For the life of me I cannot get this pothos figured out. It is one of 7 in my home and the only one struggling. It doesn't get a ton of light but it isn't any further than 3 other plants from a window and they are thriving. The leaves seem to get brown tips/spots that turn to holes that lead to the whole plant dying.
I have tried more water, less water. There is no root rot. Figured I would give you his a chance before I cut my losses (literally) and attempt to propagate what is salvageable.
by jags8228
6 Comments
I’m assuming as it’s sitting in a saucer, that the white pot has drainage holes? I stopped using decorative pots and moved all my plants back to basic plastic nursery pots in the same coloured plastic saucers, I then bottom water everything and they are all thriving now.
I’m not sure if that’s your issue as you say you have 6 other plants doing well!
If there’s no insects eating the roots then it’s either light or water I guess?
When is the last time you fertilized it? Is it perhaps in a drafty area? I have a photos next to my balcony door, and it gets unhappy during the winter due to a cold draft it gets.
If your want to keep the plant alive is stronger than your want to maintain your aesthetic then I’d say try getting it more light and seeing what happens. If not then I think other comments will be more helpful because I’ve never had a pothos and I’m not a botanist lol.
I’ve basically given up on most of my pothos. I have found that bottom watering after I notice the leaves drooping seemed to help, but they all still lose some leaves here and there. I’ve abandoned any schedule for watering, and instead wait for the visible drooping, then bottom water. It has worked reasonably well for my Marble queen and N Joy. I’m letting the golden just die, though. I seem to only be able to keep those alive in just water instead of soil.
First, your pothos is not dying so don’t worry too much- this is pretty common for these guys. Pothos will pretty much always drop some of their older leaves eventually, but it’s exacerbated if you let it get too dry before watering. If the leaves are drooping, you’ll likely see some yellow leaves within the next week. For that reason I actually like to use an oversized pot for these guys to prevent them from getting so dry
I’ve heard that consistent pruning will encourage pothos to hold on to those older leaves but it’s not something I’ve researched or tried myself. My recommendation would be to give it more water going forward, but to also give it a good thorough check for pests just to be safe
How often do you water? My pothos seems to thrive on neglect. I only water when the soil is dry 3 or 4 inches down from the surface.