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Pothos: care guide for the Golden Pothos
The Pothos is one of those houseplants that feels purpose-built for modern living: long, supple stems that spill from a shelf or climb a vertical support, heart-shaped leaves marbled green and gold that catch every ounce of light, and a temperament that stays unbothered even in the hands of a complete beginner. It is hard to find anything more forgiving.
This guide gathers everything you need to grow your Epipremnum aureum into a generous, long-lived plant: its preferences in light, water and humidity, the soil mix it likes, the small incidents to watch for, and the foolproof method to propagate it in a few weeks.
Contents
The essentials in 30 seconds
| Botanical name | Epipremnum aureum (formerly Scindapsus aureus) |
| Other names | Pothos, Golden Pothos, Devil's Ivy, Money Plant |
| Family | Araceae |
| Origin | Mo'orea Island, French Polynesia. Naturalized throughout the tropics. |
| Light | Bright indirect light. Tolerates medium light. No direct sun. |
| Watering | About once a week in spring and summer, every 10 to 15 days in fall and winter. Always let the top 1 to 2 inches dry out between waterings. |
| Humidity | 40 to 60 % ideal. Handles average household humidity (30 to 40 %) without a fuss. |
| Mature indoor size | Trailing or climbing stems reaching 6 to 10 feet if left to run. |
| Difficulty | Beginner. One of the most tolerant houseplants on the market. |
| Toxicity | Toxic to cats and dogs if ingested (insoluble calcium oxalate crystals). |
| Highlight | Roots in a single glass of water in days, grows quickly, and helps purify indoor air. |
Pothos: portrait of a fearless climber from Polynesia
The Epipremnum aureum is native to the small island of Mo'orea, in the Society archipelago of French Polynesia. In the humid forests where it grows wild, it climbs up tree trunks using aerial roots and unfurls leaves that can reach nearly three feet long once mature. Indoors and in a pot, it keeps its juvenile silhouette with heart-shaped leaves three to six inches wide, which is exactly what makes it such a good apartment plant.
Its nickname Devil's Ivy has nothing to do with botanical mischief and everything to do with a reputation for being nearly unkillable: it survives conditions that would finish off most other houseplants. That resilience, combined with foliage splashed green and yellow on the most common Golden variety, has made it a fixture of modern interiors for decades. It is also a plant that plays on two registers: let it run free and the stems flow gently down from a shelf; offer it a vertical support and it climbs into a much more upright silhouette.
Beyond looks, Pothos earned its credentials in NASA's famous Clean Air Study of the 1980s, where it stood out for its ability to filter certain volatile organic compounds from indoor air. A welcome bonus on top of its natural generosity.
Ideal indoor conditions
Light: bright and indirect, no direct sun
Pothos performs best near a bright window, north or east facing, or set back from a south or west exposure. The more generous the light, the more pronounced the golden variegation on the leaves. In low light the plant survives, but the foliage tends to revert to plain green and growth slows noticeably.
Direct sun is the one thing to avoid. The leaves burn quickly behind glass and the marks never fade. If your Pothos sits in a south-facing bay, soften the light with a sheer curtain or move the plant three to six feet back from the glass.
Watering: regular but never excessive
Pothos prefers a substrate that dries out between waterings. The rule of thumb: push a finger into the soil and water only if the top inch or two feels dry to the touch. In practice, that means watering roughly once a week in spring and summer, and stretching to every 10 to 15 days in fall and winter, when the plant slows down.
Use room-temperature water, ideally left to sit for a few hours so the chlorine can evaporate. Water evenly across the surface of the rootball, then always empty the saucer or cachepot. Water sitting at the roots is by far the leading cause of Pothos failure.
Humidity: tolerant but appreciative
A range of 40 to 60 % is the sweet spot. The good news is the plant copes well with the dry air of a heated apartment, far more readily than most of its tropical cousins. If leaf tips brown in the middle of winter, a weekly mist with our Magic Mist or grouping it with other plants to build a small microclimate usually sorts the problem.
Temperature: 65 to 80°F (18 to 26°C), never below 55°F (13°C)
Pothos thrives in the typical temperature range of an indoor space, 65 to 80°F (18 to 26°C) year-round. It handles cold poorly: avoid winter windowsills, cold drafts and the immediate vicinity of an exterior door. Below 55°F (13°C) growth stops and the plant becomes vulnerable to root rot.
