The Golden Pothos is probably one of the easiest houseplants to grow and take care of. Perhaps this is why it is one of the most popular house plants around. You can easily identify a golden pothos from its heart-shaped green leaves variegated in yellow. Besides its unique shaped leaves, the pothos is also known for its long, trailing stems that can grow to 8 feet long or more. Pothos look stunning in a hanging planter or basket. Pothos are known to remove formaldehyde in the air that comes from carpet and other materials in our homes.
How Often Do You Water Golden Pothos?
Just like with any other house plant, it is important to recognize the signs of thirst before watering the plant. As a general rule, you can water your pothos if the soil has completely dried from the previous watering.
Overwatering can lead to root rot and black spots forming on the leaves. Yellow and mushy stems are a symptom of root rot. Use a planter with a drainage holes to prevent water buildup and soggy soil. Overwatering is essentially the only thing that will kill the golden pothos. On the other hand, wilting leaves is a sign of a thirsty plant and you should give it a good drink!
Should You Mist Golden Pothos?
While some houseplants love mist, the pothos is not one of them. There is no need to mist your golden pothos because it does not require a lot of moisture.
Do Golden Pothos Need Sunlight?
Pothos like bright, indirect light, but can tolerate and even thrive under low light or fluorescent light. This makes the pothos an ideal plant for an office or a dorm room. Prolonged exposure to intense, direct sun can damage the pothos and should be avoided. One symptom that your pothos is getting too much sun is if the leaves suddenly become more pale looking.
Although pothos can tolerate low light, growth will increase with brighter light. Under ideal bright light conditions, the pothos will have more leaves and better variegation. One sign that your pothos is not getting enough sunlight is the appearance of long spaces between the leaves. If that is the case, your pothos may benefit from some more light. Variegated plants sometimes lose their leaf pattern and revert to all-green plants if they don't get enough light. Moving them to brighter conditions usually restores the variegation.
Humidity and Temperature
Pothos is not fussy about humidity and can tolerate both high and low humidity levels. The same goes for temperature. There is no need to worry about the ideal temperature with pothos, because they will thrive in normal room temperature conditions.
Soil
Use ordinary, well-draining, good-quality all-purpose potting soil.
Fertilizer
Since most potting soil has no nutrients, you should feed every 2 weeks from spring to fall and once a month during the winter with any balanced water-soluble houseplant fertilizer.
Propogating
Pothos can be easily propagated by taking stem cuttings (also called “stem tip cuttings”) and rooting them in water or in potting soil. Cut a 4 to 6-inch stem tip with at 2 leaves attached. Then cut about a half-inch to an inch below a node (a place where a leaf is attached to a stem) Move the cuttings that are rooted in water into the soil as soon as possible so they can start getting nutrients. It can take up to 4 weeks to root.
Golden Pothos Are Toxic To Cats And Dogs
The golden pothos plant is deemed toxic to dogs and cats (and humans) by the ASPCA. If ingested, it may cause oral irritation, intense burning and irritation of mouth, tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting, oral irritation and difficulty swallowing. If your pet is displaying any of those symptoms and contact with a golden pothos is possible, it is important to contact your vet immediately.