How to Care for Pothos
One of the easiest houseplants to keep alive, and the easiest to turn into ten more. Here's how to water, light, and propagate pothos the right way.
Pothos at a Glance
Everything you need to know, in four numbers.
Complete Pothos Care
Pothos (Epipremnum aureum) is a trailing vine famous for surviving neglect and low light. This guide is based on care research from university extension services and the ASPCA, with sources linked at the end.
Already dealing with yellow leaves, drooping vines, or a pothos that declined after repotting? Start with our pothos diagnosis guide before changing its routine.
Light
NC State Extension notes pothos prefers bright, indirect light but survives for long periods in low light, making it one of the most forgiving houseplants for dim corners. The catch: low light causes variegated types to lose their white or yellow patterning and revert to solid green.
Watering
Let the soil dry out completely before watering again, then water thoroughly until it reaches all the roots, per Clemson Cooperative Extension. That's usually about once a week in summer and less often in winter. Overwatering, not underwatering, is what kills most pothos.
Humidity
Clemson Extension puts ideal humidity around 50–70%, achieved with a humidifier or a tray of wet pebbles, but pothos tolerates typical home humidity of 30–60% without issue. Only very dry winter air tends to cause brown, crispy leaf edges.
Fertilizing
Feed every other month during spring and summer with a balanced houseplant fertilizer, per Clemson Extension, and skip it entirely once the plant goes dormant in winter (NC State Extension). Low fertility is one of the two leading causes of yellow leaves, alongside overwatering.
Soil & Potting
A well-draining potting mix is essential: NC State Extension flags overwatering and poor drainage as the direct cause of root rot and blackened leaf margins. Repot every 1–2 years, or sooner if vines are outgrowing the pot, sizing up only 1–2 inches at a time.
Temperature
Clemson Extension lists a comfortable range of 60–70°F (16–21°C) at night and 70–85°F (21–29°C) during the day. Keep pothos away from heating vents and air conditioning drafts, which can damage the leaves regardless of the room's average temperature.
How to Propagate Pothos
Pothos is one of the easiest houseplants to propagate: every cutting with a node can become a new plant, in water or straight into soil.
1. Find a node
Look along the stem for a node: the small joint where a leaf attaches, often with a tiny brown bump (an aerial root) already forming. Clemson Cooperative Extension is explicit that a cutting needs at least one node to root at all, in water or in soil, so this is the one step you can't skip.
2. Cut below the node
Snip a stem section a few inches long, cutting just below the node with clean scissors or pruning snips. Each cutting only needs one healthy node and leaf to grow into a full new plant, so a single long vine can produce several cuttings.
3a. Root in water
Submerge the node in a glass of room-temperature water, keeping the leaf above the waterline, and place it in bright indirect light. Refresh the water every several days to keep it from stagnating. Once roots are an inch or two long, pot the cutting into soil.
3b. Or root in soil
Prefer to skip the water stage? Clemson Extension confirms cuttings root just as well planted directly in moist potting mix. Keep the soil consistently damp (not soggy) for the first few weeks, and expect new growth once roots establish.
Pothos Stress Signals
Pothos is forgiving, but it does show when something's off. Here's what each symptom means and how to fix it. If the symptoms do not match, try the plant disease identifier with a clear photo.
Yellow leaves
Cause: Overwatering or low fertility, the two leading causes of yellow pothos leaves, per Clemson Cooperative Extension.
Fix: Check the soil first: if it's been consistently wet, let it dry out fully and space out waterings. If watering has been appropriate, feed with a balanced houseplant fertilizer every other month through spring and summer.
Long, bare stems with sparse leaves
Cause: Low light causing the vine to stretch (etiolation) instead of filling out.
Fix: Move the plant closer to a bright, indirect light source, then prune the leggy stems back to a node to force bushier growth. Save every cutting: each one with a node can be propagated for free.
Brown, crispy leaf edges
Cause: Low humidity or overly intense light, according to Clemson Cooperative Extension.
Fix: Move out of direct sun and into bright indirect light. If winter air is dry, group plants together or add a humidifier. New growth will come in clean once conditions improve.
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Pothos Care FAQ
How often should I water pothos?
Let the soil dry out before watering again. Clemson Cooperative Extension advises allowing the soil to dry completely, then watering thoroughly until it reaches all the roots. For most homes that works out to roughly once a week, less in winter. Soggy, constantly damp soil is the fastest way to cause root rot.
Can pothos survive in low light?
Yes. NC State Extension notes that pothos prefers bright, indirect light but survives for long periods in low light, which is why it's such a common office and hallway plant. The trade-off is variegation: in low light, variegated varieties like Marble Queen or Golden Pothos tend to lose their white or yellow patterning and grow mostly green leaves.
How do I propagate pothos in water?
Cut a stem section that includes at least one node (the small bump on the stem where a leaf attaches, often with a tiny brown aerial root nub already forming). Clemson Cooperative Extension confirms cuttings root readily in water as long as they include a node. Submerge the node in a jar of room-temperature water, keep it in bright indirect light, and change the water every several days. Roots typically develop within a few weeks.
Can I propagate pothos directly in soil instead of water?
Yes. Clemson Cooperative Extension notes pothos cuttings root just as well in soil as in water, provided the cutting has at least one node buried in the mix. Keep the soil consistently moist (not soggy) for the first few weeks while roots establish, then transition to a normal drying-out watering schedule once new growth appears.
Why are my pothos leaves turning yellow?
Clemson Cooperative Extension lists overwatering and low fertility as the two leading causes of yellow pothos leaves. Check the soil first: if it's been consistently wet, let it dry out fully and scale back watering. If the soil has been appropriately dry and the plant hasn't been fed recently, a houseplant fertilizer applied every other month during spring and summer usually resolves it.
Is pothos toxic to cats and dogs?
Yes. Unlike some other easy-care houseplants, pothos is toxic. The ASPCA lists Golden Pothos as toxic to both dogs and cats, with insoluble calcium oxalates as the toxic principle. Symptoms if chewed or swallowed include oral irritation, drooling, and vomiting. Keep pothos out of reach of pets that chew on plants, especially trailing vines within jumping distance of shelves.
Why does my pothos have brown or crispy leaf edges?
Clemson Cooperative Extension attributes leaf scorch and tip dieback on pothos to low humidity or intense light. Move the plant out of direct sun and into bright indirect light, and if your home runs dry in winter, group plants together or use a humidifier. Existing brown edges won't heal, but new leaves will grow in clean once conditions improve.
How do I stop my pothos from getting leggy and sparse?
Long bare stretches of stem between leaves usually mean the plant isn't getting enough light and is stretching toward whatever it can find. Move it closer to a window, then prune the leggy vines back to a node, which encourages bushier new growth from lower on the plant. Don't throw away the cuttings: every pruned section with a node can be propagated in water or soil to fill the pot back in for free.
Sources
The care information on this page is based on the following university extension services and research bodies, not opinion: