Pothos

Where to put it

With plenty of light but no direct sun, because summer sun scorches the leaves. It copes with low light for quite a long time, although it then grows less and the leaves lose their yellow markings. You can let it trail down from a shelf or train it up a moss or coir pole.

Watering

Water only when the soil is almost dry: check with your finger first. Don’t leave water in the saucer. In winter, even less. If it’s growing up a moss pole, keep the pole moist so the stems can cling on with their aerial roots.

Care

If the stems get very long or the plant looks sparse, cut them just above a leaf: it sprouts again from there and becomes bushier. The pieces you cut root easily in a glass of water. When the roots fill the pot, repot it in spring into one only slightly bigger.

Feeding

A liquid houseplant fertiliser once a month, from April to October.

Caution

It’s toxic if eaten, for people and for dogs and cats: it irritates the mouth and can cause drooling, vomiting and difficulty swallowing. The sap can also irritate the skin, so wear gloves when pruning it and keep it out of reach of children and animals.

At home

An east- or west-facing window suits it, or a south-facing one with a thin curtain. It prefers 18 to 30 °C, away from cold draughts and radiators. It doesn’t need high humidity, so it adapts to almost any room. If your tap water is hard, try to water it with rainwater or filtered water whenever you can.