Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)
Also called Curly leaf pothos, Devil's ivy, Efeutute, Golden pothos
At a glance
- From
£8.99 for Njoy, the cheapest form today
- Forms
6 forms and cultivars, 2 white-sectored, 1 yellow-variegated, 1 single-color yellow, 2 other color type
- Light
Still grows at 20 · saturates at 390 µmol/m²/s
Measured on this species A
- Cold
2 measurements from 8 to 10 °C, see the table
Measured on this species AB
Forms and cultivars 6
Each form shows its light value and where it was measured: ● on this form itself, ○ on the form or species named in the line. Grades: A Measured directly, B Indirect, C Distant.
White-sectored 2
Marble Queenfrom £14
Still grows at 20, saturates at 390 µmol/m²/s · measured on green Epipremnum aureum C
Njoyfrom £8.99
Still grows at 20, saturates at 390 µmol/m²/s · measured on green Epipremnum aureum C
Yellow-variegated 1
Devil Ivy Goldenfrom £15
Still grows at 20, saturates at 390 µmol/m²/s · measured on green Epipremnum aureum C
Single-color yellow 1
Neonfrom £9.99
Still grows at 20, saturates at 390 µmol/m²/s · measured on green Epipremnum aureum C
Other color type 2
Global Greenfrom £9.99
Still grows at 20, saturates at 390 µmol/m²/s · measured on green Epipremnum aureum C
Happy Leaffrom £9.99
Still grows at 20, saturates at 390 µmol/m²/s · measured on green Epipremnum aureum C
Light
Still grows at 20 · saturates at 390 µmol/m²/s
Measured on this species A
- Still grows at
- very dim · ~1,100 lux
- Leaves saturate at
- some direct sun · ~21,000 lux
The light scale
Scale in µmol/m²/s, linear from 0 to 800. Lux are read as daylight: 1 µmol/m²/s is about 54 lux.
- Very dim: up to 25
- Dim to medium: 25–100
- Bright, no direct midday sun: 100–300
- Some direct sun: 300–700
- Direct sun: above 700
Cold
Plants of this species kept at a low temperature, one measurement per row.
| Temperature | Days | Light | Effect | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 °C | 7–28 | Dark | Damage | A Measured directly |
| 8 °C | 4 | Dark | No damage | B Indirect |
Measured on this species
Care
Potting mix
Rooted pothos cuttings grown 3.5 winter months without fertiliser graded 4.9 of 5 in peat moss mixed 1:1 with sand, against 3.1 in sand alone and 1.5–2.0 in vermiculite.
A Measured directlyMeasured on this species
When pothos was moved from potting mix into clay pebbles, plants whose roots were all cut off ended with 43–59 % less root mass than plants that kept their roots; 2–3 cm root stubs kept more root mass than a full cut in both pothos tested.
B IndirectMeasured on this species
Watering
At low light (30 µmol, 120 days), pothos watered once a week made more leaf area (930 cm²) than plants watered twice a week (740 cm²) or every two weeks (710 cm²); leaf color and survival were the same in all three.
A Measured directlyMeasured on this species
On a wick-watered living wall at 20–50 µmol, pothos watered every 3 days formed more root mass (4.1 g) than pothos watered daily (2.5 g); the shoots looked the same.
A Measured directlyMeasured on this species
Feeding
Pothos stock plants fed 14 mg nitrogen per 15-cm pot each week had mostly pale, yellowing leaves within about ten weeks (grade 1.6 of 5); at 42–70 mg the leaves stayed nearly free of yellowing (4.4–5.0).
B IndirectMeasured on this species
In 'Golden Pothos' over six spring weeks in a shadehouse, the lowest nitrogen rate (14 mg per 15-cm pot each week) gave the most variegated plants; at 42 and 70 mg the plants were greener, with little difference between those two.
A Measured directlyMeasured on this species
In a raw 1:1 peat–bark mix, pothos fed nitrogen and phosphorus but no potassium made 79 g of vine by the autumn trim, against 210 g in the same mix with potassium added.
A Measured directlyMeasured on this species
Propagation
In one trial with four pothos cultivars, two-node cuttings taken from just below the vine tip rooted in 97 % of cases, two-node tip cuttings 15 percentage points less often.
A Measured directlyMeasured on this species
In one trial, pothos cuttings that kept a 6–8 mm stub of the old aerial root made more leaves within 55 days (4.5 against 3.5) and more fresh weight (8.3 against 5.4 g) than cuttings with the aerial root removed.
A Measured directlyMeasured on this species
In a winter glasshouse, keeping the rooting medium at 24 °C or warmer raised the rooting grade of pothos cuttings after 7 weeks from 1.6 to 2.8 on a 1–4 scale; 29 °C gave about the same grade (3.3).
A Measured directlyMeasured on this species
Form hints
In one trial, 'Neon' leaves saturated at 410 µmol, green leaves of the same species at 390 µmol.
A Measured directlyMeasured on this species
In one trial, 'Golden' leaves saturated at 200 µmol, green leaves of the same species at 390 µmol.
A Measured directlyMeasured on this species