Question
I have had a pothos for over four years. It is seven seprate clusters of vines in a 14" pot. It stretches about 12' in different directions across the ceiling (I want to keep it away for the cats). The pot is located in a southern window. I now keep the soil moist. I used to let it dry then water from the bottom.  Should it be trimed? I use fertilizer spikes every 2 months. It keeps losing leaves. It is a big beautiful plant but some of the vines only have leaves at the pot and last three feet of grouth.

Answer
Hi Rick,

Yes, your Pothos should be pruned back. I will explain why.

New growth on Pothos vines is always at the ends. Eventually, very long vines max-out in terms of their ability to support additional leaves. At that point, they start to shed older leaves in order to be able to continue to grow new leaves at the ends. In time, you end up with long, bare vines with leaves only at the ends.

The remedy is to make the ends of the vines closer to the pot. This us done by pruning back very long bare stems to within 3 - 6 inches of the soil. New growth will then start to grow just below where you made the pruning cut.

You can prune back all of your elongated vines at the same time or you can do one every month or so. Either way you will eventually have a much shorter, but more compact plant with no bare stems.

The cuttings can be rooted in water and later added to the original plant.

A 14" pot is very large for a Pothos. You have to be very careful not to water too frequently because the excess soil in a large pot tends to retain moisture around the roots for a very long time. The risk is root rot, which is fatal. I also think it is better to water from the top, if possible.

The fertilizer spikes are not helping and can create hot spots in the soil that may damage the roots. I suggest that you stop using them.

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

You can E-mail me directly at: [email protected]

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