Pothos, with the botanical name Epipremnum aureum, is mainly called by the name golden Pothos. But interestingly, it is among the simplest plants to care for, especially when we give you a helpful guide on caring for them in this article. More so, they come in diverse patterns and shapes, but more importantly, we can bet that this plant will beautify your space. You can place them at eye level to stand lush and proud or place them high, trailing down.
They are also regarded as variegated pathos because there are times when they are variegated with pale green, white, or yellow markings. However, no matter the variegation you purchase, it will beautify your space. Note that this plant is a member of the Aroid or Araceae family grouped under flooring plants. Variegated Pothos is among the most commonly known houseplants out there.
Complete Care Guide To Variegated Pothos
When caring for your variegated Pothos or golden Pothos, the care guide you need to follow includes the following:
- Soil and potting
- Sun Light Exposure
- Regular Watering
- Proper Fertilizers
- Right temperature and humidity
- Pruning
- Propagation
- Cleaning
1. The soil and potting
- When bringing your plant home, pick a light yet well-draining soil. An example of such soil is the cactus mix. Then proceed to plant the pathos inside a planter that has drainage holes.
- Understand that, Pothos is a rapidly growing trailing plant that you can train to climb a trellis.
- Now that you know the type of soil you can place your Pothos in, you should know how to repot it. For those interested in repotting this plant, it is advisable to check on the roots every two years.
- Once you notice it is ready for repotting, you will need to take it up two inches in diameter using a new pot. Again, you are to use containers with drainage holes so that the roots will not be soggy.
- Ensure you use high drainage soil to help prevent over watering and rotting of the roots. Finally, if you want to transplant, it is best to get it done during the summer or spring.
- For those with long vines, you are to get them tied until you are done with re-potting. And if you feel the vine is messy, clip them before propagating a new plant. These will also help stimulate new growth in the already existing plant.
- Bear in mind that the stems can be placed in water and made to cover two nodes. You must change this water every few days using bottled, rain, or filtered water. In no time, the roots will start forming.
- With several inches of the root system, you can easily plant them in well-drained and moist soil. Another method that some people use entails cutting the roots off and dipping them in rooting hormone.
- After this, they stick it into a well-drained indoor potting mix.
2. The Light
The variegated Pothos is a plant that loves indirect sunlight, and even though your home may be dark, it will still grow. The pothos plant is well known to be capable of handling any light conditions. Although the only issue will be that you may likely see less variegation if left in lower light. In all, this plant is way tougher than you thought it was.
Furthermore, do not place highly variegated Pothos in low lighting conditions as it will make them lose their variegation. In the instance where you see the leaves turning pale or yellowish, it only means it is receiving too much light.You can solve this issue by repositioning the Pothos where it gets direct sun light for at least few hours in a day.
3. The Water
Some people go on vacations and do not make any plans on how their plants will be watered. Well, if you are like that, you will have no problem with the variegated Pothos. On a good day, you are to allow its soil to dry out completely in between the waterings. And this means you will only get to water it every one to two weeks.
4.The Fertilizer
The variegated Pothos will appreciate it when you give it mild fertilizer in summer and spring. However, use organic fertilizer to ensure optimum plant health and growth.
As you fertilize, ensure the plant is not stressed. A pothos can be stressed from pests or diseases and can even be stressed from being dry or soaking wet.
5.The temperature and humidity
The variegated pathos loves a temperature between seventy to ninety degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature is its natural environment in the remote islands of the South Pacific. If you place it where it can get drafts, you will be causing damage to the plant and may decrease its growth. These places can be close to an air conditioning vent or a window.
6. The Pruning
The variegated pothos plant normally grows very fast, which means you will find yourself pruning it to ensure it is kept under control. Its vines are known to grow up to roughly ten feet long.
If the plant is getting a bit big for your space, have it trimmed with clean scissors. Then, when you see crispy dead or brown leaves, please do the needful by trimming them off.
7.The Propagation
One easy plant to propagate is the variegated Pothos. All you need to do is get a healthy vine and cut a four to six inches section with roughly two or three leaves. You are to add a node. The node is a small bump on the vine wherein the aerial roots tend to grow. More so, position the cutting in water or place it directly into your potting soil.
Then add a houseplant propagation promoter to it. It will assist the cutting root and protect it from all forms of infection.
8.The Cleaning
In cleaning variegated Pothos, you can place them under your shower before filling the watering can with filtered water, then rinse its leaves. Note that this will make the plant feel like it is raining. Normally, the rain will clean the plant in its natural environment. So, allow it to drain, then air dry it naturally. Then, you can spritz it with rain, bottled, or filtered water to clean the leaves. Some people choose to hand clean the leaves. They make use of damp cloth and subtly wipe away debris and dirt.
Detailed Understanding Of Variegated Pothos
Before we delve into the complete guide to care for the variegated Pothos in your home, it must be understood that this plant will be a beautiful addition to your office and bathroom. The reason for this is that they are capable of tolerating low light. And although they love a vast variety of light conditions, they are known to not grow well under direct sunlight.
So, if you are buying any pothos, avoid placing the plant under direct sunlight. Now, if you purchase a highly variegated pothos, especially the one variegated with white, it may not grow well under low light. Or, it may even lose its variegation if the light is meager. If you never knew, energy can only be produced by the green part of this plant. Therefore, it must get more than enough light, or its growth will slow. Another thing is that the leaves may get to compensate themselves for this lack of light by turning greener.
Why do you need to buy Pothos if you do not have one?
People recommend them because this plant can grow in dry soil or water. More so, one can take its cuttings from the mother pathos plant, have it rooted in water and continue keeping it in water as your houseplant.Interestingly, you can place it in soil and tolerate moderate periods of dry soil without affecting the plant. An essential aspect of the variegated pathos you need to know is that the cuttings that began in one growing medium will have difficulty switching to another.
It means that if you started your pothos cutting in soil, it would be hard to push if it is moved to the water. The same goes for the pothos cutting started in water; it will not thrive in soil.
The Variegation Pothos Patterns
If there is one thing you should know, it is the fact that the pothos plant comes with diverse variegation patterns. These patterns help in separating every cultivar. The patterns include:
• The flecks
It is one of the most common patterns in the variegated Pothos. You will know it by its small dashes of color on the leaves.
• The patches
Here, huge leaf areas are fully variegated and will cover the whole leaf or most of it.
•The wavy stripes
This pattern is not common, but if you see it, it is an elongated striped pattern found around the edges or center of the leaves.
• The spots
Some variegated Pothos, such as the Hawaiian, comes with circular spotted variegation.
Conclusion
variegated Pothos is easy to care and maintain if done right, and its care guide is pretty simple. If you already have the plant, ensure you read through this article to see if you have been catering to your Pothos well enough.
Hey am Joe, My interest in gardening began at a young age, when i would help my grandmother with her vegetable garden. I quickly fell in love with the process of planting, nurturing, and harvesting fresh produce. As I grew older, my passion for gardening only continued to grow. Hope to share my knowledge and experience with others.