Fertilization: moderate during the growing season
From March through September, a liquid fertilizer for houseplants diluted to half strength every four to six weeks is plenty to keep growth steady. Our Plant Boost is calibrated for that rhythm. From fall through winter, suspend fertilization entirely: the plant cannot use the nutrients in that season, and excess builds up and burns the roots.
Which soil and which pot to choose
Pothos likes a light, slightly acidic substrate that holds a little moisture without ever suffocating the roots. A mix combining two thirds quality houseplant potting soil and one third draining material (perlite, fine pine bark or pumice) does the job perfectly. That open structure encourages root development and dramatically cuts the risk of rot.
For the container, choose a nursery pot with drainage holes, slightly larger than the rootball, then drop it inside a watertight cachepot. A pot that is too large holds excess moisture at the heart of the substrate and slows growth. For a 14-inch (35 cm) Small Pothos, a cachepot of 5 inches (12 to 13 cm) internal diameter is the right starting size. Add a layer of clay pebbles at the bottom to limit direct contact between the rootball and any water that may collect.
Common problems and solutions
Pothos is one of the most tolerant houseplants on the market, but a few alerts come up regularly. Here is how to read them in seconds and respond.
Yellow leaves: almost always too much water
On a Pothos, yellowing is the most common alarm signal. Three causes can explain it, but one of them accounts for the vast majority of cases. Here is how to decide quickly by looking at the plant and its soil.
Soaked soil: overwatering. If several leaves yellow at the same time, especially the youngest ones near the center of the plant, and the soil stays damp three or four days after watering, you are watering too much. A musty smell rising from the pot confirms the diagnosis. Take the plant out of its cachepot immediately, set the rootball on newspaper so it can shed the excess, and water again only once the substrate has dried in depth. In advanced cases, unpot fully and trim away the black, mushy roots.
A few scattered yellow leaves, near the base or in older growth: natural turnover. One or two yellow leaves on an otherwise vigorous plant are perfectly normal: they are the oldest reaching the end of their life. You can pull them off gently, they detach without resistance. Nothing to worry about.
Diffuse yellowing with slowed growth: low light or nutrient deficiency. If new leaves come in paler and smaller, and the plant has stopped progressing, move it closer to a bright window in indirect light. Apply diluted fertilizer to wake the plant up, respecting the seasonal rhythm.
Drooping leaves or stems that sag: most likely underwatering
When Pothos leaves lose their firmness and the stems droop limply without changing color, it is almost always a sign that the substrate has dried out deep down. The plant usually bounces back within hours of a thorough watering.
Submerge the rootball in a basin of lukewarm water for 15 to 20 minutes to rehydrate it to the core, let it drain, then put the plant back in place. Lift the pot before watering: if it feels surprisingly light, that confirms the diagnosis. Conversely, if the leaves are soft AND the soil stays soggy, the diagnosis flips: suffocated roots can no longer move water. You then need to unpot, cut away the black roots and repot in fresh substrate.
Dry brown patches at the center of the leaves: sunburn
Pothos is built for the dappled shade of a tropical understory, not for direct sun behind a window. The classic sign: dry patches form at the center of the blade and are surrounded by a halo of bleached yellow. Affected leaves never recover. Pull the plant three to six feet back from the window or filter the light with a sheer curtain, then remove the most damaged leaves to restore the silhouette.
Soft, diffuse brown patches: fungal infection driven by humidity
When the patches are soft rather than dry, brownish with a lighter halo, a fungal infection is setting in, almost always linked to overly wet soil combined with poor airflow. Isolate the plant, remove the affected leaves while disinfecting your snips between cuts, and improve circulation around the foliage. Stretch out the watering schedule so the rootball can fully dry.
New leaves are smaller and less variegated: not enough light
This is the most reliable sign of insufficient light. The golden variegation of the Golden variety needs bright indirect light to express itself fully. If your new leaves come in smaller and more uniformly green than the older ones, move the Pothos closer to a generous source of indirect light. Subsequent leaves regain their contrast within a few weeks.
Pests: mealybugs first, more rarely spider mites and thrips
Pothos is broadly pest-resistant, but a few familiar visitors can show up, especially in winter when indoor air gets dry and stagnant.
