Araceae
Epipremnum aureum
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The gallery
Hero
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Bloom
Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz via Wikimedia Commons (cc by_sa_4)
Gallery
Mokkie via Wikimedia Commons (cc by_sa_3)
Gallery
Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz via Wikimedia Commons (cc by_sa_4)
How to grow it
Written for beginners. If you've never grown anything before, this is all you need to keep this plant alive and happy.
Find a spot with dappled or morning-only sun. This is an indoor plant. A bright window or grow-light setup works.
Any good all-purpose potting mix or well-drained garden soil will do. Leave at least 36 inches around the plant so its roots and leaves have room to mature. Water it in gently once it's settled.
Water deeply when the top two inches of soil feel dry, usually every 10 to 14 days in summer, less in cooler months. Err on the dry side; this plant dislikes soggy roots.
This one is very forgiving. A balanced all-purpose fertiliser at the start of the growing season is plenty, and you can skip a month without harm. Plan on about five minutes a week of hands-on care once it's established.
Watch for new growth in spring and summer. If the leaves look tired, trim the oldest ones back to encourage fresh foliage.
Year at a glance
Approximate for a temperate North American zone. Shift earlier the further south you garden, later the further north.
Jan
January: Rest
Dormant
Feb
February: Rest
Dormant
Mar
March: Wake up
New growth
Apr
April: Tend
Routine care
May
May: Tend
Routine care
Jun
June: Tend
Routine care
Jul
July: Tend
Routine care
Aug
August: Tend
Routine care
Sep
September: Tend
Routine care
Oct
October: Tend
Routine care
Nov
November: Wind down
Prep for dormancy
Dec
December: Rest
Dormant
Pet & people safety
We only publish toxicity information when a human has checked it against a primary source. Until that happens, treat this plant as potentially harmful to pets and children: don't let it be eaten or chewed, and consult the ASPCA or your vet if anyone does. You can also search the ASPCA's public toxic-plant database below.
Bloomwise is not a substitute for veterinary or medical advice. Every line above comes from a hand-verified reference.
Recommended supplies
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A dilute liquid feed dosed once a month from spring through fall is the full fertilizer program for pothos. This bottle works for virtually every tropical houseplant at the same cadence.
Pothos is the easiest houseplant on earth to overwater. A reservoir pot puts it on autopilot for the chronic forgetters.
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Frequently asked
Sources
Plant facts on this page come from a blend of public-domain and open-licensed datasets: Biodiversity Heritage Library (historical botanical illustrations, public domain), USDA PLANTS (taxonomy, public domain), GBIF (occurrence and taxonomy, CC-BY 4.0), OpenFarm (crop guides, CC-BY-SA 3.0), and Open-Meteo (climate and hardiness lookup, CC-BY 4.0). Toxicity records come from the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center and the Pet Poison Helpline; every row is hand-verified against a primary reference.
