How Fast do Pothos Grow? – Tips on How to Grow Them Faster


A pothos leaf on the article How Fast do Pothos Grow

You may have come across this plant and know it as called Devils Ivy.

It is in fact called Pothos and can be found growing almost everywhere in houses, on patios and out in the garden. The plant also looks great when planted in a terrarium or hanging basket.

Pothos quickly became a household favourite when it proved to be adaptable and versatile, and it has remained a favourite for many years.

Traditionally pothos are known as trailing plants and it you support them correctly they can – and will – work their way all around your living room and up the stairs quite easily.

One thing to note here is that the plant will not simply up and climb over your banisters by itself.

You will need to give it some sort of structure if you want it to climb anywhere. Once you have fixtures in place your pothos will happily use them.

Get Your Pothos Here!

 

How Fast do Pothos Grow?

A golden pothosThese plants are classified as fast growers, in fact they are one of the fastest-growing house plants around.

They grow faster outside than they do indoors, although with the correct attention you will have a decent-sized pot plant inside your house.

Astoundingly, your average pothos can grow about 12 inches per month during the growth season!

Added to that, they are also low maintenance so beware if you go away for a long holiday, you may just come back to a jungle of pothos winding itself around your patio!

You may also like: Why do pothos leaves drip water

How Fast do Pothos Grow Indoors?

While the pothos can reach up to 20’ outside, you will find that they grow slower indoors. This is normally due to space constraints of the pot and less light than the plant would like.

Indoors, in a pot you can expect your pothos to grow, during the growing season, anything between 10” – 12” per month.

Bearing in mind that the growing season is around three months in the peak times so you should see growth of around 36” each year. Outside is an entirely different matter as the plant grows in leaps and bounds in good conditions.

The pothos will produce new growth in the spring and summer each year, and then it will go dormant as the temperatures drop.

Do Pothos Grow Faster in Water or Soil?

Even if the conditions for growing in water are as close as possible to growing in soil, the pothos will still do better when grown in soil or a good quality potting mix.

Propagation, on the other hand is far better when the cutting is placed in water rather than in soil. Water will produce roots far quicker and the new plant potted out far sooner than when popped in soil.

If you are enjoying this article, check out our article on the pothos vs the Scindapsus.

How to Make Pothos Grow Faster

As with any plant, if the conditions are right the plant will have the best chance to grow well and thrive. The pothos is no different even though it is low maintenance.

Once the conditions and basic needs of the pothos are met you will have a healthy plant to display.

Check the Soil

Even though your pothos may look healthy, you should repot it every so often. The ideal time is to change pots and replace soil every year. This will give the plant a new influx of nutrients from new soil.

When repotting, be sure to only increase pot size to the next size up as the pothos does not enjoy being in pots which are too large.

Check the Brightness

If your plant seems to be growing less than you feel is good, then look at the lighting conditions where it is placed. If possible move it to another spot closer to the window. Even a few feet away from the light will influence the growth of the plant.

Bear in mind that the pothos does not enjoy direct sunlight in the heat of the day so aim for sunlight from the morning sun and mild sun in the afternoons.

You will know very soon if your plant needs more light as the stems will become leggy.

Fertilize Regularly – but not too often

While you can encourage extra growth with the addition of fertilizer, too much will be harmful and can even kill your pothos.

Regular fertilizer will work well with the pothos, and you will see from the instructions that you should not apply more frequently than once a month. Do not use it more than this as the plant will struggle.

A point to note: if you have an aquarium you can use the water for your pothos. This is because fish tank water is full of vital nutrients and the plant will benefit from them.

Watch those Temperatures

A golden pothos

While pothos are hardy plants they will be affected by temperatures which are either too low or too high. You will notice that the growth rate slows down with either variation in temperature.

Pothos do not like draughts either and will grow slower if in a draughty area. Cold draughts are particularly bad for the pothos.

The ideal temperature is between 70-90 degrees F.

Add Humidity

Overall, the pothos does not mind either way if the air is humid or not.

However, research has shown that adding humidity to the area will speed up growth. In the natural environment the pothos would be in a humid state and grow tremendously.

You may also like: How to save an overwatered pothos

Get Your Pothos Here!

 

How Fast do Pothos Cuttings Grow?

As every gardener knows, one of the best ways to get more plants is to propagate from the mother plant.

Propagating from the pothos is fast and easy. The ideal time to take your cuttings is when the stems start to get a little leggy and you want to trim them back.

There is no reason to dispose of healthy cuttings when you prune, simply use them as pieces to propagate!

How to Propagate a Pothos

Snip of 4”-6” of cutting, making sure that it has four or more leaves attached. Remove the bottom leaf and voila, you are ready to propagate.

There are several ways to propagate your pothos, namely:

  • In water
  • In soil
  • By layering

Propagating a Pothos in water

Use any jar or bottle that you have, fill it with water and pop your cutting into the water.

It is important that as soon as the new roots appear you pot the plant out. Plants which are left in water for long times tend to have a hard time adapting to soil.

Propagating a Pothos in soil

Take your cuttings the same was as you would for in water. Dip the end in a rooting hormone. Cinnamon works well as a natural rooting hormone.

Now pop the cutting into the new soil in a small pot, keep the soil moist, not wet, and you should have roots developed after about a month. By 2-3 months your new plant will be ready to repot.

Layering

You layer a plant by placing another pot next to the main pot and gently taking a stem which is low growing. This is bent until it can be lightly covered by soil in the second pot.

The stem will form roots which will start to grow in the new pot and when they do, the stem can be severed from the original plant, forming a new plant.

How Long Does it Take to Grow Pothos from Seed?

Pothos seeds can be extremely hard to find as they are not easy to obtain. You can buy them online although you can never be sure what you are getting.

If you do manage to acquire seeds then you should use a medium sized pot filled with potting mix. Make sure that it is well-draining. Sow the seeds and cover lightly.

It is important that the seeds receive 2-3 hours of sunlight each day and the soil is kept moist. They will germinate within 1-2 weeks.

Get Your Pothos Here!

 

Final Thoughts

A pothos on a potPothos are delightful plants which can be grown either indoors or outdoors.

They are easy to maintain, and better yet – easy to propagate.

They grow rapidly outside and supply plenty of cuttings should you want to pot up some more or even give them away to friends.

If you enjoyed this article, check out our article on a pothos n joy vs pearls and jade.

Bean Growing

We provide a wide range of information from indoor to outdoor plants to product recommendations to make your gardening experience the best it can possibly be. We are not experts in gardening but through extensive research and experience we will give you the best information to provide the best care for your plants.

Recent Posts