Mealybugs appear as small, cottony white clusters at the joint between stems and leaves, or on the underside of the blade. Dab each cluster with a cotton swab soaked in 70% isopropyl alcohol, then spray the entire plant with a neem oil solution or diluted black soap once a week for three weeks, to deal with the eggs.
Spider mites show up in dry, warm conditions as fine webbing in the leaf axils and as yellow stippling on the blade. A lukewarm shower of the foliage and a bump in humidity (daily misting) usually handle the issue.
Thrips leave silvery streaks on the surface of the leaves. Blue sticky traps and a neem oil treatment usually clear them in two to three weeks.
Our Super Neem Oil is built for these situations and remains safe to use around your other houseplants.
Keep your Pothos looking its best
Pruning: tailored to the cascading or moss pole form
Pothos is one of the most rewarding plants to prune. The golden rule: always cut just above a node, the small swelling where a leaf and often an aerial root emerge. The plant responds by sending new lateral shoots from that point, which naturally densifies the silhouette.
On a cascading Pothos, two options depending on the look you want: let the stems run and limit yourself to removing yellow or damaged leaves, or cut the longest stems back to pot height every two to three months to keep a bushy, compact habit. The cuttings root easily in a glass of water (see the propagation section below).
On a Pothos trained on a moss pole, the goal is to encourage vertical growth. Keep the moss pole moist by misting it regularly: the aerial roots of the Pothos anchor into the moss and the plant takes on a spectacular upright habit. Limit pruning to removing yellow or damaged leaves, and pinch the apex only if the plant has reached the top of the pole and overshoots the frame you want.
You can switch between the two forms at any time. To turn a cascading plant into a climbing one, push a moss pole into the center of the pot and tie the main stems to it with soft ties. The reverse works just as well if you decide to remove the pole and let the stems trail.
Cleaning the foliage: a small habit with a big impact
A dust-free leaf catches a lot more light, and therefore photosynthesizes more efficiently. Once a month, gently wipe each leaf with a soft cloth dampened with lukewarm water, adding a drop of diluted black soap if needed. Skip the commercial leaf shine products: they clog the leaf pores. Our Magic Mist is built for this ritual without irritating the leaves, and bumps the humidity in passing.
Rotation: a quarter turn at each watering
Like every plant, Pothos pulls toward the light. A quarter turn of the pot at each watering is enough to keep a balanced silhouette and prevent every stem from gathering on the same side.
Top dressing and repotting: fresh substrate on a regular cadence
Every 12 to 18 months, scrape off the top inch or two of soil and replace it with fresh mix. This top dressing delivers a nutritional boost without disturbing the rootball.
Full repotting comes around every two to three years, or sooner if roots are coming out of the drainage holes and circling inside the pot. Choose a new pot one to two inches (2 to 4 cm) wider than the previous one, ease the rootball out, gently loosen the outer roots, and settle the plant into the fresh substrate. Water moderately for the first few weeks to limit the shock of the change.
How to propagate a Pothos: water cuttings
Good news for anyone wanting to multiply their plant: Pothos is probably the easiest houseplant of all to propagate from cuttings, far ahead of a Ficus or a Pachira. The aerial roots already present on the stems start growing in water within days, with no hormone or special equipment.
The water method is the most visual and the most accessible, perfect for a first attempt.
- Pick a healthy stem of 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) with at least two or three leaves. Using clean snips or a knife, cut the stem half an inch below a node. The roots will emerge from that node.
- Prepare a glass: fill a clear glass with room-temperature water. Submerge the stem so the node sits below the waterline, with no leaves touching the water, since submerged leaves rot and contaminate the glass.
- Place in bright indirect light, away from direct sun. A shelf near a window works well.
- Wait and change the water once a week to keep it clear and oxygenated. The first roots show up within seven to ten days.
- Pot up in soil when the roots reach 1.5 to 2 inches (4 to 5 cm). Use a small 4-to-5-inch (10 to 12 cm) pot filled with the same mix as the parent plant. Keep the substrate just moist for three to four weeks, the time the water roots need to adapt to life in soil, then resume a normal watering rhythm.
Tip: you can stack multiple cuttings in the same glass and within a few months build a dense Pothos by tucking the young plants back into the parent pot, which thickens up the silhouette without waiting years.
