If you asked gardeners to vote for their easiest houseplant, it is very likely that pothos (Epipremnum aureum) would be among the top of the crop. This foliage plant, a climbing vine in the wild, is often seen cascading from its pot in a living room and it tolerates and even thrives on neglect. Wondering when to repot pothos? Pothos repotting is largely optional and, like every other maintenance task, very easy.
Meet the World’s Easiest Houseplant
Pothos has a variety of common names ranging from golden pothos to devil’s ivy, but nobody ever calls it a temperamental houseplant. It hails from the island of Mo’orea in French Polynesia, but has naturalized in many other tropical and subtropical forested areas in Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Pacific islands. AD Pothos is a foliage plant par excellence, with large, lovely heart-shaped leaves that can be variegated with white, yellow, or paler green. In the tropics, it grows as a long, leafy vine (to 70 feet, or 23 m) but indoors it rarely exceeds 30 feet (10 m) in length. It can be grown as a climbing or a cascading houseplant.
Repotting is an important part of caring for any houseplant, including pothos. Here are some tips for repotting pothos:
- Timing: Repot pothos in the spring or summer, when the plant is actively growing. Avoid repotting during the winter or fall, when the plant is dormant.
- Choose the right pot: Select a pot that is one size larger than the current pot. Pothos prefer to be slightly root-bound, so don’t choose a pot that is too large.
- Soil: Use a well-draining potting soil that is specifically formulated for indoor plants.
- Watering: Water the pothos a few days before repotting. This will help the soil stick together and reduce stress on the plant during the repotting process.
- Prune: Before repotting, prune any dead or yellow leaves, and trim back any long or leggy stems.
- Repotting: Carefully remove the pothos from its current pot, and gently loosen any tangled roots. Place the plant in the new pot, and fill in with fresh potting soil. Water the plant thoroughly.
- Aftercare: After repotting, keep the pothos in a bright, indirect light location, and water regularly. Avoid fertilizing the plant for the first few weeks after repotting, as this can stress the plant.
Caring for a Pothos
Indirect sun and well-draining soil top the list of what pothos needs to be happy. An occasional watering helps but this plant likes the soil to dry out well between drinks. This also prevents root rot. You can fertilize your pothos if you really want to, but no more often than every three months and, quite frankly, the plant is likely to do just as well without. What about repotting? Again, repot if you like. There are different opinions when it comes to timing. How often to repot pothos? Some experts suggest that this be done every year, while others remind gardeners that a root bound pothos is a happy pothos.