Growing Pothos: Tips at a Glance
A tropical forest plant, pothos lives indoors in colder climates so happily that we'd put it in the running for winning the Easiest Houseplant Ever award. Let the soil dry out between waterings for best results.
- Type Tropical foliage plant
- Lifespan Perennial
- USDA Zones 10-11
- Light Sun or shade
- Water Well-drained soil
- How to Grow Propagate cuttings
- Design Tips Jungle vine
- Warning Poisonous
- Peak Season Evergreen
Pothos: A Field Guide
Pothos was probably your first houseplant. Or at least the first one you didn’t kill. An easygoing tropical vine, Epipremnum aureum will endure all kinds of indignities with grace.
Pothos will thrive in low light, with little water, and no attention. In other words, it’s a strong contender for the World’s Easiest to Grow Houseplant. With graceful, heart-shaped foliage (many cultivars are variegated, for added interest), pothos can drape, climb a trellis, wind itself around a pole, or fall like a gentle curtain in front of a window. In other words, it’s an ideal trailing plant to use as an interior decor element.
Native to warm Caribbean countries as well as Mexico and South America, pothos will grow to lengths as long as 40 feet in tropical regions but prefers to live indoor in colder climates (you can plant it outdoors in a sheltered spot if you live in USDA growing zones 10 or 11).