Can pothos grow outside? It is the most obvious query that spirals in the mind of many bringing in the plant for the first time.
So, you must know that pothos is a beautiful houseplant that is not very demanding, be it in terms of light, water, soil, etc.
However, there is always a tiny qualm over its ideal growing location, i.e., inside or outside. In this article, I will try to clear out all your suspicions in this regard. So, let’s start.
Can pothos grow outside?
According to plant experts, yes, you can plant your pothos plant outside.
However, there are certain things you’d need to take care of while doing so. For example, if a houseplant happens to be outside, you would need to ensure:
- An optimal temperature around the pothos as the plant can not thrive or survive under 50-degree Fahrenheit and above 90-degree Fahrenheit.
- Sufficient moisture in case outside is too cold or hot & humid.
- No direct sunlight falls on the plant; otherwise, the plant will start exhibiting symptoms like leaves drooping, stem wilting, etc.
In a nutshell, growing a plant like pothos outside may or may not form a reasonable decision owing to its above requirements.
How to grow pothos outside?
If you have to grow the pothos plant outside, here’s how you can achieve this.
1. Light
As said above, pothos doesn’t require direct sunlight but indirect bright light, either natural or artificial.
That is, if you’re growing pothos outside, you should make sure that the plant is in a shady place, like around a big tree, so direct sunlight doesn’t fall over it.
Or you can also cover the plant with a thin cloth. Exposure to direct sunlight will start burning the leaves of the plant, besides killing the plant gradually.
2. Water
Both underwatering and overwatering are bad for pothos. While planting outside, you will have to notice the atmospheric conditions before watering it.
For example, the watering frequency will lower down in the winter months against increasing again during summers. Plus, the texture of the soil will likewise better indicate when it needs a splash of water.
To check it, put your fingers over the soil and try to feel it. If your fingers come out clean, it means the soil is too dry; otherwise, wet if some soil sticks to your fingers.
While watering the plant, you’ll also have to recollect whether the soil is draining or not. If the soil has a flawed drainage system, all the water will accumulate near the bottom of the pot giving rise to many worries for you.
3. Temperature
If the outside temperature is below 50-degree Fahrenheit or above 90-degree Fahrenheit, you should refrain from growing the plant outside.
Either of the above conditions can prove harmful for the plant, as per experts. Hence, measure the outside temperature before planting the plant outdoors.
4. Maintenance
If everything is fine regarding the pothos, i.e., the temperature, moisture level, and light, your primary job of the plant’s maintenance will come into the picture now! Though being a houseplant, the maintenance of the plant is seamless; when growing outdoors, you have to put in extra efforts in the form of:
- Cutting off any empty vine from its origin so that the plant doesn’t spend its energy on that particular vine(s),
- Plucking off the dead or yellow/brown leaves from the plant as you or the plant can’t revive them in any way, and
- If the plant seems to droop or bend, you better repot the plant in fresh soil and pot.
Hence, these are a few steps you need to follow while growing pothos outside.
Things you need to care about while growing pothos outside
Growing a plant outside isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and the following care tips are a must to employ.
- While raising outdoors, you should keep checking the temperature prevailing outside for ensuring the plant doesn’t die due to too low or high a temperature.
- It would help if you also examined whether the soil is optimally wet or not. If the air has ample moisture in it, it’s enough for the plant to survive, even if not watered manually. In another scenario, if the air is dehydrated, you’ll have to increase the watering frequency to overcome the dryness around the plant. Still, you’ve to abstain from overwatering the plant due to the reasons explained above.
- When the plant is outdoors, you may require to add different nutrients in the form of fertilizer to match its needs. While doing so, keep in mind that adding fertilizer only twice a year is sufficient. Excess fertilizer is bad for a plant’s health.
- Lastly, set the plant under or close to a big tree to obstruct direct sunlight from falling over the plant. For pothos, direct sunlight is harmful as it elevates the yellowing of the leaves, wilting of the stems, drooping leaves, etc.
So, these are some vital tips you can utilize while caring for the plant while setting it up outdoors.
Conclusion
For a novice who’s trying his/her hands-on gardening for the very first time, the experience can be a mix of positives and negatives.
Talking particularly about plants like pothos, most people usually recall more positives than negatives, and that’s due to several reasons. To start with, such plants are undemanding in almost all aspects, be it water, soil, light, care, etc.
On top of all, you can grow pothos both indoors and outdoors.
However, in the former case, you’ll need further efforts to enable a thriving environment for the plant, as discussed above. I’d suggest growing pothos indoors for better results and easy to look after than outdoors.