What is a pothos?
Pothos (Epipremnum aureum), also called devil’s ivy, is a trailing tropical vine from the arum family. It’s the plant most people learn on: it grows fast, roots almost instantly from cuttings, tolerates low light and irregular watering, and comes in dozens of variegated forms (golden, marble queen, neon, snow queen). If you’ve killed everything else, start here.
How much light does a pothos need?
Pothos is a low-light champion — it survives in dim corners and a few feet from a window. But “survives” isn’t “thrives”: in bright, indirect light it grows faster and keeps its variegation crisp. Variegated types (marble queen, golden) will slowly green up in low light, so give them the brightest indirect spot you have.
How often should you water a pothos?
Water about every 1–2 weeks, letting the top inch of soil dry out first. Pothos is drought-tolerant and far more forgiving of underwatering than overwatering — the vines will go limp and the leaves soften when it’s truly thirsty, then perk back up after a drink.
How do you propagate pothos in water?
This is pothos’s party trick. Cut a vine just below a node (the little bump where a leaf meets the stem), put the cut end in a glass of water, and roots will appear within a week or two. Once the roots are an inch or so long, pot it into soil. One plant can become many.
Why is my pothos leggy or losing its variegation?
Both are light problems. Leggy vines with big gaps between leaves mean it’s reaching for light — move it brighter and prune to encourage bushiness. Fading variegation means the same thing: the plant can’t sustain the pattern in low light.
Is pothos toxic to pets?
Yes — the ASPCA lists pothos as toxic to cats and dogs. The insoluble calcium oxalates can cause mouth irritation, drooling, and vomiting if chewed, so keep trailing vines out of a pet’s reach.