Pothos is the plant people get told to start with. It grows fast, roots from a single cutting, puts up with low light, and bounces back from a missed watering. Its long vines trail from a shelf or hanging basket, or climb if you give them something to hold.
Most pothos that die are overwatered. Soil that never dries out rots the roots. The other common complaint is a plant that goes leggy and pale in a dim corner. That one comes down to light, and a trim fixes the shape.
If the leaves are rolling up, why are my pothos leaves curling? works through the causes, from a dry pot to failing roots and pests.
If you have cats or dogs, see the pet safety table for the full toxicity rundown.
Light
Bright, indirect light. Pothos copes with low light better than most houseplants, but in a dim spot the new leaves come in smaller and the variegation fades toward plain green. Keep it out of strong direct sun through a window, especially hot afternoon sun, which scorches the leaves. An east window, or a spot set back from a south or west one, suits it. On variegated types the burned patches show up on the pale parts of the leaf and don't recover. The more white or cream a cultivar has, the more light it needs: Marble Queen and Snow Queen want the bright end of the range, while Neon and Jessenia manage with less.
Water
Water once the top inch or two (2.5–5 cm) of mix has dried, then soak it until water runs from the drainage holes and empty the saucer. A pothos handles too dry far better than too wet, and root rot from soil that stays soggy is one of its few serious problems. Check with a finger rather than going by the calendar, and expect the gap between waterings to stretch in winter. A thirsty pothos wilts and curls its leaves, then usually firms up within a day or two of a good soak.
Humidity
Average home humidity is fine. Pothos does best at 50-70% but tolerates the 30-60% of most homes, and it doesn't need a humidifier. Very dry air in a heated room can brown the leaf tips and makes the pot dry out faster.
Temperature
65-85°F (18-29°C). Growth slows and new leaves come in smaller when nights fall much below 65°F (18°C). Like most tropical foliage plants it's damaged below about 50°F (10°C), and a few hours at 33-40°F (1-4°C), against winter window glass or in a cold car, causes brown patches across the middle of the leaves. Keep it away from cold glass, drafty doors and air conditioning vents.
Fertilizing
A light feeder. A balanced liquid houseplant fertilizer every other month in spring and summer is enough for most plants. Stop or cut right back over winter. Heavy feeding leaves salts in the pot that brown the leaf tips and edges and form a white crust on the soil. If you see that, run at least three pot volumes of plain water through it.
Pruning
Trim whenever the vines get too long or bare. Cut just above a leaf, and new growth sprouts from the leaf joint below the cut. A leggy plant can be cut back hard, to about 2 inches (5 cm) above the soil. Wear gloves, since the sap can irritate skin. The pieces you remove root easily: keep at least one node (the joint where a leaf meets the stem) on each cutting, stand it in water or moist mix in a bright spot, and expect roots in three to four weeks. Pot water-rooted cuttings into soil once they have roots, since cuttings left in water for a long time often grow weak roots that adapt poorly to soil.
Toxicity to pets
Toxic to cats and dogs (insoluble calcium oxalates). Chewing a leaf causes burning and irritation in the mouth, drooling, vomiting and difficulty swallowing. The sap can also irritate human skin.
Common questions
How do I make my pothos fuller?
Prune it. A pothos left alone grows a few long vines with bare stretches near the pot, and cutting a vine just above a leaf pushes new growth from the joint below the cut. Trim the longest vines back regularly, and cut a very leggy plant back hard, to about 2 inches (5 cm) above the soil. More light helps too, since a plant in a dim spot stretches out with smaller leaves spaced farther apart.
Why is my pothos losing its variegation?
Almost always not enough light. In a dim spot a variegated pothos puts out new leaves that are smaller and greener, with less of the yellow or cream patterning. Move it closer to a bright window, out of direct sun, and the new leaves should come in with more color. Leaves that came in green stay green, so only new growth will show the change. Cultivars with a lot of white, like Marble Queen, need the most light to keep their color.
Is it a pothos or a philodendron?
The two get mixed up constantly, and heartleaf philodendron looks especially similar. Check the leaf stalk: a pothos stalk has a groove running along it, and a philodendron stalk doesn't. New philodendron leaves come out wrapped in a thin sheath that dries up and falls off, while new pothos leaves unfurl straight from the leaf before them. Pothos leaves are also waxier, often with a slightly bumpy surface. Satin pothos is a third plant, Scindapsus pictus, with matte leaves splashed with silvery gray.
Will my pothos ever grow big split leaves?
Yes, if you give it something to climb. The trailing pothos sold as a houseplant is the young form, with leaves up to about 4 inches (10 cm) long. Given something to climb and good light, the leaves get much larger. Outdoors in the tropics they can reach well over a foot (30 cm) and split like a monstera's. Indoors, a moss or coir pole kept damp enough for the aerial roots to grip gets you bigger leaves, but the fully split adult form is rare and takes years.
Related articles
Why are my pothos leaves curling?
Pothos leaves usually curl because the pot has gone too dry, and they flatten out again within a day or two of a good soak. If the soil is already damp, look at the roots, the sun, and the undersides of the leaves instead.
Overwatered or underwatered? How to tell the difference
Both look like a drooping, yellowing plant — but the fixes are opposites. Four checks that tell you which problem you actually have.
This guide was researched and written with AI assistance and reviewed by a human editor before publishing. How we use AI