Pothos
Epipremnum aureum, climber, evergreen
Water a pothos when the top few centimetres of soil are dry, which indoors means every 7–14 days in summer and about every 30 in winter. It wants plenty of light but not the hot midday sun, and starts to suffer below 15 °C (59 °F).
Updated 12 October 2026. How we write these pages
Pothos at a glance
Water, indoors
7–14
days in summer
30
days or so in winter
When the top few centimetres of soil are dry.
Month by month
Minimum temperature
15 °C
It starts to suffer below 15 °C (59 °F).
Cats and dogs
Toxic to dogs and cats.
Chewing the leaves can make them ill: keep it out of their reach.
Growth
Steady. It’s a climber.
Repotting
When the roots fill the pot.
Pruning
No regular pruning needed. If the stems get too long, cut them back whenever you like.
Where does your plant live?
Pick its place and see what changes.
What changes
- Indoors, near the window. The light is right, as long as the hot midday sun doesn’t hit the leaves through the glass.
- Indoors, away from the window. With less light it grows more slowly and new leaves come in smaller. If you can, move the pot closer to the window.
- Outdoors, in the shade. This suits it: outdoors, bright shade is the light it likes best.
- Outdoors, in the sun. Full sun scorches its leaves, so move the pot into the shade, at least for the hottest hours.
- Indoors, summer. In July it usually needs water every 7–14 days. Heat dries the soil faster, so feel it more often.
- Indoors, winter, heating on. In January it usually needs water about every 30 days, and more often near a radiator, because warm air dries the soil.
- Indoors, winter, cool room. In January it usually needs water about every 30 days, and less often in a cool room, where the soil stays damp for a long time.
- Indoors, winter, cool room. It starts to suffer below 15 °C (59 °F), so the room has to stay warmer than that.
- Outdoors, summer. Outside the soil dries faster than indoors, where in July it needs water every 7–14 days, so in the sun feel it often.
- Outdoors, winter. It starts to suffer below 15 °C (59 °F). Bring the pot indoors before the first cold nights.
How often to water a pothos
Indoors, month by month. Tap a column.
In October
Every 11–19 days
Usually every 16 days. Feel the soil first, and water when the top few centimetres are dry.
Every month in a table
| Month | Usually | Usually between |
|---|---|---|
| January | every 30 days | about 30 days |
| February | every 30 days | about 30 days |
| March | every 20 days | 16–23 days |
| April | every 16 days | 11–19 days |
| May | every 13 days | 9–16 days |
| June | every 10 days | 7–14 days |
| July | every 10 days | 7–14 days |
| August | every 10 days | 7–14 days |
| September | every 13 days | 9–16 days |
| October | every 16 days | 11–19 days |
| November | every 20 days | 16–23 days |
| December | every 30 days | about 30 days |
Typical intervals indoors in the northern hemisphere: light, the pot and the season stretch or shorten them. How to tell when to water, with a finger and the weight of the pot.
Soil, propagation and problems
Soil
A free-draining soil that can dry out between waterings: all-purpose potting mix lightened with perlite or pumice.
Propagation
From a cutting: cut a piece of stem with at least one node and stand it in water or damp soil until it roots.
Common problems
The most frequent: Thrips · Mealybugs · Scale insects · Grey mould · Leaf spot · Mites
When you feel the soil, look under the leaves too: pests show up there first.
Pothos: good to know
In the wild, pothos leaves can grow very large.
Low light can make variegated pothos lose its pattern.
Mealybugs and scale are the common indoor pothos pests.
Pothos cuttings can root in water.
Pothos: questions and answers
How often should you water a pothos in winter?
Indoors in January, about every 30 days, compared with every 10 in July. The longest gaps run from December to February.
How can you tell when a pothos needs water?
When the top few centimetres of soil are dry.
How much light does a pothos need?
Plenty of light, without the direct midday sun, which can scorch the leaves. Indoors it does well near a bright window, and further from the window it grows more slowly.
Is a pothos toxic to cats and dogs?
Toxic to dogs and cats. Chewing the leaves can make them ill: keep it out of their reach.
How much cold can a pothos take?
It starts to suffer from the cold below 15 °C (59 °F). If it spends the summer outside, bring the pot in before nights drop below 15 °C, and in winter keep it away from cold glass and draughts.
When should you repot a pothos?
When the roots fill the pot. If needed, the best time is spring, when it starts growing again. There are usually 2 to 3 years between repottings.
How do you prune a pothos?
No regular pruning needed. If the stems get too long, cut them back to just above a leaf: new shoots sprout from the leaf joints and the plant grows bushier. Wear gloves: the plant is toxic and can irritate skin.
How can you tell if a pothos is getting too much water or too little?
Too much water often shows as leaves turning yellow, soft brown patches on the leaves and leaves drooping even though the soil is wet. Too little shows as leaves still drooping in the morning and leaves starting to curl or fold.
What soil does a pothos need?
A free-draining soil that can dry out between waterings: all-purpose potting mix lightened with perlite or pumice.
How do you propagate a pothos?
From a cutting: cut a piece of stem with at least one node and stand it in water or damp soil until it roots.
Which pests and diseases affect a pothos?
The most frequent are thrips, mealybugs, scale insects, grey mould, leaf spot and mites. When you feel the soil, look under the leaves too: pests show up there first.
Can a pothos grow in water?
Yes. A cutting with a couple of leaves will put out roots in a glass of water. Change the water when it turns cloudy.
Why are my pothos leaves turning yellow?
Most of the time it’s too much water: the soil stays wet and the roots suffer. Before you water again, wait until the top few centimetres are dry.
Can a pothos live away from a window?
Yes, it’s one of the plants that copes best with low light. It grows more slowly, and variegated leaves tend to turn all green.
Read next
Every plant has its own rhythm. LINFA keeps track for you.
It looks at the light where your plant stands, its pot and the season, and tells you when to check it.
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