If you’re a houseplant enthusiast, chances are that you’ve asked the question “how fast do pothos grow?” as you consider adding one to your indoor plant collection.
Also known as Epipremnum aureum and devil’s ivy, pothos ivy is a species of evergreen vine that includes a wide array of cascading plants. It can grow pretty quickly and is among the easiest houseplants to care for; a green thumb isn’t needed!
Thanks to how easy it is to grow these plants as well as their general hardiness and durability, pothos is the go-to option for folks looking to add a touch of green to their homes without the hassle of high maintenance.
Pothos plants are also a fantastic choice if you have a spacious indoor garden area that you’d like to cover. That’s because most adult pothos can reach anywhere between 6 and 10 feet, whether upwards, draping down, or along your walls.
Some pothos species can even top out at 30 or 40 feet! However, you’ll need to provide optimal growing conditions for your pothos to achieve such lengths.
As you can tell by now, pothos is a super interesting plant with plenty of information to learn about it. Today, we’re discussing the question: how fast do pothos grow?
How Fast Do Pothos Plants Grow?
Pothos plants are quick growers. As far as houseplants go, they’re one of the very fastest. As such, they’re rather rewarding to include in your plant collection.
If you provide it with proper care, your pothos can grow an average of about 12 inches (30cm) each month during its growing season. This growth rate doesn’t require exceptional circumstances, it’s achievable under ordinary conditions present in most houses.
These include average light, humidity, and room temperature. Of course, the more favorable the conditions for your pothos plants, the even faster the growth rate you can expect and see.
The growing season of pothos begins in spring and continues until fall, which means that your pothos plants are looking at a new yearly growth of a dozen feet ( a few meters)! That’s about as impressive as a houseplant can get!
Still, the speed of growth can differ from one type of pothos to the other. As a rule of thumb, your pothos will grow slower the more it’s variegated.
The green parts of leaves contain chlorophyll, whereas the white parts don’t. The former, consequently, can perform photosynthesis, while the latter can’t.
This means that the green areas of the plant are responsible for keeping it in a growing state and maintaining its shape. As pothos get everything they need for growth from their green parts, so the process will only get more effective the larger these areas are.
Do Pothos Plants Grow Quicker in Water or Soil?
You may not have known this before, but you can grow pothos plants in both soil and water. The choice is ultimately yours, but if you’re looking to achieve the fastest possible growth, you should consider the stage your plant is at.
- As a mature plant, the growth rate of pothos will be faster in soil than in water under the same conditions.
- In the case of propagation, pothos plants typically root faster in water than in soil.
Why Are My Pothos Plants Growing Slowly?
It’s not unusual for houseplant owners to feel that they’re doing everything right, but their pothos plants aren’t responding to their efforts and are simply not growing as fast as they had expected.
If you’re experiencing something similar, chances are you’re dealing with stunted growth. This is a fairly common issue with pothos, occurring when the living conditions of the plant aren’t satisfactory.
The following are a few reasons why the growth rate of your pothos might not be up to the desired speed:
- You’re underwatering or overwatering. Providing too little water can lead to dehydration and cause the plant to shrivel up. On the other hand, giving your pothos too much can result in root rot.
- You’ve placed the plant at room temperature either below 50 degrees Fahrenheit or above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Pothos don’t like it when it’s too cold or too hot.
- The potting soil doesn’t have enough nutrients.
- The soil has too much fertilizer accumulated.
- The plant receives too little or too much sunlight. You can keep your pothos in a shady area or a dark room as long as you provide some exposure to sunlight.
How to Make Your Pothos Plants Grow Faster
A lot of pothos owners are fascinated by the vast growth of the plant, so they look for ways to speed things up. Below, we’ll be sharing with you 6 ways you can boost the growth rate of your pothos:
1. Start with a rich growing medium
The way you kick off your plant’s growth is crucial. Your first encounter with pothos will probably be when it arrives at your home as a young plant in a small pot.
As it grows bigger and taller, you’ll need to re-pot your pothos. To achieve the quickest possible growth rate, pot your plant in standard potting soil that drains well.
When it comes to soil pH, pothos plants thrive in a soil pH ranging between 6.1 to 6.5, which is weakly acidic. However, the plant won’t be too negatively affected if your soil’s pH is a bit out of the specified range.
Make sure you take your time to choose a potting mix with enough draining when it’s time to plant your pothos. Devil’s ivy needs a healthy, well-draining soil with a high nutritive value to thrive; and that can support the growth rate of any houseplant, not just pothos.
2. Provide enough exposure to bright yet indirect sunlight
Pothos plants can be a little tricky when it comes to their light requirements. To provide a proper balance of light, you should know that the devil’s ivy needs bright light, but at the same time, you shouldn’t leave them exposed to direct sunlight for prolonged periods because its leaves are prone to easy burning.
Your best approach is to put your pothos close to a window to receive bright yet indirect sunlight. If you notice the plant’s leaves turning pale, it could be a sign of too much exposure to sunlight.
You can place your pothos in a dark corner or room, but without allowing them to enjoy the sunlight for some time every day, the leaves are likely to become more variegated and the plant’s growth rate will suffer.
3. Maintain a temperature range between 50 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit
Pothos plants are native to the Solomon Islands, so it should come as no surprise that they thrive in high temperatures and humidity. The ideal temperature range for pothos to flourish and grow fast is between 50 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you keep your plant at a room temperature below or above this range, it’s likely to suffer from stunted growth and its leaves will probably turn black.
4. Water when the soil dries out only
Don’t underwater or overwater. Giving your pothos plant too little water can lead to dehydration and cause the leaves to go limp and shrivel up.
On the other hand, providing your pothos with too much water can result in root rot and wilted leaves. You may also notice the leaves turning yellow.
Scheduling watering sessions can help you avoid such scenarios. Try to water only when the top couple of inches of the soil dry out. over or underwatering your house plant.
5. Feed with fertilizer every 2 or 3 months
While pothos plants don’t require fertilizing, especially if you started with nourishing potting soil, adding fertilizer during the growing season every 2 to 3 months can boost the speed of growth.
Ideally, you should use a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer.
Just like most plants, pothos needs primary nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus, as well as secondary nutrients such as zinc, iron, boron, copper, cobalt, molybdenum, calcium, sulfur, and magnesium. The majority of decent fertilizers contain all of these.
No matter the brand of fertilizer you opt for, make sure you read the information on its packaging and use an appropriate amount according to the size of your plant’s pot.
6. Keep pests away
Similar to any other houseplant, if your pothos gets attacked by pests, its growth rate and health will be hindered. While pest infestations are rare with pothos plants, some bugs can target them from time to time, such as mites, scales, caterpillars, thrips, and mealybugs.
If that’s the case, act quickly by wiping down the plant with a mixture of water and rubbing alcohol to remove each bug. You can also spray an insecticide.
Wrap Up
There you have it, a complete guide on how fast do pothos grow and how you can speed up the process. If you provide it with proper care, your pothos can grow an average of about 12 inches (30cm) each month during its growing season.
The growing season of pothos begins in spring and continues until fall, which means that your pothos plants are looking at a new yearly growth of a dozen feet ( a few meters).