Pothos is one of the easiest plants to start gardening with. It’s also a forgiving houseplant that can thrive in low light and drought conditions.
If your variegated pothos becomes too wilted or loses its variegation, move it to a spot with bright indirect light. Over time, the plant will restore its variegation.
Easy to care for
Pothos is one of the easiest plants to care for, and it can be propagated in water or soil (more on that later). This plant will grow quickly and produce leaves aplenty so you can fill your house with lush greenery.
Pothos plants don’t need fertilizer, but you can give them a little liquid feed in the spring and summer to encourage faster growth. They are also known to tolerate very poor light conditions, which is another reason they make great indoor houseplants.
You can propagate Pothos plants by cuttings, which will form roots as soon as they are put into water. It’s a simple process that involves taking a small cutting, including a few leaves and some exposed nodes.
Place the cutting in a pot or glass container of your choice, making sure that it is damp but not soggy. If you’re rooting your cuttings in soil, add a little bit of rooting hormone so that your cut will have the best chance of forming roots.
After a few days, you’ll start to see small roots sprouting from the bottom of the cuttings. Then, it’s time to move them into a larger container.
To make your repotting as easy as possible, use fresh houseplant soil to repot your pothos. Be sure to remove any old soil, shake off as much as you can, and then gently pat down the new soil to ensure that your plant has a clean root system.
Repotting can take a while, so be patient. After a few weeks, your new Pothos will be firmly rooted in the soil and you can begin to water it regularly.
In the meantime, keep your plant in an area with bright indirect sunlight. The amount of sunlight your plant receives will change during the course of the year, so be sure to adjust the lighting as needed to keep it happy.
If you’re unsure how much to water your Pothos, you can use a moisture meter. Stick this in the potting soil and it will let you know when the soil is dry enough to water.
Easy to propagate
Propagating plants is a great way to save money and expand your garden. It can also be a fun hobby that you can share with friends or family. If you’re a collector, it can be a good way to get new varieties without spending money on full-sized plants from a nursery.
Pothos (Epipremnum aureum) is one of the easiest plants to propagate. It’s easy to cut a single vine from a healthy parent plant, and it’s even easier to root cuttings in water.
To start, select a healthy pothos vine that has long leaves and a sturdy stem. It should be in full bloom and have no dead leaves or brown spots. Choose a spot on the vine that you want to take cuttings from, and cut it below a node (the little bump that forms on the stem where leaves attach to it).
Once you’ve removed a few leaves, you’ll notice little brown bumps forming along each node, which are aerial roots. These are the same roots that you’ll grow your new plant from when you root it in water.
Place your cut in a glass of water and give it some indirect sunlight. Change the water every a few days until you see little roots grow out of the base.
When the roots are about an inch long, transfer them to soil in a container. Keep the soil moist but not wet and allow them to acclimate to soil life for a few weeks before you transplant.
If you don’t have soil or a soil-like mix, you can use any medium. However, water-based methods tend to produce weaker roots in the beginning, so it’s best to stick with soil when you first start to root your plants.
In addition, you can purchase rooting hormone powder to speed up the process. Bonide makes an excellent product that Arbico Organics carries in 1.25-ounce containers.
It’s also important to select a mother plant that has been growing in nutrient-rich soil and is free of pests and diseases. Ideally, you should take cuttings during the spring and summer, when the plants are in full growth and have the most energy to focus on root development. Avoid taking cuttings during fall and winter, as this is when the plants are more likely to suffer from a lack of energy for root development.
Easy to grow
Pothos, or Epipremnum aureum, is a popular houseplant that’s easy to care for. They’re fast growers and, once you know how to propagate them, you can create many new plants from a single stem.
It’s an excellent choice for beginner gardeners, because it’s a very low-maintenance plant that takes little attention and does well in most conditions. However, be sure to move a young plant from its tiny nursery pot to a larger terra cotta pot with good drainage as soon as it comes home.
As it grows, Pothos develops large leaves with lots of variegation. Some varieties, such as ‘Golden Pothos’ and ‘Marble Queen’ have smooth green hearts-shaped leaves that are splashed with yellow, white or gray.
Several different cultivars of this plant are available, so it’s easy to find a variety that suits your taste and your growing space. You’ll want to pick a plant that thrives in bright indirect light, such as north-facing windows and during cool seasons with shorter days.
The best way to care for your pothos is by following the basic guidelines of all indoor plants: Water it when its soil dries out between waterings and give it a monthly feeding with a nutrient-rich houseplant fertilizer. Generally, you’ll only need to water it every 1-2 weeks during warmer months and less often in cooler weather.
Once you’ve established a regular routine, your pothos will be easy to care for and will reward you with lush foliage and colorful variations. Keep an eye out for signs of overwatering, such as wilted leaves and black stems.
While the roots of pothos aren’t too picky, they prefer a nutrient-rich potting soil that drains easily. Choose a blend that includes Miracle-Gro(r) Indoor Potting Mix, as it helps water travel through the soil more efficiently.
A nutrient-rich blend also makes it more likely that your Pothos will develop healthy, strong roots. You can try dipping cuttings in rooting hormone before sticking them into a mix of perlite and peat moss, but you’ll likely need to wait for them to take hold in the potting soil before transplanting them to a larger pot.
Easy to repot
The easiest houseplant to start gardening with is probably Pothos, a vine that thrives in neglect and grows well under minimal light. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it a little help now and then to keep it healthy and happy.
You can easily repot a Pothos to make room for new growth or improve the soil mix in its current container. This can help prevent problems such as root rot or overwatering.
To repot, you’ll need a new container with adequate drainage holes and fresh potting soil. You can use any specialized houseplant potting mix or make your own by amending ordinary potting soil with perlite or bark.
Depending on where you live, it’s best to repot your Pothos in late winter or early spring when the roots grow strong and start to push through the existing soil. That should provide plenty of time to get the root system in place and re-establish a healthy balance of water and air before summer arrives.
Before you begin, you’ll want to clean up your work area and sterilize any tools you plan to use. This will reduce the chances of transferring bacteria to your plant and causing it to develop an infection.
Next, remove the Pothos from its old container and examine it to see if there are any loose or dead roots. If there are, gently massage the roots so they don’t become tangled.
If you have to, trim the roots, especially those that are wrapped around the outside of the root ball. This will break them up and make it easier for the plant to grow downward once replanted.
For the most part, repotting is an easy process that will only take a few minutes. Before you begin, though, ensure your new pot has plenty of drainage holes and a base that is at least an inch or two wider than the old one.
Then, add some potting soil to the bottom of the new pot and position your pothos plant’s stems so that it is about 1/2′′ to 1′′ below the lip of the pot. This will stop the soil from spilling over the sides and making a mess.
