Pothos Care: Light, Water, Propagation and How to Make It Fuller

Pothos is the plant most people start with, and for good reason. It grows fast, forgives missed waterings, copes with less-than-perfect light and tells you clearly when something is wrong. With a few simple habits you can turn a small pot into a long, lush vine, then root the cuttings and fill your home for free.

Pothos care at a glance

Need	What pothos wants
Light	Bright, indirect light; tolerates low light (variegated types fade)
Water	When the top 1 to 2 inches are dry; water thoroughly
Soil	Airy, fast-draining potting mix in a pot with a drainage hole
Temperature	70 to 85°F by day, 60 to 70°F at night; keep above 50°F
Humidity	Average home humidity is fine; 50% or more is ideal
Fertilizer	Balanced houseplant food at half strength, monthly in spring and summer
Growth	Fast; vines can grow several feet a year in good light
Pets	Toxic to cats and dogs (calcium oxalate crystals)

Popular pothos varieties

All the pothos below are Epipremnum and need the same basic care. The main difference is light: the more white or cream in the leaves, the more light the plant needs to stay colorful and grow well.

Variety	Looks like	Light needs
Golden pothos	Green leaves splashed with yellow	Low to bright; the classic, toughest choice
Jade pothos	Solid dark green	Copes best with low light
Neon pothos	Bright chartreuse	Low to bright; grows fast
Marble Queen	Heavily streaked white and green	Needs bright, indirect light
Pearls and Jade, N’Joy, Manjula	Crisp white and green patches	Bright, indirect light; slower growing
Cebu Blue	Narrow, silvery blue-green leaves	Bright, indirect light

How much light does pothos need?

Pothos grows fastest and looks best in bright, indirect light: near an east window, or a few feet back from a south or west window. It will survive in a dim room or under office lights, which is why it’s famous as a low-light plant, but it grows slowly there, with smaller leaves and long gaps between them.

• Too little light: long, bare stems; small new leaves; variegated leaves turning plain green.
• Too much direct sun: pale, bleached leaves and brown, crispy patches.
• Just right: steady new leaves that are the same size as, or bigger than, the older ones.

See our lighting guide for how to check your light, and our best low-light houseplants if your home is dim.

How often to water pothos

Let the top 1 to 2 inches of soil dry out, then water thoroughly until it drains from the bottom. That’s usually every 1 to 2 weeks in spring and summer and every 2 to 3 weeks in winter. Pothos would much rather be a little dry than soggy.

1. Push a finger into the soil. If it’s dry to the second knuckle, water.
2. Water slowly all over the soil until water flows from the drainage hole.
3. Empty the saucer after 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Check again in a week; plants in bright light dry out faster.

More in our watering guide.

Best soil and pot

Use a good all-purpose potting mix lightened with about one part perlite or orchid bark to three parts mix, so water drains quickly and roots get air. Any pot with a drainage hole works; hanging baskets show off trailing vines beautifully. See our potting soil guide.

Temperature and humidity

Pothos likes the same temperatures you do: 70 to 85°F (21 to 29°C) by day and 60 to 70°F (16 to 21°C) at night. Keep it away from cold windows and drafty doors in winter, and out of the direct blast of heating or air-conditioning vents.

It copes with normal home humidity, though it’s happiest at 50% or more. If leaf tips turn brown in dry winter air, a humidifier or grouping plants together helps. See our humidity guide.

Fertilizing pothos

Feed with a balanced liquid houseplant fertilizer at half strength about once a month in spring and summer, on damp soil. Don’t feed in autumn and winter. Pale, yellowish new growth on a plant with good light and watering often means it’s hungry. See our fertilizing guide.

How to make pothos fuller

A pothos with a few long, bare vines is the most common complaint. Pothos doesn’t branch much on its own, so you have to help it:

1. Give it more light. Leaves grow closer together in brighter light.
2. Trim long vines in spring or summer, cutting just above a leaf. New growth usually starts from the node below the cut.
3. Root the cuttings and plant them back in the same pot, around the base. This is the fastest way to a bushy plant.
4. Coil long vines back over the top of the soil and pin them down; they’ll root where nodes touch the soil.

Our pruning guide explains exactly where to cut.

How to propagate pothos

Pothos is one of the easiest plants to propagate. Every piece of stem with a node can become a new plant.

1. Cut a 4 to 6 inch piece of vine with at least one node (the brown bump where a leaf and aerial root grow) and two or three leaves.
2. Remove the leaf nearest the cut end so the node is bare.
3. Stand the cutting in a glass of water, node underwater and leaves above, in bright, indirect light.
4. Change the water every few days. Roots appear in 1 to 2 weeks.
5. When roots are 1 to 2 inches long, pot the cutting in damp potting mix and keep it lightly moist for the first couple of weeks.

You can also root cuttings directly in damp potting mix. See our propagation guide for more methods.

Trailing or climbing: bigger leaves on a moss pole

In the wild, pothos climbs trees and produces huge, sometimes split leaves. Indoors, trailing vines stay small-leaved. If you want bigger leaves, give it a moss pole or plank to climb. Tie the vines loosely to the pole, keep the pole slightly damp so aerial roots grip it, and give the plant bright, indirect light. Leaves usually get noticeably larger as the plant climbs.

When to repot

Repot every 1 to 2 years in spring, when roots circle the pot or poke out of the drainage hole, or when the soil dries out within a couple of days. Move up only one pot size (1 to 2 inches wider). A pot that’s too big holds extra wet soil, which leads to root rot. Our repotting guide walks you through it.

Common pothos problems and fixes

What you see	Most likely cause	What to do
Yellow leaves, soil wet	Overwatering	Let the top 2 inches dry; check drainage
Yellow leaves, soil dry	Underwatering or hunger	Water thoroughly; feed in spring and summer
Drooping, soft leaves	Thirst (or rot if soil is wet)	Water if dry; check roots if wet
Long bare vines, small leaves	Not enough light	Move to brighter light; trim and replant cuttings
Variegation fading to green	Not enough light	Give brighter, indirect light
Brown, crispy tips or patches	Dry air or direct sun	Raise humidity; move out of harsh sun
Black, mushy stems at soil	Root rot	Cut healthy vines to re-root; repot in fresh mix
Webbing or white fluff	Spider mites or mealybugs	Rinse the plant; treat with insecticidal soap

More help in our guides to yellow leaves, root rot and houseplant pests.

Is pothos toxic to pets?

Yes. Pothos contains insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, and the ASPCA lists it as toxic to cats and dogs. Chewing a leaf causes mouth pain, drooling, pawing at the mouth, vomiting and difficulty swallowing. Hang it out of reach or choose from our pet-friendly houseplants.

Quick action checklist

Save this for later: pin the cheat sheet below to your Pinterest plant board.

Pothos care FAQ

Sources and further reading

Want to go deeper? These university extension and expert resources cover the same topic:

• Clemson Cooperative Extension: How to grow pothos indoors
• Penn State Extension: Pothos as a houseplant
• NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: Epipremnum aureum
• ASPCA: Golden pothos toxicity