What to Do When Pothos Leaves Turn Yellow and Wilt? Causes and Solutions

What should you do when pothos leaves turn yellow and wilt? Below we briefly explain the causes and solutions for yellowing, wilting pothos leaves.

What to Do When Pothos Leaves Turn Yellow and Wilt

1. Insufficient Water

Leaf edges dry up. If the soil for your pothos lacks water, the leaf edges will dry out, wither and turn yellow, and leaves may also drop. So at this point you need to water the pothos with enough water in time.

2. Too Much Water

Leaf surface turns dull yellow. If the soil or container holds too much water, it can also cause yellow leaves; the leaf surface will look dull yellow and lusterless, and the roots may even rot. So at this point you need to stop watering and loosen the soil moderately.

3. Direct Sunlight

Leaves wilt. Pothos grows in shady environments, so leaving it under strong light for a long time easily causes the leaves to wilt and wither, then turn yellow and drop. At this point you need to place the pothos in a cool spot with light and water it appropriately.

4. Dim Light

New leaves turn yellowish. If pothos is kept for a long time in a dim, unventilated place, the green leaves will turn yellowish from lack of chlorophyll, and especially the newly grown leaves will also turn yellowish. At this point you need to place the pothos in a cool spot with plenty of light.

5. Too Much Fertilizer

Old leaves drop. If you fertilize pothos too much, nutrients will accumulate in excess in the old leaves, which will then also turn yellow and eventually drop. At this point you should reduce the frequency of fertilizing and water with plain water to dilute the fertilizer in the soil.

6. Insufficient Fertilizer

Roots and leaves turn yellow. When pothos lacks nutrients and is under-fertilized, the leaf color will gradually fade and turn yellow, and especially the leaves near the roots will turn yellow first and drop. At this point you need to fertilize more.

7. Temperature Too High

Pay attention to ventilation and keep the temperature suitable. Pothos requires a ventilated, cool growing environment. In winter, the indoor temperature should not be too hot; pay attention to ventilation, otherwise dry heat can also cause green leaves to turn yellow. You need to open the windows for ventilation and water more to ensure nutrition.

8. In an Adjustment Period

Adapting to the environment, focus on observation. Pothos needs to adapt to a new environment, which generally takes about 30 days. During this period, individual old leaves may show signs of yellowing; this is normal and part of the adjustment period. At this point do not rush to take measures; once it returns to normal, the pothos will grow vigorously.

9. Precautions

If you want to remove yellowed leaves, be careful not to pull them off directly. You can use scissors to cut from the middle of the leaf stalk, to avoid excessive water loss and a negative effect on the pothos's growth.

Precautions for Growing Pothos

1. Provide the light pothos needs to grow

When growing pothos, place it in a bright spot indoors, or move it to a balcony at noon to get some sun. Although pothos is not strongly heliotropic, in winter you should increase its light exposure to ensure it can carry out normal photosynthesis.

2. Control the temperature for pothos growth

When growing pothos in winter, the temperature is best kept above 10°C, and avoid large temperature differences, especially when the temperature is low; a careless mistake in care may cause the pothos leaves to freeze and be damaged.

3. Humidity requirements for pothos growth

When growing pothos, pay attention to the humidity of the environment; increasing humidity is good for its growth. You can use a humidifier or spraying to add humidity for the pothos. But do it in moderation, so as not to affect the pothos's respiration and photosynthesis.

4. Water control for pothos growth

In autumn and winter, the amount of water for pothos should be strictly controlled according to room temperature. When the winter temperature is low, reduce watering; the amount can be controlled to between 1/4-1/2 of the original.

5. Fertilizer management for pothos

Before winter begins, you can fertilize the pothos appropriately. Foliar feeding is the main method, and the fertilizer is mainly liquid inorganic fertilizer; fertilizing about once every 15 days is best.