Those looking for a house plant that can actually offer decorative appeal and interest to their home will frequently prefer one that grows quickly. The way you care for the plant will decide how rapidly it grows and how impressive it is. Continue reading to find 6 techniques to help Pothos grow faster:
Use A Nutritional Growing Medium From The Start
It’s crucial to get your new home plant off to a good start. The plant will most likely arrive young and in a small pot when you initially receive it. The plant will need to be repotted as it grows.
It’s worth noting that while Pothos can be cultivated in jars of water, when they’re potted in soil and overwatered, their roots respond unfavorably. Pothos cultivated in water will grow, although not as swiftly as Pothos grown in soil.
Choose a basic, well-draining potting soil for the fastest growth. This is a fantastic Pothos potting mix that will keep your plant alive and well. Pothos prefer a soil pH of 6.1 to 6.5, although they won’t mind if the pH is a bit higher or lower.
Take the time to find a planter with adequate drainage when planting your Pothos. Any houseplant, not just Devil’s Ivy, will benefit from healthy soil with a high nutritional value and good drainage.
Provide Sufficient Bright, Indirect Sunlight
Devil’s Ivy necessitates a delicate light balance. While they require intense light, they cannot be exposed to direct sunshine for lengthy periods of time since the leaves burn readily.
The optimum location for the plant is near a window, where it will receive bright, indirect light. The leaves will lose their variegation if the plant is kept in a dark room or corner, and the plant’s growth and health will suffer.
If the leaves begin to become pale, it could be a sign that they have been exposed to too much sunshine.
Keep Room Temperature Between 70°F And 90°F
Because Devil’s Ivy is endemic to the Solomon Islands, it thrives in extreme humidity and temperatures ranging from 70 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure the temperature in the room where your house plant is located is within this range.
They will thrive and develop more quickly in these temps. The plant can endure temperatures as low as 55°F, but any lower than that will result in stunted development and blackened leaves on your houseplant.
Don’t Overwater Only Water When The Soil Has Dried Out
Pothos plants need just the proper amount of moisture to thrive. Watering your house plant on a schedule will help you prevent overwatering or drowning it. If you give your plants too much water, they will become weak and withered. It’s possible that the leaves will turn yellow.
Because the plant is prone to root rot when left to languish in damp soil, these alterations occur. Allowing the plant to drain after watering and then emptying the saucer beneath the pot is one way to reduce the risk of root rot.
A lack of water might also have a negative impact. The leaves may curl and eventually become limp as a result of this. It’s also possible that the leaves will fall off.
This plant like the soil to dry out in between waterings. Although the roots should be kept moist, they should not be allowed to become soaked in between waterings. You can consider about watering the plant again after the top 2 inches of soil have turned dry.
Feed The Plant With A Balanced Fertilizer Every 2-3 Months
Your Pothos plant will thrive even if it isn’t fertilized, especially if it is potted in good soil. Fertilizing your Pothos every 2-3 months during the growing season, on the other hand, will maximize growth rates and guarantee that your plant matures as rapidly as possible.
It’s best to use a balanced, water-soluble houseplant fertilizer. This fertilizer, which I use for my indoor plants, has given me excellent results. It has outstanding quality and is simple to use. It won’t double the growth of your plants overnight, but it accomplishes the job extremely effectively.
You can test your soil if you’re not sure if it requires fertilizer. Home soil testing kits are available at most gardening stores and can reveal exactly what nutrients are present or absent in the soil.
To thrive and grow, most plants require 16 nutrients. Potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus are the most important nutrients. Boron, cobalt, iron, zinc, molybdenum, copper, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur are secondary and micronutrients required. All of these ingredients are found in most good fertilizers.
Inorganic fertilizers, it’s worth noting, provide a quick nutrient boost to the soil, promoting Pothos growth practically immediately. Organic fertilizers, on the other hand, take longer to enhance plant development but provide a better growing medium in the long run.
Of course, regardless of which fertilizer you choose, you’ll need to check the fertilizer’s packaging instructions to make sure you’re using the correct quantity for the container that your plant is in.
Grow Pothos Faster By Keeping Pests At Bay
When a Pothos is attacked by pests, it might suffer slowed development or damage to the delicate structure of its leaves, just like any other house plant. Pest infestation is uncommon with these home plants, so don’t be too concerned about them.
Caterpillars, scales, thrips, mites, and mealybugs are among the bugs that occasionally attack Pothos.
If your plant appears to have been infected by bugs or insects, you must act promptly. Wipe down the plant with a mild mix of rubbing alcohol and water to eliminate each bug.
An pesticide can also be used to get rid of pests, insects, and eggs on a plant. Mix 1 teaspoon of ordinary dishwashing liquid detergent with 1 liter of water to make an environmentally friendly pesticide. Use a spray bottle to apply this solution to the entire plant or wipe it down with it. For additional information, see my article on how to naturally get rid of houseplant bugs.
