Hello pothosians, I come seeking your wisdom. My mom gave me these cuttings from my sister’s funeral 29 years ago, and I’d love to keep them alive and get them to grow more if possible. From what I can tell she just kept them in a jar with some water this whole time. Do they just need standard pothos treatment? Is there anything special for geriatric pothos?
by mcbellington
13 Comments
just standard pothos care for this girlie <3
I’m sorry about your sister, I would toss her in some dirt with a pot my sister would like if this were me.
I think it would be fine to stay in water (I had one in water for over a decade) but soil would work too. 💚💚💚
Sounds like your mom knows exactly how, you should ask her.
They should do fine and the soil just grow super super slower than being in the dirt. Try to give it some extra liquid nutrients.
I have one from my grandfather’s funeral which was in the mid-80s. They’re pretty indestructible. Give it some dirt, a sunny spot and regular water and it’s likely to get huge.
you can actually keep these alive in water if you just fertilize a tiny bit once a month. you don’t have to do anything in a fishtank but for water without fish i’d start with changing 3/4 of it every 2 days (put in lukewarm water) and then elongate to 3 eventually changing weekly once roots have established. if you’re more of the “underwaterer” kind of person then maybe this will be too much. The transition from water to soil (if you want to take that route) can be pretty scary for beginners as you need to keep the soil wet enough but not too wet at the start and then slowly slow watering until the plant shows you it needs it (it’ll shrivel up slightly). this transition period is purely to ease the roots in otherwise they might shrivel up in shock. When I first transferred my pothos propagation to soil I watered it every 3 days for the first 2 times, then 4 for the next 2 until I felt comfortable it was fine, though this depends on how dense your soil is as well and I had a small plant, only a few leaves. these are honestly the easiest plants I’ve ever dealt with but even so, any transition from water can be risky, don’t do it all at once maybe only half. I’m sure your sister would be really impressed it has thrived for this long, I’m sorry for your loss
I’m sorry about your sister.
Pothos are a very forgiving plant. I always had a black thumb and couldn’t keep anything alive until I purchased a small 4” potted pothos. When my bird passed away i transplanted the pothos into a larger pot and buried my birdy in it. This was many years ago and I’ve propagated several new plants from the mother plant. I have several thriving in water, but have also been successful putting in soil to give to friends and family.
A lot of indirect sunlight…you’ll know the best spot in your home by moving it around and seeing where it best thrives. When growing in water change water frequently. When growing in soil soak in water once a week depending on weather. Also, don’t be afraid to pluck off any yellowing or dying leaves.
I always end up killing pothos in dirt; I have the best luck with them just like you have in a clear glass container. Refresh the water weekly or as needed, and leaving four or five inches of open space from water level in jar. So sorry for your loss, I like to put mine in a spot and then they branch to my walls. Surrounded by the vines 🙂
add more water & change it biweekly
One of the easiest plant to kill.
Which one? The pothos or the dog? 🤭
Pot in a chunky soil mix, i’d start with maybe a 4 inch pot. Water her every day for about a week, and then every few days for another 2ish weeks, & then water only when she dries out. The frequent waterings are just to get her acclimated to soil <3
Learn to take a couple of clippings & put them in 6 ounces of water and wait for them to root & grow.