Whether you prefer to call it a pothos, devil’s ivy or Epipremnum aureum, knowing when to water your pothos plant can be the difference between a droopy yellow and brown pothos and a vibrant green and lush pothos plant. You’ve come to the right place if you’re looking for information on how frequently and how much water to water your pothos. Let’s dive in!
But how often to water pothos? It is recommended to water pothos plants every 7 to 14 days on average, but it is much better to feel the soil’s moisture and use that as a guide than to stick to a rigid schedule. Water your pothos plant once the top inch to two inches of soil feel dry to the touch.
I’m here to answer any additional inquiries you may have about watering your pothos. I’ll go into great detail below regarding how frequently and how much water a pothos plant needs depending on the season.
Continue reading the post for more information, which I will demonstrate in more detail.
Table of Contents
How Often To Water Pothos?
Did you know that devil’s ivy got its name from the fact that pothos would survive in subpar conditions? But being durable rather than satanic does not make it so.
The pothos is more tolerant in some care-related situations than others. For instance, it will be fine if you leave it in a room with little natural light.
Your pothos will probably perish if you don’t water it for a month, though. It is not a succulent, so the pothos can’t hold onto the water you give it for very long. So when the moisture evaporates and you stop giving it, the pothos will die.
What sort of watering schedule ought you to adhere to for your pothos since you don’t want it to get to that point and neither do I?
What I suggest is to completely avoid a schedule. The pothos only needs to be watered once per week, according to some gardening experts, but not others. But if you decide to water your pothos every Thursday, there might be some weeks when it needs more water than you give it and others when you can skip it. Yes, even on a Thursday.
The fingertip test will always be a far more accurate indicator of when to water your pothos.
You may be wondering what the fingertip test entails. Put it in your pothos’ pot about an inch or two deep with a clean finger. Next, check the soil’s moisture level.
Does it seem incredibly moist? So it’s okay for the time being even if you haven’t watered your pothos since last week. Is the ground nearly bone-dry in terms of dryness? That’s bad news, and you should add more water right away to remedy the situation.
So what if the ground is wet right now? Does that imply you wait a full extra week to water your pothos? Not necessarily.
When it comes to watering your pothos, follow the seasons’ cues. A houseplant will require more water during some seasons than others, depending on the season, as I’ll discuss in more detail in the section after this one.
The fingertip test should be repeated a few days after the last time you did it if your pothos is actively growing so you can determine how moist the soil is at that time.
Effects That Impact Your Pothos Watering Schedule
How frequently and how much water you should give your pothos will depend on a number of variables, including temperature, season, humidity, and light quality, as was previously mentioned. The secret is to water only when the soil is completely dry and to check the soil’s dryness on a weekly basis. This is necessary to prevent scary things like overwatering, root rot, scale infections on your pothos, and more! Here is a detailed guide on when and how to water pothos plants.
Temperature And Humidity
Pothos prefer temperatures between 70 and 90 degrees, and they tend to hang out there pretty much all the time when the temperature is above 50 degrees. The pothos, a tropical plant, thrives in high humidity! By regularly misting the plant, you can make your home adapt to dryer conditions. If you’re teaching your plant to climb using a stake or coir pole, misting will support aerial root growth and keep the leaves glossy, green, and vibrant. The water droplets from misting your pothos will quench its thirst and keep the soil moist for longer, which is an added benefit of maintaining higher humidity levels in the air around it.
Type Of Soil
The potting mix you choose for your pothos is crucial for its success, just like it is for all other plants. Well-draining potting soil mixtures are better for these plants. To avoid having your pothos sit in water, make sure it has at least one drainage hole, preferably several.) to let excess water escape. In order to both hold water and allow extra moisture to easily filter through, the ideal potting mix is well-aerated. Be sure to consider the environment when choosing a potting soil because many premade potting soils are designed to retain more moisture than pothos actually need.
Look for a potting mixture that contains peat moss, vermiculite, or perlite. Both nourishing and aerating, these minerals aid in soil aeration. Additionally useful for generating air pockets and enhancing drainage is potting soil that contains some sand and tree bark. If you want to select the precise components for your potting soil, you can either purchase a premade potting mix or even make your own potting mix.
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How Much Water Does A Pothos Plant Need?
Good news, my friends: if you forget to water your pothos (or slightly overwater them), they will probably bounce back fairly quickly. However, with the right amount of watering, your pothos will look their best and remain in the best condition. As previously mentioned, it’s a good idea to let your pothos’ soil completely dry out between waterings. To determine whether the soil is dry, stick your finger down into it or use a soil probe. Your plant should be ready for some water if the soil probe reads 2-3.
Like with most plants, water should be applied to the soil gradually with a watering can or jug until you see water draining from the drainage holes at the bottom of the pot. You can do this in a sink, a basin, or a plant saucer, but make sure to drain any water that has accumulated there so your pothos isn’t sitting in it.
