Question
My name is Leslie Patterson and I am a freshman at Cedar Park High School, in Cedar Park, Texas. I am currently taking a Pre-AP biology course and am doing a semester project titled "What are the effects of electromagnets on plants?". I have nine Golden Pothos plants; three growing naturally, three growing near a weaker electromagnet, and three growing near a stronger electromagnet. I have been watering the Pothos plants when the soil seems dry and they are growing near a window with the blinds halfway closed. They are a few (maybe 5-6) inches tall currently and are being watered with regular tap water (unsoftened). I have a few questions about growing Pothos plants.

1)Under what amount of light do Pothos plants grow best?

2)What region are Pothos plants native to?

3)Do Pothos plants grow better under natural or artificial light?

4)Should any important factors or fertilizers be added to the soil to enhance the growth of the Pothos plant?

5)Do Pothos plants grow better indoors or outside?

6)How much water should a Pothos plant recieve and how often?

7)How large and how fast should a Pothos plant grow?

8)Since Pothos plants are perennial, do they grow as well during the winter as they do during the summer?

9)What is the best temperature to grow Pothos plants in?

10)Does pot size affect the growth of a Pothos plant? If so, how large should the pot be?

11)If a Pothos plant were to recieve too much or too little sunlight, what visible effects would show up?

12)If a Pothos plant were to recieve too much or too little water, what visible effects would show up?

13)Can Pothos plants be grown close together?

14)Should Pothos plants be watered with spring water, natural water, tap water (etc.)?

15)What effects do you think an electromagnetic field might have on plant growth and condition?

Answer
Hi Leslie,
Thanx for your question.  My expertise is mainly in seed propagation and perennials, not particularly house plants but I do know a little bit about this one so I will answer what I know.

1.  Pothos tolerate a variety of different lights from direct sunlight to partial shade.  In my experience they seem to do best in partial shade.

2.  Pothos originally came from the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific and are often mistakenly called philodendron.

3.  Pothos grow well indoors and make a great plant but like most plants will flourish outdoors with direct sun to partial shade.  If your climate is very hot, too many hours of direct sunlight could be fatal.

4.  Pothos do not require any special soil treatments and often do well in the poor soils of the tropics.

5.  I lived in Hawaii for 2 years and they would climb the top of a tree.  Their leaves get larger and split as they grow.

6.  Water when the top of the soil begins to dry out but don't let the soil get soggy.

7.  I've seen Pothos grow longer than 20 feet.

8.  Most tropical plants will become semi dormant during the winter time.  There will be minimal growth until the sun becomes stronger.

9.  75 degrees

10.  I've seen very long plants growing out of a smallish pot.  I think as long as they get decent light, water and an occasional feeding of a balanced indoor plant fertilizer say 12-12-12, it doesn't matter how long as long as it is an average sized pot.  Doesn't need to be a great big pot.

11.  The leaves will yellow at the ends and begin to curl.  In too much heat, the plant will begin to shrivel.

12.  Same as above except with too much water you would notice rotting where the stem meets the soggy soil and turn black.

13.  Yes.

14.  They can be watered with any kind of water but many people who love indoor plants use rain water or cheap spring water because city water often has a lot of chemicals in it and can be very hard (alkaline).  Pothos prefers its soil to be a bit on the acidic side (under a pH of 7.0).

15.  I have no idea what effects an electromagnetic field might have on plant growth.  There was controversy about electromagnetic effects on humans who lived near high voltage wires.  Nothings substantive has been proven as yet to my knowledge.

I hope this helps.
Tom