Coffee Grounds
Coffee is not only a necessary part of the day, but the grounds also supply crucial nutrients to your plants.
Coffee grounds have a higher nitrogen content than potassium and phosphorus, making them more acidic. Combine coffee with compost or liquid plant fertilizer to get a balanced ratio.
NOTE: During the dormant stage (winter), some pothos lovers sprinkle a little amount of coffee grounds on the plant to guarantee it is ready for spring.
Only attempt this if you have a lot of expertise with pothos plants.
Compost
For individuals who don’t like the scent of good compost, inorganic fertilizers are usually the most popular. Organic plant lovers, on the other hand, may be hesitant to use them.
Compost is a great source of nutrients for plants, but the release of nutrients isn’t evenly distributed.
It’s fine to enrich indoor Pothos with a little compost. However, it should not be used in place of a balanced-release fertilizer.
Granular Fertilizer
Granular fertilizer is intended for use with plants in the outdoors. These granular fertilizers come in the form of pellets that you place directly in the soil.
They discharge all of its nutrients at once, which is bad for an indoor plant like pothos.
This form of fertilizer is best avoided for plants in a hanging basket or tiny container.
Liquid Fertilizer
The most common type of fertilizer for pothos is liquid. It’s simple to dilute and apply liquid houseplant fertilizer when watering.
Liquid fertilizers should be diluted by 1/4 to 1/2 the specified directions, whether purchased as a liquid or powder. Use a diluted solution. Pothos chemical burns can occur if the concentration is too high inside.
How Often To Fertilize Pothos Plants?
During the growing season, apply this sort of fertilizer to potted plants once a month. For a pothos, it is by far the most effective solution.
Our choice for the finest fertilizer for pothos is a balanced liquid fertilizer.
Slow-Release Fertilizer
During each watering, it has an unique coating that releases a little amount of nutrients.
If you feed a plant in the early spring, it will continue to acquire nutrients every time you water it.
Sadly, it’s just another awful choice for pothos. The NPK release ratio is unbalanced.
How do I make my pothos thicker?
Pothos should be pruned frequently to keep it full and prevent it from growing lanky. To assist pothos grow fuller faster, feed it twice a month with a balanced fertilizer and provide adequate lighting and water. Stake your pothos as well to provide support and encourage the development of larger leaves.
If you like a fuller appearance, continue reading for advice on how to give your Pothos a fuller, bushier appearance.
How do you make pothos bigger?
Do you have any idea why pothos plants have such huge leaves as they climb? Pothos climb trees in their natural habitat to get more indirect sunlight and create massive foliage by absorbing more nutrients from the sun.
To encourage climbing, purchase a stake, pole, support, or trellis. When the plant outgrows the support, it will fall down, and the subsequent leaves will be smaller than the ones on the support.
Trim the drooping sections or extend the support at this point to guarantee that the plant continues to grow enormous leaves.
You can even teach the plant to climb a neighboring tree, rope, large moss stick, or pole, and it will reward you with massive leaves! One of the most important secrets to growing enormous pothos leaves is the climbing pothos plant.
Pothos may produce Monstera-like lobes with maturity if given enough indirect light.
Feeding Pothos
Pothos should be fertilized once every 4-8 weeks using a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer at 1/2 or 1/4 strength. To induce the growth of aerial roots that adhere to the surrounding wall or pole and help create bigger leaves, dilute a few drops of rooting hormone in water and spray it on the stems.
LIGHT
Pothos prefers strong indirect light in general. They don’t want to be exposed to too much sunlight. Avoid direct sunlight. In the residence, a window with a North or East exposure is ideal. The sun in the morning is ideal.
If you opt to grow Pothos in a West or South facing location, any direct sunlight must be screened to prevent the leaves from burning.
Pothos’ beauty stems from its ability to thrive in low-light environments.
In fact, I’ve previously grown Pothos in a room with no windows.
With only overhead lights, it thrived!
I would only cultivate a few plants away from a window if I had the option.
One of them is Pothos!
Don’t miss my blog post on plants to grow in regions with no windows.
Of course, these plants will thrive if they are placed near a window.
One thing to remember is that if you grow Pothos in very low light, the leaves will lose a lot of their variegation.
Instead, the leaves will take on a more basic green hue.
Only when there is enough light does the variegation become noticeable.
TEMPERATURE
Pothos are tropical plants that thrive in temperatures of 70 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 21 degrees Celsius) or above.
If housed in a cold room, pothos will not perform at their best.
This plant may not be the ideal choice for a place with a chillier climate.
In my office at work, I have a huge Pothos that does exceptionally well because it is warm and receives excellent lighting.