An Overwatered Pothos Signs
If you consistently give your pothos too much water or let the plant sit in wet soil for an extended period of time, you may be inviting a wide range of issues, such as mold and root rot, to attack your leafy friend. Check the pothos leaves and roots for these signs of an overwatered pothos plant:
- Brown spots on leaves
- Mold growing on the surface of the soil
- Shriveled, mushy leaves
- Yellow leaves
- Wilting, curly leaves
- Root rot
An Underwatered Pothos Signs
Your pothos’s health will start to deteriorate if you don’t provide it with any water for an extended period of time. Hopefully (!) you’ll know when you’ve been neglecting your pothos, but if you’ve been on holiday or entrusted your pothos care to someone else, here are some signs of an underwatered pothos plant:
- Crispy, brown leaves
- Wilted leaves
- Plant shrinkage (yes, this is a thing)
- Wrinkled leaves
How To Know When Your Pothos Plant Needs Water?
You have a good set of tools to maintain the healthiest pothos possible, from using the touch test to understanding how to look for foliage indications of watering errors!
The simplest way to know when to water a plant is to simply water it when the soil is dry.
When Your Pothos Needs More Water
The pothos plant may require more frequent watering than once or twice per week depending on factors like light level, season, humidity, location, and others. In addition to inspecting the soil before watering, check more often if any of the following conditions are present:
- The warmth and heat of direct sunlight will cause more moisture to evaporate from the soil, so if your pothos is growing next to a window or even outside during the warmer months, you may need to water it more frequently. Avoid placing plants in the direct sun because too much light can damage the leaves of your pothos. For this plant, bright, indirect light is preferable.
- High temperature and low humidity: In temperatures above 75°F, you should water your pothos more frequently—possibly once per day! Low humidity levels will also cause pothos to draw more moisture from its underground roots, resulting in a greater need for frequent watering.
- Smaller earthenware pots: If you decide to grow your pothos in an unsealed ceramic, terracotta, or earthenware pot, any extra soil moisture will leak through the container walls and evaporate into the atmosphere. Because of this, pothos kept in these kinds of pots might require more water! Your pothos’ watering requirements for any type of pot depend on the proportion of the root ball to the soil. Higher root ball:soil ratios (such as when your pothos outgrows pot as the end of the growing season), the potting medium retains less water – meaning you’ll need to water your plant more frequently to keep up with its thirst!
When Your Pothos Needs Less Water
Your pothos plants will require less water in some circumstances, on the other hand. Before deciding to provide more water, make sure to check for dry soil (using a moisture meter or the touch test). You can safely reduce your watering schedule if any of these conditions are present:
- Low light: If your plant is growing in a low light environment, it won’t need to be watered as frequently. Although pothos thrive best in bright, indirect light, low light conditions won’t harm the plant.
- High humidity and cooler temperatures: Because lower temperatures slow plant growth, plants grown in cooler climates will require less water. Additionally, during the winter months when plants are dormant and not actively growing, this is true. Your pothos will require less water if the humidity is higher because the humidity in the air will help it stay hydrated.
- Larger glazed and plastic pots: Larger pots, when compared to the size of the root ball, will accommodate more soil to hold onto water to quench your pothos’ thirst. Like earthenware pots, plastic or glazed pots won’t leak water into the air around them. Make sure that, as usual, the pot you choose has adequate drainage holes!
Does A Pothos’s Type Affect How Much Water It Needs?
Does your pothos require more frequent watering or less frequent watering depending on which cultivar you favor? Fortunately, no. You should water your golden pothos, Marble Queen, or Manjula the same way you would a regular pothos.
More so than how much water, plant variation determines how much light a houseplant needs. Lack of light is to blame if you notice that your pothos’ once distinctive patterning and coloring have started to wane or even vanished entirely.
Having so many different pothos varieties, types, or cultivars to choose from is one of the most enjoyable aspects of growing them in your indoor garden. Here is an overview.
- Cebu Blue Pothos: The Epipremnum pinnatum or Cebu Blue pothos has a lovely blue-green tint and a metallic sheen to it. This pothos cultivar’s leaf shape can change significantly as it ages. Over time, the leaves may become split, more resembling the Swiss cheese plant than a pothos!
- Pearls and Jade Pothos: This attractive, two-toned pothos has lighter patches of color that are gray, silver, or white and darker patches that are shades of green, sometimes even a combination of the three. Since the pearl and jade pothos grows slowly, it’s normal for this cultivar’s leaves to be smaller than those of other pothos in your indoor garden.
- Manjula Pothos: The Epipremnum Manjula or University of Florida researchers are where manjula pothos was first identified. Its leaves are wider and bigger than usual, resembling a heart rather than an arrow. This pothos has extremely diverse variegation or patterning. Light green hues as well as cream, white, or silver spots or patches may be present on your Manjula pothos.
- Jessenia Pothos: The Jessenia pothos may initially appear to you to be just another pothos, but look closer. Its leaves are typically a deeper shade of green, though some of them occasionally show hints of chartreuse. Remember that this cultivar grows slowly as well, so have some patience.
