If you’ve got a collection of plants then your pothos is usually the easiest one to look after. It can actually make you feel like you know what you’re doing when it comes to indoor gardening!
But when your pothos leaves start turning yellow or the stems begin to droop it can feel like you’ve been fooled all along. And really don’t know anything at all.
Well don’t worry – pothos plants are very resilient and most problems have simple solutions. And after saving a few pothos myself I’ll take your through exactly what to look for as well as how to bring your plant back to life.
What to Look for
First you need to figure out what’s going on with your plant. Pothos will show you they’re stressed in different ways.
You might notice some leaves are turning yellow. Or the edges of the leaves are looking brown and crispy. Maybe the whole plant looks pale and lackluster or the stems feel soft when they should be firm.
It’s these that tell you what your plant needs. You then just have to give it what it wants and learn from it.
So let’s start look at the most common issues.
Watering Your Pothos
Each pothos will have slightly different needs when it comes to watering. Which is why it’s best not to stick to a schedule but instead get used to the signs your plant will give you when it needs water.
When the top two inches of soil feels dry to the touch that’s a good time to start watering. You should’ve feeling for a balance between it being dry and damp.
Remember how your pothos reacts to overwatering too. Yellow leaves aren’t always a sign of wanting more water. Sometimes it’s that they’ve got too much. A pot that drains well is important here.
One trick that works well: lift your pothos pot after you’ve watered it and again when it’s dry. It won’t take you long to recognize the difference in weight that shows it’s time for you to water.
When you do it, make sure the water runs through the drainage holes. This way it’s not going to get waterlogged.
Root Health and Recovery
To save your pothos you might have to get your hands a little dirty. If you’ve seen that your plant is drooping even when you’ve given it the right water then you should check the roots.
Take your pothos plant out of its pot. If the roots are healthy then they should be light in color and feel firm when you touch them.
I had a pothos that I overwatered for months. The roots were black and mushy. But once I’d trimmed those parts away and repotted it in new soil I started to see white roots growing within a few weeks.
So don’t be afraid to prune away any roots that feel soft or look dark. They’re only going to be a drain on your plant.
To help get your potting soil and add in some extra perlite to improve the drainage. This will help the recovering roots to get the oxygen they need.
If you add a handful of orchid bark to your potting mix it will help stop any future problems by making air pockets in the soil that allow for good air flow.
Light and Location
Even though pothos are tough they still need the right light to do well. If it’s started to turn pale then that’s it’s sign it needs more light.
The best spot for pothos is one that is like its natural habitat. That is bright but filtered light, the sort you’d find in a rainforest.
Keep track of how the light moves through your home throughout the day. A north facing window is usually best because it give your plant bright light without it being too harsh.
If your pothos is reaching toward the light with long, leggy stems then try moving it closer to the window or to a somewhere that gets more light.
During the winter you will probably see your plant growing slower and producing fewer leaves. That’s normal and not something to be worried about.
The only thing you really need to be careful about is moving your plant too close to cold windows or places that get drafts. If you life somewhere that gets very dark in the winter then you could think about using a grow light during the shorter days.
Creating the Right Environment
Most homes are too dry for a tropical plant like pothos. They can get by in an average house and it’s humidity level b they’ll do much better if you can get a bit of moisture in to the air.
You’ll know the humidity is too low if the edges of your pothos leaves start to turn brown and crispy.
You can help your plants to get better humidity by groups them together. They share moisture through their leaves and when they’re next to one another the history levels will improve.
A small humidifier also works really well, especially when you’re using your homes heating. Just don’t mist your leaves too much as it can lead to fungus growing.
Temperature plays a role too. You don’t want your pothos to get too hot or cold, so keep it away from heating or air condition vents in the winter and summer respectively. Both will stress your plant.
Feeding and Maintenance
Fertilizer is a little bit like a multivitamin. It’s helpful when’s it’s needed but it’s not going to cure all your problems.
During the growing season (spring through early fall), feeding about once every not h with a fertilizer specifically for houseplants is more than enough.
You should be either cutting back or stopping feeding completely when the winter comes around. If the edges of the leaves turn brown or you get a build up of white crust ones on the soil then you are probably over feeding. A thorough rinse through of the soil with water should get rid of the ferrilizer salts that have built up.
Pruning regularly is also important for your pothos as it keeps it healthy and growing well. If you’ve found any damaged or yellow leaves then snip them off.
Dealing with Pests
Even if your pothos is healthy it can still be hit by pests. Keep an eye out for small webs between the leaves (spider mites) or white spots (mealybugs). The faster you can spot and deal with these the easier it’ll be for your plant to recover.
A solution of dish soap and water is good for miler infestations. All you have to do
Is wipe the leaves, not forgetting the undersides.
For worse cases then neem oil is going to be your best bet. Use it every week in the evening so it doesn’t burn the leaves and keep going until all your pests are gone.
Prevention is what you should be aiming for. So check your pothos often and keep where it lives clean. If it’s healthy and not stressed it will naturally be able to resist most pests rather than a struggling one which is more susceptible.
Making the Most of Propagation
When your pothos is struggling you should be looking to propagation as a way to reviving it. I’ve seen plants that looked like they were down for bought back to life through their cuttings.
Look for nodes (those are the small brown bumps) along healthy stems. It’s here you can propagate and get yourself a new pothos.
Choose stems that have at least two leaves and a node or two. Cut below those nodes and put the cuttings in water.
You should then move them to somewhere bright but out of direct sun. Within a couple weeks you should be able to see small roots growing.
As your cuttings are rooting you should be doing all you can to recover your pothos. Trim away any growth that’s unhealthy and repot it if you need to. Sometimes a fresh start is exactly what your plant needs.
Getting Drainage Right
Poor drainage can be a nightmare for pothos. And ruin any good work you’ve done to help it.
Your pothos needs a pot that lets the excess water drain away easily. If you’re finding the water pools on top of the soil for more than a few seconds when you’re watering then the drainage is an issue.
Change your potting mix to one that’s lighter and clean the drainage holes so they’re not blocked.
If you’re using a pot that doesn’t have drainage holes you’re going to struggle. They’ll work as a cache pot but as the main one? Nope.
A plastic pot with proper drainage holes is the way to go.
Recognizing Recovery Signs
The first signs of recovery might be fairly subtle. It could be firmer leaves or the green a little darker.
But it’s the new growth that will be your best way of telling how successful you’ve been. When you spot a tiny leaf growing you know you’re on the right track.
But don’t expect any miracles overnight. The recovery will usually happen gradually over months.
For example, yellow leaves aren’t going to turn green again but new growth will be strong and healthy. A good way to keep r track of the changes is by taking photos every week. mple any yellow leaves won’t turn green again but nee growth will be strong and healthy. You can keep track of how things are changing by taking photos every week.
Look at the overall shape of your plant too. As it recovers it’s stems should feel firmer and the leaves should be pointing upwards rather than drooping.
Looking Ahead: Prevention and Maintenance
Once your pothos has bounced back you’ll want to keep it thriving. A proper care routine works well for this.
You can make it one that fits in with your schedule. And as plants grow differently as the seasons change you should be changing how you care for yours along with that.
Keep a mental note of what your plant likes in reseda to watering. But at the same time always check the soil before you do water.
You should notice how the pattern of growth changes throughout the year. This is important as it will help you to anticipate your plant’s needs. A healthy pothos might grow like crazy in summer but do very little in the winter.
The best prevention though is observation. Take a few moments every week to really look at your plant.
How do the leaves feel? Are new ones emerging? Is the soil drying at the usual rate?
It’s things like this that will help you catch potential problems before they become serious.
Wrapping Up
These tips should help you to save your struggling pothos. But at the same time it’s important to build a relationship with your plant.
When you’ve recovered a plant it will teach you something new about caring for plants. And you’ll be able to take that new knowledge forward with you as you care and grow more. Those skills will help with all your houseplants in the future.