks in rainforests. It has strong twining ability and well-developed aerial roots, and can be grown hydroponically. Below, the editor will introduce how to grow pothos!
How does pothos propagate?
Pothos is usually propagated by cuttings. In late spring and early summer, select a robust pothos vine and cut 15 cm to 30 cm long segments. 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 to a depth of 1/3 of the cutting. Water thoroughly and place in a shaded spot. Mist the leaves daily 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%. The specific cutting method is as follows:
1. Cutting selection and treatment: Choose healthy, pest-free, semi-lignified branches for cuttings. Cut them into 10-13 cm lengths, with the lower cut made at an angle and 2-3 leaves kept at the upper end. Cut the leaves in half to reduce water evaporation and help the cuttings survive.
2. Cutting substrate: The cutting substrate should be loose, breathable, well-drained loam or sandy soil rich in humus. Vermiculite is best, as it promotes fast rooting and a high survival rate. Before inserting, sterilize the soil with 2% formalin or 5% potassium permanganate.
3. Cutting method: Dip the lower end of the prepared cutting quickly in ABT rooting powder or indolebutyric acid, then insert it into the prepared substrate to half its length. Water thoroughly so the cutting makes close contact with the substrate, then cover with plastic film.
4. Post-cutting management
① After inserting, keep the soil moist and the air temperature relatively high. Soil moisture of around 50% is appropriate, while air humidity of 80%-90% is best.
② In the early stage of cutting, keep the shade shed at about 80% shading. This prevents direct strong sunlight while ensuring enough scattered light for the leafy cuttings to photosynthesize, which helps rooting.
③ With the above treatment, roots generally form after about 20 days. The film can then be removed and light increased. On sunny summer days, still pay attention to misting the leaves and shading. In winter, protect against cold. About 10 days after rooting, they can be moved into pots for normal management.
How to grow pothos?
1. Light
① The original growing conditions of pothos are forests shaded by towering trees, so its demand for sunlight is not strong. However, in the northern regions during autumn and winter, to compensate for insufficient temperature and photosynthesis, its light exposure should be increased. Place pothos in the brightest spot indoors, or move it to a sealed balcony at noon to bask in the sun. At the same time, when temperatures are low, open windows as little as possible, because leaves can be frostbitten in a very short time.
② For indoor cultivation, it can be placed beside a window, but avoid direct sunlight. Too much sunlight will scorch pothos leaves, while too much shade will cause the beautiful markings on the leaves to disappear. Generally, receiving four hours of scattered light gives the best growth and development. Therefore, pothos can be placed year-round in a sunny spot indoors. In dimly lit rooms, it should be moved every half month to a brighter environment for a period of recovery; otherwise, the internodes tend to elongate and the leaves become smaller.
③ In spring, summer and autumn, pothos can be placed near east- or north-facing windowsills, while in winter it can be placed at a south-facing window. If kept for a long time in an overly dark environment, not only will the trailing stems become leggy, with longer internodes and a sparse plant shape, but the yellow-white streaks on the leaves will also become smaller and paler, or even disappear completely and turn green. If grown outdoors, pay attention to shading, especially in summer, to prevent direct strong sunlight; otherwise, new leaves will become smaller, leaf color dull, and leaf edges are easily scorched.
2. Temperature: In the north, pothos can safely overwinter at room temperature above 10°C, and can grow normally at room temperature above 20°C. Usually households can reach this temperature without much trouble. Note that temperature differences should not be too large, and also make sure the leaves do not come close to heating equipment.
3. Humidity: Humidity refers to the water content of the air in the plant's growing environment. While ensuring normal temperature, increasing humidity is extremely beneficial to plant growth. The following methods can be used to increase humidity. Place the plant near a humidifier, running the humidifier for more than 5 hours a day so the plant can enjoy the mist it releases; use a sprayer adjusted to the mist setting to spray the plant's leaves, stems and aerial roots several times a day; keep an appropriate amount of water in the saucer under the pot so evaporation increases the local humidity around the plant; gently wipe the leaf surface with a cold wet towel or toilet paper, or lightly apply it to the leaf surface for a short time (1-2 hours per day); cover the plant with transparent plastic film to create a mini-greenhouse effect, supplementing the plant's moisture through evaporation of water from the soil, for no more than 2 hours a day, as too long will affect the plant's ventilation and photosynthesis.
4. Water: In autumn and winter, watering should be strictly controlled according to room temperature. Before heating begins, temperatures are lower and the soil of the plant evaporates more slowly, so watering should be reduced to 1/4-1/2 of the original amount. Even after heating begins, watering should not be too frequent. When watering, pour less into the pot and let water seep through the coir. In addition, mist the area where the aerial roots grow on the coir pole to reduce insufficient root water uptake caused by overly rapid evaporation. In winter, water that has been left to stand for a day is better, as water that is too cold can easily damage the roots. When growing in water, the water amount must not be too much; just enough to submerge the roots. Too much water can easily rot the stems and leaves.
5. Soil: In winter, it can grow well under bright scattered light indoors, with sturdy stem nodes and brilliant leaf color. During the growing period, it has relatively high water requirements. In addition to normally replenishing water to the potting soil, also mist the leaves frequently. For plants trained on a pole, spray more water onto the coir pole so the coir absorbs enough water for the aerial roots wrapping around the stem to absorb. Apply a nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer once every 2 weeks, or spray a 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution weekly, to make the leaves emerald green and the markings more vivid. Pothos likes moisture. During the growing season, watering should keep the potting soil moist, and never let the potting soil dry out; otherwise, it easily causes yellow leaves and a poor plant shape. If watered too much and water accumulates in the pot, it easily causes root rot and withered leaves, especially when room temperature is low in winter, when watering must be controlled even more. In summer, while watering thoroughly, also mist the leaves frequently. In winter, when the climate is dry, also rinse the leaves with warm water every 4-5 days to wash off dust, helping keep the leaves glossy and emerald green.
6. Fertilizing: In the autumn and winter in the north, plants mostly grow slowly or even stop growing, so fertilizing should be reduced. Before winter begins, mainly apply liquid inorganic fertilizer by watering or spraying, about once every 15 days. After winter begins, fertilizing should mainly be foliar spraying. Fertilizer is absorbed through the stomata on the leaf surface, so the effect acts directly on the leaves. Foliar fertilizer should be a specialized fertilizer; ordinary inorganic fertilizers are not easily absorbed by leaves. Beida Huhuashen series and Japan's Hua Yifan, among others, can all be used as foliar fertilizers.
7. Shaping: Plant or directly insert 4-5 plants per pot, and set up a coir pole in the middle of the pot to make it easy for pothos to twine and grow upward. Shaping and pruning are done in spring. When the stems have covered the coir pole and the tips extend about 20 cm beyond it, cut 40 cm off the stem tips of 2-3 of the plants. After new buds and leaves sprout following the cutting back, cut 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 or other reasons, cut back half the stems by 1/2 and the other half by 2/3 or 3/4, staggering the cut heights, so that the new leaves growing below the cuts can quickly cover the coir pole.