- Neon Pothos: The neon pothos will illuminate your indoor garden day and night. Although its leaves are not variegated, they still stand out very vividly, whether they are pure yellow or neon green.
- Marble Queen Pothos: The Marble Queen is one of the more well-known pothos varieties. This cultivar has leaves that are primarily pure, bright green with scattered yellow or ivory flecks and streaks.
- Golden Pothos: Golden pothos is unquestionably the most widespread cultivar. Compared to the Marble Queen, this variety has more pronounced splotches of ivory or light yellow color.
How To Water Pothos Plants?
If you do decide to water your pothos plants, do so gradually until the soil just begins to dribble out of the bottom of the pot.
Our next crucial component is drainage, which is brought up by this.
Your pothos plant needs to be planted in a light, quickly draining soil (we suggest cactus mix) and a pot with drainage holes to avoid standing water, which can lead to root rot. Your pothos plant may eventually die as a result of this illness, which can also cause the leaves to drop off.
To prevent your pothos from sitting in water after watering, empty the drainage tray right away.
That’s it!
In conclusion, depending on the season and temperature, schedule watering every one to two weeks. Before watering, feel the soil to make sure it is dry, and then water until it begins to drain.
Your pothos will have a stunning appearance, develop quickly, and most likely emerge as the highlight of your collection of indoor plants!
If you REALLY want your pothos plants to look gorgeous, you might also want to consider adding some indoor plant food to your water to give your plant the nutrients it needs to grow lots of lovely leaves and a strong root system.
The best part is that a fertilizing schedule won’t even need to be kept in mind! Each time you water, just remember to follow the instructions on the bottle. When I water all of my plants, I use Indoor Plant Food every week, and they all adore it!
A Pothos’ Maximum Possible Size
- There are always exceptions, but on average, a fully matured pothos can grow to widths between 3 and 6 feet and between 20 and 40 feet in length when growing outdoors in its natural habitat.
- A pothos grown indoors can reach a mature size of three feet wide and twenty feet long.
Can A Pothos Plant Survive Without Water For A Long Time?
In the absence of water, pothos can survive for three weeks. It will dehydrate faster if it is in a sunny area. Pothos can absorb water from the air, so if the home environment is humid, the pothos may survive longer without water.
In light of this, take care not to dehydrate your pothos for an extended period of time. Underwatering your pothos can have just as many harmful symptoms as overwatering. For the health of your pothos, you should water it regularly in a balanced manner.
If you notice the following symptoms when you test the soil for dryness, your pothos is suffering from underwatering:
- Brittle leaves
- Brown spots on your pothos’ leaves
- Yellow leaves
- Wilting leaves
- Dusty soil
- Insects in the soil
Applying a lot of water should quickly revive your pothos as long as it isn’t completely dehydrated. To encourage new growth, remove any yellowed or brown leaves.
How Can I Revive A Dried-up Pothos?
Your pothos is probably dehydrated if you’ve allowed it to go three weeks or longer without water. Keep trying, even if it seems completely dried out with wilting leaves. With a little tender loving care, your pothos can frequently be revived.
- Get a pail of water, and then add a seaweed solution to it. The majority of garden centers carry this remedy.
- Place the potted pothos in the pail and soak it there for around 15 minutes.
- Drain your pothos after removing it.
Your pothos should start to grow again in a day, barring a complete drying out of the roots. As usual, keep watering the pothos.
Do I Need To Mist My Pothos Plant?
I wanted to take a minute to discuss misting versus watering your pothos.
You should use a watering can or even a cup to add water to the soil when you water pothos. Misting is something totally different. Use a spray bottle to mist a plant. The plant won’t be sustained by the water’s fine sheen; instead, it will be given more humidity.
Despite loving humidity, the pothos won’t perish if the air doesn’t have enough moisture. Accordingly, conditions with low to moderate humidity are suitable. You shouldn’t need to make many changes to accommodate the pothos because homes and offices typically have a relative humidity of between 30 and 50 percent.
Misting the plant is not the best method to use if you live in a cold climate and think your pothos could use a little more humidity. Unless you only have time to sit around and mist your pothos all day and night, using a humidifier would be a much better idea.
Conclusion
The question of how often to water pothos is, like so many other houseplant-related questions, “it depends”. Do you reside in a humid or arid area? What kind of temperatures are you currently experiencing? What’s the season?
For your particular pothos’ watering requirements, the answer will change depending on all of these factors. But it’s crucial to be aware of these because your pothos plant could suffer serious consequences if you overwater or underwater it.
Fortunately, there’s a simple way to determine when your pothos needs water; just check with your finger and you’re good to go. Soon enough, you’ll begin to develop an understanding of how dry your pothos should be before watering so that you can modify your maintenance routine accordingly.
The fact that you’re considering the issue and taking action in accordance with it proves that your pothos is in good, well-hydrated hands, regardless of whether you discover that you need to water it once a week or perhaps less frequently depending on all the factors I just mentioned.
Many thanks for reading.