Genus

Pothos Care Guide: The Plant That Refuses to Die

Fast, trailing, and almost impossible to kill. Epipremnum is the plant to start with, and the one to reach for when a room has bad light.

  • Family: Araceae
  • Native to Southeast Asia and the western Pacific
  • Easy

If you have killed every houseplant you have owned, start here. Epipremnum tolerates low light, irregular watering, and neglect that would finish most aroids, and it grows fast enough that you can see progress within weeks.

What every Pothos wants

  • Any light except deep shade. Brighter light means faster growth and better variegation, but they cope with far less than most plants.
  • Water when the top few centimetres dry. They wilt visibly when thirsty and recover within hours. It is a useful, forgiving signal.
  • Nothing else, really. Ordinary potting soil is fine. Fertilise if you remember.

Variegation is light-dependent

Golden, Marble Queen and N'Joy all lose their patterning in low light. The plant drops the white sections because they cannot photosynthesise. Move it brighter and new growth comes back patterned. The old leaves will not change.