On the other hand, I once had a Pothos in our sunroom who complained about how cold it was.
Because we hadn’t yet replaced our windows, the room would be frigid in the winter.
I relocated the Pothos to a more comfortable bathroom.
The Pothos, predictably, began to thrive after a while.
Many people are unaware of the impact of temperature on plants, so be aware!
WATERING TIPS
I’ll repeat my general watering advise for houseplants, as it applies to the majority of them. Pothos is no different.
Before watering again, wait until the soil surface is dry to the touch.
At the same time, you don’t want the soil to entirely dry out.
I water my houseplants thoroughly until the water runs out of the drainage hole in the bottom of the container.
However, do not allow your Pothos pot to sit in water as this can induce root rot.
FERTILIZING POTHOS
In general, I don’t fertilize most houseplants in the winter because the days are shorter and there is less sunlight.
Then I fertilize with every watering for the rest of the year.
Yes, you read that right.
Each and every irrigation.
It is, however, extremely diluted.
Read the directions on the fertilizer you’re using.
If it wasn’t designed to be used at every watering, you’ll have to dilute it further, which will necessitate some basic math.
There are various fertilization methods, however for growing Pothos and most of my other houseplants, I prefer this method of frequent yet dilute fertilization.
One advantage is that I don’t have to keep track of when I last fertilized because I do it on a regular basis!
This also resembles the natural world.
Plants in nature receive a regular flow of nutrients rather than a large slug of fertilizer all at once!
Here are some of my Pothos fertilizer recommendations, all of which are available on Amazon:
For all tropical foliage plants, I recommend Dyna-Gro Grow as an all-purpose fertilizer.
You can’t go wrong with this, and it’s fantastic.
If you only want to apply it once and forget about it for a few months, Osmocote is a terrific option!
Because the granules are time-release, they have the same effect as using a diluted liquid fertilizer every time you water, only these are round granules that you add to the soil and slowly dissolve over time.
I definitely recommend Dyna Gro Grow if you want the best fertilizer for your Pothos or any other plant.
It’s a complete fertilizer that’s free of urea and contains all of the important macro and micronutrients.
I can’t believe how much better my plants are growing now that I’m using this fertilizer!
POTHOS CUTTINGS
Pothos, often known as Devil’s Ivy, is one of the most simple houseplants to grow. Simply cut a piece of the vine and lay it in a jar of water to root. Along the vine, you can also detect small brownish knobs.
These are the aerial roots that will begin to grow as soon as they are submerged in water.
These are the aerial roots that Pothos uses to adhere to tree trunks in the wild.
A node is the point on the vine where the leaf and petiole (the “stem” that is attached to the leaf) are attached.
One or two nodes should be submerged in water.
Also, make sure each cutting has at least one leaf, although two is preferable.
When the roots are an inch or two long, you can pot the cuttings into soil.
However, if you wait too long, your plant will develop accustomed to growing in water.
It will then have a more difficult time adapting to growing in soil.
If you’re having trouble propagating Pothos and can’t seem to figure it out, I’ve prepared a blog entry specifically about it!
Check see Pothos Not Rooting? for more information.
The Top 10 Reasons You’re Failing
HYDROPONIC GROWING
However, growing pothos in water is a viable option. In fact, any plant can be grown in water. However, for the best outcomes, you’ll need a strong fertilizer; otherwise, your plant will develop at an excruciatingly sluggish pace.
If you want to grow pothos in water, I recommend using Dyna Gro Grow fertilizer and changing the water monthly.
In fact, this fertilizer is specifically suited for hydroponic cultivation!
Why should we not touch plants at night?
These are two distinct procedures. As a result, a plant has a net release of O2 during the day and a net consumption of O2 during the night.
However, because the volume of this gas exchange is so little, and the proportion of O2 in the ambient air is so high, oxygen depletion is only detectable very close to the surface of the leaves, as oxygen consumed by the plant is replaced by diffusion from the surrounding atmosphere.
Because sleeping under a tree in the presence of numerous fully grown trees can result in oxygen depletion, our elders avoid doing so.
One reason to avoid trees at night is that you can’t see their condition, including any branches that can fall or trip you up.
Furthermore, because of the risk of lightning, staying near trees during a storm (at night) is not a smart idea.
Furthermore, you may not be able to spot harmful spiders, bugs, or snakes that live in trees at night.
Furthermore, it is difficult to recognize harmful plants at night (e.g. poison ivy, poison oak, stinging nettle, etc.).
Anyone who has ever played a game late at night and come across a patch of poison ivy knows what I’m talking about.
Houseplants are useful for more than just beautifying your home. Plants in the home have been shown to have a variety of physical and mental health benefits, according to research.
You’ll be motivated to get your green thumb on after you discover more about the therapeutic properties of plants.
