Gadenin日本語Get the appGo by room temperature, not the calendar
An indoor plant does not experience the seasons directly, it experiences your room. A heated flat and an unheated one need completely different care in the same week of the year, so use the temperature as the switch.
| Room temperature | The plant | What to change |
|---|---|---|
| Above 77F (25C) | New leaves opening steadily | Water fully, keep feeding and pruning |
| About 68F (20C) | Growing slowly | Water when the surface dries. Feed monthly |
| About 59F (15C) | Growth stops | Double the interval, stop feeding |
| Below 50F (10C) | Leaves droop and lose color | Keep it nearly dry and move it away from the glass |
Measure at the height of the pot, not where you are standing. A pot on the floor can be several degrees colder than the room.
Spring, as it starts moving
Growth restarts as the room warms and the light improves. Bring the watering back to normal only once you can see new growth, not on a date.
Late spring is when to do everything that disturbs the plant: repotting, cutting back and taking cuttings all belong here, and feeding restarts at the same point.
If the first new shoots of spring come out thin and stretched, that is a light problem. Choose a brighter position now rather than waiting.
Summer
This is when it grows fastest and uses the most water. Check more often, and be prepared to water as soon as it dries rather than on a fixed day.
Keep it out of direct summer sun, especially through a west facing window, where the light and the heat together will scorch leaves in an afternoon.
Autumn, and not leaving the switch too late
As the light weakens, move the plant closer to the window and start stretching the watering interval. Both changes should happen before the room actually gets cold.
Stop feeding well before growth stops. Fertilizer left in the compost through a winter of no growth builds up and damages roots.
Overwintering
Pothos is a tropical plant and does not tolerate cold. Below about 50F (10C) it stops entirely and the leaves lose color, and near freezing it will not survive.
In winter, keep it away from cold glass at night and out of the direct blast of a heater by day. Water rarely, do not feed, and do not prune or repot. The aim is to hold it until spring, not to grow it.
The most common winter mistake is trying to make up for lost growth by feeding. On a plant that is not growing, fertilizer only damages the roots. Wait until spring.