Growing a Pothos Plant at Home: How to Take Care of it

The pothos plant is one of the most popular indoor plants in homes. It comes from the tropical areas of Southeast Asia, although it’s already popular in many parts of the world. Its main use is for decoration, as its beautiful heart-shaped leaves give life to any place where you grow it.

Its scientific name is Epipremnum aureum and it’s also known as popos or potus. It’s perfect for people who don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to their plants because it doesn’t require too much care. On the other hand, it helps to keep the environment free from pollutants, and it has outstanding health benefits.

In this article, we’ll explain how to care for your pothos plant.

Benefits of the pothos plant

Pothos has incredible benefits for your home. According to a study carried out by NASA, it purifies the air, eliminates toxic substances found in the environment and those that can affect our health. These toxic compounds include formaldehyde, xylene, and benzene.

In addition, having this plant in your home will help balance humidity and become a source of oxygen. For this reason, it’s recommended for people with allergies that may be affected by this type of environment.

However, if you have pets, you should be careful because it contains substances that are harmful to animals. It’s best to grow this plant in an area that’s difficult for your furry friend to reach.

How do you take care of the pothos plant?

One of the advantages of having a pothos plant at home is that it doesn’t require much care. It has properties that make it very resistant and durable, so it’ll grow without much effort.

Although the care that the pothos needs are basic, if you want your plant to stand out for its color and leafiness, you should dedicate your time to its care. In this way, the air purification process that takes place naturally will also be more efficient.

Keep reading because you’re about to discover the care requirements for a healthy pothos plant.

Soil or water

The characteristics of the soil, its nutrients, and conditions are important for the pothos to take root and grow correctly. This must be light so that it doesn’t overload the plant, allow for good drainage and be rich in organic matter.

The feeding process shouldn’t be done very often. Two to there times per year is enough to provide it with nutrients– slowly, but constantly.

Now, you could also grow pothos plants in water. All you have to do is place the cuttings in a container of water, leaving the leaves on the outside. A couple of days later the roots will grow and the stem will lengthen. In this case, the water should be changed once a week.

Watering the pothos plant

When pothos is grown in soil, caution must be exercised with watering because excess water could cause the plant to die. Water it every ten or fourteen days with moderate water covering the entire base. In summer and autumn, you can water it more often.

Excess water causes the oxygen pores in the leaves of the pothos to close and the roots to sink, causing them to become damaged and rot. After a few days, excess water will end up damaging the plant completely.

An additional tip is to check the state of the soil…if you see it’s dry, it’s time to add water.

Need for light

The pothos plant grows well in semi-shady environments, so it’s ideal to grow and display it close to windows with natural light. Although, don’t expose it to direct sunlight because its leaves will wither and burn easily.

Keeping the leaves of this plant out of direct sunlight will ensure they stay green and shiny. Otherwise, you risk having leaves with white or brown spots. The pothos plant can, however, receive the sun through a curtain, as this will reduce the rays and direct heat.

Temperature

The ideal temperature for the pothos plant is temperate since it comes from tropical climates. So it’s recommended to expose it to temperatures between 62 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit.

It doesn’t tolerate extreme cold or extreme heat. In this instance, its leaves will begin to flower improperly and they won’t last for very long.

Cleaning

When you leave the pothos plant in one place for a long time and don’t clean its leaves, you’ll begin to notice that it accumulates dust. This will prevent it from efficiently absorbing moisture from the environment.

So, remember to include a general clean every 15 days. To do this, use a damp cloth and wipe each of the leaves individually.

Do you want to have a pothos plant at home?

The pothos plant goes beyond being a decorative plant. It contributes to keeping the environment clean and free from humidity.

It can be grown in soil or in water and it has the great advantage of requiring little care. It’s the ideal choice for people who love plants but don’t have a great deal of time to care for them.