Golden Pothos
Epipremnum aureum
Through the year 🗓️
☀️ Summer now
Fast growth. Water more often and pinch leggy vines to keep it full.
🍂 Fall
Growth slows; stretch the watering gaps and give the last feed of the year.
❄️ Winter
Handles the dim months well; water only when fully dry and skip feeding.
🌱 Spring
Prime repotting and propagation window; feeding restarts as new leaves appear.
The details
Light & placement
- Light
- Low to bright indirect (variegation strongest in bright indirect); no harsh direct sun
- Ideal PPFD
- 100–300 µmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹
- Grow-light distance
- 18–24 in below LED
Water & feed
- Watering method
- Top-water until it drains; let the top 1–2 in of soil dry between waterings. Forgiving of occasional neglect.
- Fertilizer
- Balanced liquid houseplant feed (e.g., 20-20-20) at ½ strength, monthly in spring–summer.
Home & habit
- Soil
- Rich, airy, well-draining houseplant mix; pH 6.1–6.5
- Humidity
- Average; happier at 50–60%
- Temperature
- 65–85 °F
- Mature size
- Vines 6–10+ ft indoors
- Repotting
- Every 1–2 yrs once roots fill the pot
- Propagation
- Stem cuttings with a node, rooted in water or moist soil. Very easy.
When something looks wrong
- Overwatering signs
- Yellowing leaves, blackening stems, mushy roots
- Underwatering signs
- Wilting, dry/brown crispy leaf edges, curling
- Common pests
- Mealybugs, spider mites, scale
Common problems 🩺
The usual suspects when Golden Pothos looks unhappy. Most houseplant trouble is watering or light, not disease — see all plant problems if you are not sure which plant is the culprit.
Yellowing leaves
Likely cause
Almost always overwatering — pothos would rather be too dry than too wet.
What to do
Let the top 1–2 inches of soil dry out, then water less often. Check the pot actually drains.
Brown, crispy leaf tips
Likely cause
Dry air or a build-up of tap-water minerals.
What to do
Water thoroughly until it drains, and switch to filtered or rainwater if your tap is hard.
Long, sparse, leggy vines
Likely cause
Not enough light — it stretches toward the nearest window.
What to do
Move it to brighter indirect light and pinch the tips to force bushier growth.
Variegation fading to plain green
Likely cause
Too little light for it to keep the cream markings.
What to do
Give it brighter indirect light; the new growth will come back variegated.
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