How to grow pothos and spider plants? A detailed guide to the latest cultivation methods
Pothos is native to Central and South America. Its vines grow several meters long, with aerial roots at the nodes. As the plant ages, the stems thicken and the leaves grow larger. The leaves are alternate, green, with a few leaves showing slight yellow mottling, entire, heart-shaped. A large evergreen vine, it grows in tropical regions, often climbing over rocks and tree trunks in rainforests, and can grow into a huge vine.
Physiological characteristics
It prefers warm, humid environments and requires loose, fertile, well-drained soil. For potted pothos, choose fertile, loose, well-drained leaf mold, preferably slightly acidic. Pothos is extremely shade-tolerant and can be kept in a bright indoor spot year-round. In dimly lit rooms, it should be moved every half month to a brighter environment to recover for a while, otherwise the internodes tend to lengthen and the leaves become smaller. Pothos likes hot, humid conditions. The overwintering temperature should not fall below 15°C. The potting soil should be kept moist, and the leaves should be misted frequently to raise air humidity and encourage aerial root growth. During the vigorous growing season, apply liquid fertilizer once a month. For plants kept indoors for a long time, the leaves at the base of the stems tend to drop, reducing their ornamental value. In May and June, when temperatures warm up, pruning and renewal can be done together with cuttings to encourage new shoots from the base of the stems.
Temperature
In winter, pothos can overwinter safely above 10°C, and generally grows normally above 20°C. Therefore, an ordinary home environment is quite suitable for growing pothos. The original growing conditions of pothos are in forests shaded by towering trees, so its heliotropism is not strong. However, in northern winters and autumns, to make up for the lack of temperature and photosynthesis, its light exposure should be increased. The method is to place the pothos in the brightest spot indoors, or move it to a sealed balcony to sunbathe at noon. At the same time, when temperatures are low, open windows as little as possible, because the leaves can be frostbitten in a very short time.
Light
Pothos is not strongly heliotropic, so when growing it, place it in a spot indoors with good light, and at noon you can put it in the sun for a while. In the north, with a room temperature above 10°C, pothos can overwinter safely; with a room temperature above 20°C, pothos can grow normally. Generally, households have no problem reaching this temperature. What to note is avoiding large temperature differences, and also making sure the leaves do not get close to heating equipment.
Water
When growing pothos, do not water too much. You can spray water where roots have formed, which can reduce the evaporation rate of water. Water daily to keep the soil moist, but do not let water accumulate and breed mosquitoes. In autumn and winter, the amount of 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, with the amount controlled between 1/4 and 1/2 of the original. 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, spray water at the places where aerial roots grow on the coir pole, to reduce insufficient root water uptake caused by too-rapid evaporation. In winter, water that has been left to sit for a day is better, because water that is too cold can easily damage the roots.
Fertilizer
For fertilizing pothos leaves, since ordinary inorganic fertilizers are hard to absorb, special fertilizer should be used. In the autumn and winter in the north, most plants 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, applied mainly through the stomata on the leaves; fertilizer is absorbed through the stomata on the leaves, so the fertilizer effect can act directly on the leaf surface. Special fertilizer should be used for foliar fertilizer; ordinary inorganic fertilizer is not easily absorbed by the leaves. The Beida Huhuashen series and Japan-made Hana Ichiban, etc. can all be used as foliar fertilizer.