Pothos or scindapsus, ornamental leafage

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Pothos or scindapsus is a plant native to the tropics with very ornamental leafage.

Key Pothos facts

Name – Pothos or Scindapsus
Family – Araceae
Type – indoor plant

Height – 6 ½ feet (2 meters)
Exposure – light but not direct sunlight.
Soil – indoor plant soil mix

Foliage – evergreen
Flowering – rare as en indoor plant

Often veined with different colors, shiny and abundant, its foliage appeals to us and spiffs up our homes. Adopt a pothos and you’ll be more than satisfied!

Planting and re-potting of pothos

Pothos or Scindapsus is mostly grown in pots under our latitudes, but can be grown in the ground if it is protected in a heated greenhouse in winter.

Planting pothos in pots

• Scindapsus likes a tight fit and thus doesn’t need a large pot.
• What suits pothos best is to plant it in repotting soil mix or even better, indoor plant soil mix.
• Select a luminous spot but without direct sun and stay away from heat sources such as radiators.
• Repotting can be performed from February to October.

Outdoor pothos

• Mix your garden soil to soil mix and choose a spot that is in part sun, but not hot.

Take note that growing pothos outdoors is only possible wherever the climate is relatively warm in winter.

Outdoor growing of pothos is only possible in tropical environments

Multiplying pothos

Preparing cuttings from pothos is the easiest and fastest method to propagate the plant. Also, it ensure that any properties of that variety are preserved: variegation, leaf color, vigor…

Pothos soil cuttings

Cutting preparation is best performed in spring.

• Collect about 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) cuttings.
• Eliminate lower leaves to keep only the topmost pair of leaves.
• Dip the base of the stem in powdered rooting agents (this is optional but recommended).
• Plant the cutting(s) in special cutting soil mix.
• Install a transparent garden cloche or plastic pouch around it in order to retain moisture.
• Put the cuttings in a rather warm location, luminous but not in direct sunlight.
• Keep the soil mix moist.

Pothos water cuttings

A funner solution is to simply cut a 6-inch (15 cm) stem and plunk it in a glass of water.

• Make sure several leaf nodes are included
• Remember to change the water every few days
• Roots will emerge. When they’re an inch (2-3cm) long, transplant to a pot.

This works all year round.

You can also divide the pothos by collecting the offshoots that grow at its base and replant them in light and moist substrate.

Pruning pothos

It isn’t necessary to prune it.

Aerial roots are very important for the plant, so it is recommended not to touch them.

In order to reduce the branches or reshape your pothos, you can shorten the stems by half in spring.

It’s a plant that loves crawling along a lattice, just as it also likes dangling down from a tall shelf.

Watering pothos

Water the plant only when the surface of the soil is dry, and avoid excess water so as to not suffocate the roots.

Space your watering rounds as much as you can during the winter rest phase, because the plant only has very limited water needs.

However, the plant absolutely craves air moisture. That’s what makes it an excellent bathroom plant.

• Here are tips on how to increase air moisture around plants

Caring for pothos

Pothos is very easy to grow. It requires very little care and resists quite well to the various diseases.

Pothos is actually a vine, either climbing or hanging depending on the lattice provided.

Although organic fertilizer can rekindle the plant’s vigor, it isn’t a requirement, either.

This plant grows indoor very well all year round, and can be brought outside from May to September as soon at the temperature permits.

A temperature of 65 to 75°F (18 to 25°C) is recommended for proper growth.

• Read also: Plants that purify the air inside our homes
• Photo at right shared by Severin Candrian of Feey.ch