Pothos and pets
Pothos contains insoluble calcium oxalate crystals in every part of the plant: leaves, stems and sap. Ingestion by a cat or dog causes immediate mouth irritation, excessive drooling, and sometimes vomiting and difficulty swallowing. Symptoms are rarely severe but always unpleasant for the animal, and may warrant a vet visit if the pet is very young or has chewed a large amount.
If your household includes a curious four-legged companion or one that is particularly drawn to leaves, set your Pothos high up: on a shelf, hanging from the ceiling or on an out-of-reach piece of furniture. In case of accidental ingestion, rinse the animal's mouth with clean water and contact your veterinarian to assess next steps.
For homes with pets where caution is the priority, take a look at our Pet-Safe Plants collection, which gathers our non-toxic options.
Adopt your Pothos
At Léon & George, every Pothos is hand-picked from our MPS-A-certified European growers. We repot it in the edition cachepot of your choice and ship it in our double-protection packaging built to preserve the foliage throughout the trip.
Every plant ships with a 30-day guarantee. And because a houseplant is also a living companion you get to know over time, you have access to our Plant Doctor service: our experts answer your questions, diagnose the small bumps along the way and stay with you for the long run.
FAQ Pothos
Is Pothos really easy to care for?
Yes, without reservation. Pothos sits among the three or four most tolerant houseplants on the market. It forgives missed waterings, settles into moderate light and bounces back quickly from stress. For anyone making a first attempt at growing greenery indoors, it is a hard choice to beat.
How often should you water a Pothos?
In spring and summer, about once a week. In fall and winter, every 10 to 15 days. The absolute rule: never water until the top 1 to 2 inches of soil are dry. Better to underwater than to overwater: the plant handles a missed watering well, but does not handle prolonged excess.
Why are my Pothos leaves turning yellow?
Nine times out of ten, overwatering. Make sure the substrate dries out between waterings and that no water sits in the cachepot. A few isolated yellow leaves on older growth, by contrast, are normal: that is the plant's natural turnover.
Is Pothos toxic to my cat or dog?
Yes. Every part of the plant contains insoluble calcium oxalate crystals that cause mouth irritation, excessive drooling and sometimes vomiting if ingested. Set your Pothos out of reach if you have a curious pet, or browse our pet-safe plants collection for non-toxic options.
Can you propagate a Pothos directly in soil?
Yes, but water propagation is simpler and more visual for first-timers. If you try soil, push the base of the cutting about an inch into a light mix kept just moist, with a node buried, under a cloche or plastic bag to maintain humidity, and place in indirect light. Roots appear in two to three weeks.
My Pothos is losing its variegation, what should I do?
Almost always a sign of insufficient light. The golden variegation of the Golden variety needs bright indirect light to express itself. Move the plant closer to a bright window, out of direct sun, and the new leaves should regain their pattern within a few weeks.
How tall can a Pothos grow indoors?
Stems can reach 6 to 10 feet (2 to 3 meters) within a few years if left to run. You can train them up a moss pole for a vertical habit, let them cascade from a tall shelf, or prune them back regularly to keep a compact silhouette.
How do you train a Pothos to climb a moss pole?
Drive a moss pole (sphagnum or coco fiber) into the center of the pot, all the way down. Keep it moist by misting it or pouring a little water at the top once or twice a week. Tie the main stems to the pole with soft ties: the aerial roots of the Pothos quickly anchor into the moss and the plant takes over on its own.
When should you repot a Pothos?
Every two to three years on average, or sooner if roots are coming out of the drainage holes and circling inside the pot. Repotting is best done in spring, at the start of the growing season. Choose a new pot 1 to 2 inches (2 to 4 cm) wider than the old one, never more: an oversized container holds too much moisture and slows growth.
Which potting soil should I use to repot my Pothos?
A mix of two thirds quality houseplant potting soil and one third draining material: perlite, fine pine bark or pumice. That open substrate retains just enough moisture without suffocating the roots, which matches the plant's needs exactly.
Does Pothos really purify the air?
It is one of the plants tested in NASA's famous Clean Air Study of the 1980s, where it stood out for filtering certain volatile organic compounds such as formaldehyde and benzene. The effect, measured in a sealed chamber, is more modest in a real, ventilated apartment, but remains a welcome bonus for indoor air quality.