Step 1: Prune Correctly
I have to start pruning my pothos on a regular basis to get it to branch and grow fuller. But it also meant that I had to prune properly.
- Take a few steps back and examine your pothos as a whole. As your plant grows taller, this phase becomes even more critical.
- Make a mark on the vines that you want to cut. Colored elastics or plastic ties can be used. Just be careful not to injure the stems when marking them.
- Only approximately a third of the overall stems and leaves should be pruned. You can prune less, see how your plant develops, and then prune again.
- Clean the blade or shears you’ll be using and make sure they’re sharp so you can make quick, clean cuts.
- Remove any vines that don’t have leaves or are beginning to trail downward.
Step 2: Support Your Pothos
To give my pothos plant extra support, I staked it. You might be wondering how staking the plant is beneficial.
When you stake a trailing plant like a pothos, you’re giving it support and encouraging it to produce bigger, closer-together leaves.
It’s advisable to start staking your devil’s ivy when it’s still young; it’ll help your plant grow fuller in the long run.
What can you use to stake your pothos? For my first pothos, I utilized a bamboo cane; other keen gardeners use moss poles, trellis, or anything similar.
Step 3: Add Fertilizer
When my pothos began to grow leggy, I recognized it might be suffering from a nutrient lack. So I began applying a balanced fertilizer once or twice a month to help address the soil’s nitrogen deficiency.
Because a concentrated dosage of fertilizer can burn your pothos’ roots, follow the manufacturer’s directions for diluting it.
Step 4: Consider Warmth and Humidity
Because they are native to tropical and subtropical locations, tropical plants like the pothos demand warmer weather and humidity.
Your pothos will thrive best if you provide a warmer climate with temperatures between 65 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit and at least 50% humidity.
Step 5: Water Properly
It is recommended that you water your pothos using the soak-and-dry method. I only water my plant when the earth is absolutely dry, then I soak it in water, and then I water it again when the soil is entirely dry.
It’s also vital to examine the soil and pot in which my pothos is planted when watering it properly. All of my pothos are kept in pots with a wide drainage hole on the bottom.
Step 6: Provide Enough Sunlight
Because my first pothos didn’t get enough sunshine, it expanded and looked for it. As a result, the leaf nodes began to stretch out further and wider.
The solution was simple. I simply placed my pothos closer to a window so that it could get about 10-12 hours of sunlight per day.
Do not place your pothos next to a window. If your window faces south or west, it should be a few feet away, while east and north-facing windows should be much more away.
Make sure your plant gets no more than 3-4 hours of direct sunlight per day. The remainder of the day, use filtered light to avoid sunburning your plant’s leaves.
Should I mist my pothos?
Plants with fuzzy leaves, such as African violets and Tolmiea, should not be misted since water on their leaves can cause permanent spotting. A humidity tray can be used here. Fill a tray, plate, or bowl halfway with water and pebbles, river stones, or other similar items. Place the plant on top, making sure the water does not come into contact with the pot. Succulents, dragon tree (Draceana marginata), fiddle leaf fig (Ficus lyrata), yucca, pothos, ponytail plant (Beaucarnea recurvata), cissus, and spider plant are examples of plants that don’t require a lot of water.
Why are the new leaves on my pothos so small?
Allow only the top 2 inches (5 cm) of soil to dry before irrigating. If the plant dries down to the roots, it will slow down its growth and lose its overall health, which can lead to disease and pest outbreaks.
Excessive watering is another common Pothos issue, however it does not cause stunting. You’re more prone to get root rot as a result. It’s critical to water frequently and allow water to percolate through the soil to avoid fertilizer buildup, which can harm plant health. Fertilize using a diluted solution just during the growing season and every other month.
Insects and Stunted Leaves on Pothos
Insect pests may not appear to be the perpetrator, yet their feeding activity might result in deformed leaves and leaf drop. The most prevalent insect Pothos issues are mealybugs and scale.
Mealybugs resemble little cotton balls, whereas scale appears as dark colored lumps on stems and foliage. Their feeding activity depletes plant sap and reroutes nutrients away from the leaves. The leaves will become twisted and stunted if the infestation is severe.
To kill the pests, use a cotton swab dipped in alcohol. This may sound monotonous, but if you examine the plant once a week, you’ll probably only find a couple of the insects, making the plant easier to treat. Rinse the mealybugs off the plant outside or in the bathtub if the infestation is severe. To thoroughly destroy all of the invaders, use a horticultural oil spray.
Why are my pothos leaves growing so close together?
Plants that grow in vines do so in order to reach the light. To take advantage of all the light, they produce bigger leaves closer together on the vine as they climb higher.
Because trailing plants receive less light, they grow smaller leaves that are wider apart and appear lanky. The energy invested in producing a gigantic leaf will not be recouped by the light received, thus there is no benefit to them generating a lot of big leaves.