Pothos Care Guide
Epipremnum aureum
Also called Devil's ivy, Golden pothos, Money plant
- Family
- Araceae
- Native to
- French Polynesia; naturalised across tropical Asia and Australasia
- Mature size
- Vines 6–10 ft indoors, trimmed to any length
- Toxicity
- Insoluble calcium oxalates cause mouth irritation, drooling and vomiting in cats and dogs. Hang it or keep it on a high shelf.
Pothos care at a glance
Light
Low to bright indirect
Tolerates genuinely low light, but variegated types need bright indirect light to keep their cream and gold markings. In dim corners they revert to plain green.
Water
Every 1–2 weeks
Let the top half of the pot dry out completely. Pothos would far rather be too dry than too wet, and wilting leaves recover within hours of a good soak.
Humidity
Any (40%+ preferred)
Genuinely unfussy. Standard indoor humidity is fine, which is why pothos does well in bedrooms and offices.
Temperature
65–85°F (18–29°C)
Avoid anything below 55°F (13°C). Cold windowsills in winter cause black spots and leaf drop.
Soil
Standard potting mix with perlite
Ordinary indoor mix with a couple of handfuls of perlite stirred in. Pothos is not fussy as long as the pot drains.
Fertiliser
Every 6–8 weeks in growing season
A balanced liquid feed at half strength from spring to early autumn. Skip winter feeding entirely.
Repotting
Every 2–3 years
Repot when roots fill the pot or water runs straight through. Pothos flowers rarely and does not mind being slightly root-bound.
Propagation
Water cuttings — nearly foolproof
Cut a vine below a node, strip the lowest leaf, and stand it in water. Roots appear within 1–2 weeks with almost no failures.
If you have killed houseplants before, start here. Pothos tolerates low light, irregular watering, dry air and neglect, and it tells you clearly when it is thirsty by drooping dramatically and then bouncing back within hours of a drink.
Watering without a schedule
The rule for pothos is simple: let the top half of the pot dry out, then water thoroughly until it runs from the drainage holes.
Unlike most houseplants, pothos gives you an obvious visual signal. When the leaves go slightly soft and the vines droop, it wants water. Water it and it recovers within a few hours. Using that signal deliberately — waiting for the very first hint of droop rather than watering on a calendar — is the easiest way to never overwater it.
Expect roughly every 7–14 days in summer and every 2–3 weeks in winter, but always check first.
Light and variegation
Pothos is famous for tolerating low light, and that is true — but with a catch. Variegation is light-dependent. The cream, gold and white markings on Marble Queen, Golden and Snow Queen pothos are areas with less chlorophyll. In dim conditions the plant compensates by producing greener leaves that photosynthesise more efficiently.
- Plain green types (Jade, Neon): happy several metres from a window
- Variegated types (Golden, Marble Queen, Manjula): need bright indirect light to hold their pattern
- Highly variegated types (Snow Queen): need the brightest indirect light you have
If your Marble Queen is coming in solid green, move it brighter and cut the reverted vine back to the last well-marked leaf.
Making a pothos look full
A pothos left alone becomes a few very long vines with bare stems and leaves only at the ends. The fix is pruning, and it works quickly.
- In spring, cut every long vine back by about a third, always just above a node.
- The plant branches from each cut, doubling the number of growing tips.
- Take the cuttings, root them in water for two weeks, and plant them back into the gaps in the same pot.
Within a season you have a dense, full plant instead of a stringy one.
Propagation
Pothos is the plant people learn propagation on because it barely ever fails.
- Cut a section of vine with at least one node and 2–4 leaves.
- Strip the leaf closest to the cut so the node sits bare.
- Stand it in a glass of water with the node submerged.
- Change the water weekly. Roots appear in 7–14 days.
- Pot into soil when roots reach 2 inches, or leave it in water indefinitely — pothos grows in water permanently if you add a drop of liquid fertiliser monthly.
Common problems
Yellow leaves. Almost always overwatering. Feel the soil; if it is damp, you have your answer. One yellow leaf at the very base of an old vine is just ageing.
Black stem bases and a sour smell. Root rot. Unpot, cut away every mushy brown root, and repot into fresh dry mix in a smaller pot. Take healthy cuttings as insurance.
Fine webbing under leaves. Spider mites, encouraged by dry air. Shower the plant, then treat with insecticidal soap weekly for three weeks.
Sticky residue on leaves or the shelf below. Scale or mealybugs. Dab each insect with a cotton bud dipped in rubbing alcohol.
Pothos and pets
This matters and is often glossed over. Pothos is toxic to cats and dogs — the calcium oxalate crystals cause immediate, intense oral pain. It is not usually fatal, but it is genuinely distressing for the animal. Because pothos is so often grown as a trailing plant, hanging it does not always help; cats will chase a dangling vine.
If you have a determined chewer, choose a spider plant instead — it is non-toxic and grows in similar conditions.
Pothos problems and fixes
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow leaves scattered through the plant, soil stays wet | Overwatering | Let the top half of the pot dry fully between waterings and check the pot actually drains. This is the number one pothos problem by a wide margin. Full guide → |
| Variegated leaves coming in solid green | Not enough light | Move to a brighter spot. Cut back the reverted section to the last well-variegated leaf to push new growth from there. |
| Long bare vines with leaves only at the tips | Low light plus no pruning | Move to brighter light and cut vines back by a third. Pothos branches from the cut, which fills out the pot. Full guide → |
| Brown crispy patches in the middle of leaves | Direct sun scorch | Move out of direct afternoon sun or filter it with a sheer curtain. Damaged tissue will not recover, so trim badly affected leaves. |
Pothos FAQs
How often should I water a pothos?
Water when the top half of the soil is dry, typically every 7–14 days in summer and every 2–3 weeks in winter. Pothos is drought-tolerant and recovers quickly from underwatering, so when in doubt, wait another few days. Soggy soil is far more dangerous than dry soil.
Can pothos grow in low light?
Yes — pothos is one of the few genuinely low-light-tolerant houseplants. It will grow more slowly and variegated varieties will lose their markings, but plain green types such as Jade pothos stay healthy several metres from a window. For bright variegation in Marble Queen or Golden pothos you need bright indirect light.
Why is my pothos turning yellow?
Overwatering is the cause about eight times out of ten. Check whether the soil is still damp several days after watering and whether the pot drains freely. Occasional yellowing of the oldest leaf at the base of a vine is normal ageing and nothing to worry about.
How do I make my pothos fuller instead of stringy?
Prune it. Cut each long vine back by about a third just above a node — the plant branches from the cut and produces two vines where there was one. Combine that with brighter light, and you can also pin cuttings back into the same pot so they root and fill the centre.
Is pothos safe for cats and dogs?
No. Pothos contains insoluble calcium oxalate crystals that cause oral burning, drooling and vomiting if chewed. It is one of the most commonly reported houseplant exposures in pets. Hang it or place it well out of reach.
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Published June 6, 2026 · Last reviewed August 12, 2026