Pothos is a versatile houseplant. You can grow this plant in a hanging pot, around a trellis, or in any other way, your creative mind can imagine.
Accentuating dark green foliage with a sturdy stem, a pothos plant can quickly develop if nurtured in its favorable growing conditions in humidity, light, temperature, etc.
These include a temperature between 70-degree F to 90-degree F and humidity above 70%. But how fast can a pothos grow? Can you make it grow faster manually?
If you have these questions in mind, get them cleared in the upcoming sections. So, let’s kickstart without any further ado.
How fast does pothos grow?
So, how fast does a pothos plant grow? As discussed briefly earlier, a pothos is a fast-growing plant whose growing speed depends upon its surrounding conditions.
For example, such a plant grows exponentially from December to May. On average, a pothos plant can expand around 20 to 40 feet high and also 3 to 6 feet vast in a month.
Being a tropical plant, the temperature range for this growth should remain between 70-degree Fahrenheit to 90-degree Fahrenheit.
If the temperature is below 70-degree Fahrenheit, expect a delayed or slower growth. In terms of the humidity, it’s above 70.
You can grow pothos in any soil that has a minimum pH of around 6.1 to 6.5. Such soil has a better water absorption and retention property than others.
You also need to ensure that no direct sunlight falls over the plant as that can fade away the bright foliage of the plant.
In terms of moisture, the plant can survive in soil that has dried out; however, not for too long! Survival and growth are two different things.
For the latter to happen, dry soil isn’t advisable.
Note that some plant veins can also outgrow the whole plant in some cases, and it’s a regular sight. Interestingly, you can use some professional tips which can pace up the growing speed of pothos.
How to make pothos grow faster?
As referenced above, despite being a fast-growing plant, it’s further possible to speed up the process by considering the plant’s basic needs or maintenance, as discussed below. These include:
Everything that matters is the temperature!
Yes, you will have to expose the plant to temperatures between 70-degree Fahrenheit to 90-degree Fahrenheit for better and quick growth.
It is on the lines as pothos is a tropical plant. It ought to do better in hot & humid climatic conditions. Though such conditions will suit the plant the most, you can’t tolerate this indoors.
That’s why the above temperature range will provide you some room to breathe easily. Furthermore, you can think of planting the plant outdoors as long as the conditions outside seem favorable.
To cap off, you don’t need to get stricter with the temperature, though the placement of the plants should form a part of your priority. Be it indoors or outdoors, your pothos ivy will undoubtedly do better.
Fertilizers
Fertilizer is like ready-made food for plants. It is full of essential nutrients the plant would need throughout its life.
However, not all fertilizers seem to go well with plants like pothos. Hence, you would need to check one before feeding it to your plant.
For your reference, a fertilizer should include ample quantities of the following nutrients for faster growth.
- Boron,
- Calcium,
- Cobalt,
- Copper,
- Magnesium,
- Molybdenum,
- Nitrogen,
- Potassium,
- Phosphorus,
- Sulfur,
- Zinc, etc.
Again, you will have to choose between organic and inorganic fertilizer for your pothos. While the former will start to act at a slow pace, the latter will quickly get to work.
If you love organic greenery, there’s no substitute for it, and you’d go with the organic variant. It’ll not only sustain the plant’s growth but will make it appear healthier in the long run.
Be careful while watering the plant
No plant can survive without adequate moisture as long as it can withstand dry conditions like a cactus. Now, when it comes to watering pothos, you need to be a little attentive.
This plant needs only a little bit of moisture for its survival, beyond which the chances of its poor health increase.
For example, if the soil is too damp, it’ll more likely hinder the flow of water and other nutrients from the roots to the rest of the plant.
It is also associated with a plant-specific fungal infection called rotten rot. Such an infection attacks the roots, tangles them, and weakens them, giving the roots a slimy texture.
Check for the outbreaks of any fungal infection.
Where there is moisture, there ought to be fungi! Be it any plant, bugs, pests, and insects don’t spare any, and when the conditions are sweet to them, you can’t imagine how much damage they can cause.
Therefore, you have to keep a close eye on the pothos for identifying an outbreak of such bugs/pests/insects and undo it forever. However, here’s an interesting fact for you.
Pothos is a hardy plant that can withstand attacks from such creatures for a while. Hence, you need not worry at very first. However, they can still party on your pothos ivy’s leaves or roots if not catered to on time.
As a remedy, take a cotton swab, dip it in rubbing alcohol, and run it over the affected region of the plant to deter any pest or insect without harming the plant in any way.
So, these are some ways by which you can pace up the growing speed of your pothos plant. But is your plant growing? If not, below are some possible reasons for it.
Why does my pothos not growing?
There are chances that even after trying out everything, your pothos plant may not grow at the rate you desired. For this, there are several reasons, some of which are below.
You are probably growing pothos in the wrong season or time.
Pothos is a tropical plant. Due to this, its ideal growing season is summer. If you have just planted the plant and it’s wintertime, you will hardly notice any growth.
Likewise, spring is another good season to plant pothos, unlike autumn. Winters and autumn are dormant seasons for plants during which they usually rest!
Hence, always plant pothos during summers or spring to help them stay active and fine in winters or autumn. In a nutshell, not showing any growth isn’t something to ponder as long as the wrong season is the main culprit.
Inadequate humidity level
Different plants have different needs when it comes to humidity.
For example, while some plants require low to moderate humidity, others may not thrive until provided with high humidity, either naturally or artificially.
In the case of pothos, the humidity requirements vary from moderate to high. If kept in or around low humidity for long, the leaves will start drooping or crisp and ultimately die.
Therefore, for constant blooming and rapid growth, ensure at least 70% humidity around pothos. If it’s raining outside, you can open the window and let the plant enjoy!
No light means no growth!
Survival and growth are two different things! While pothos needs low light for the former, low light isn’t something of any use for the latter to happen.
A proper balance of light, natural or artificial, is necessary for pothos to flourish.
Hence, if your plant isn’t getting the required amount of bright “filtered” (through a sheer curtain) light, you won’t experience any growth in its height no matter what.
The pot isn’t providing enough space for the plant to grow at its pace.
It is the most common and visible cause of poor or no growth of the pothos plant. If you have planted your pothos in a pot smaller than its size, it’ll indeed cause a hindrance in its growth.
As a result, you’ll notice the roots tangling among themselves and the rest of the body crumbling around the pot. As a solution, you should repot the plant in another bigger pot.
Check the soil
Is the soil full of nutrients? Is the soil too poor in draining water? In the context of soil, these are two critical things to ponder.
The absence of any of these isn’t suitable for any plant and can cause poor or no growth. While choosing the soil, first check whether it’s rich in the essential nutrients listed above or not.
It will determine whether you’d need additional fertilizer or not. Secondly, check whether the drainage system is apt or not.
If not, you’ll regularly encounter too damp (if water retention is more than enough) or too dry (if water retention is poor). As a thumb rule, the soil must absorb the required amount of water and drain the unnecessary amount.
Repotting it again and again
Are you repotting a plant again and again? If yes, you are doing more harm to the plant than good.
It is because when repotted, the plant takes some time to get used to the new soil. As a result, the plant will have stunted growth for the initial time before pacing up the things.
Due to these reasons, you may not experience a modest growth of your pothos plant.
Conclusion
Pothos grow rapidly if provided with all the conditions like temperature, water, soil, nutrition, light, etc.
However, your pothos may still be deprived of their optimal growth, the reasons for which you can understand from above. Nonetheless, it comes back to you, and you’ll have to ensure the plant grows as it should.