Golden Pothos (epipremnum aureum): Plant Care and Growing Guide – House Plants Expert

The golden pothos is also known in Britain as the devils ivy. It’s a popular climbing species that grows well indoors with the correct care given. The golden pothos houseplant is easy to grow like many of the pothos cultivars, has variegated foliage, is low maintenance, and is right at home on a shelf or hanging basket.

This lush variegated vine does well in most environments, offering growers a chance to enjoy the plant almost anywhere in the world and in any room in your house.

Description

This plant is a native of Australia, Indonesia, China, Japan, and India. Despite its already wide natural range, it has been imported to locations all over the globe. Although it does wonderfully as a house plant, growing it outdoors is illegal in some states, as it has been declared an invasive species.

Among the common names for Epipremnum aureum are Golden Pothos, Devil’s Ivy, Money Plant, Silver Vine, and many others. When growing in the wild, this plant attaches itself to other items through aerial roots. It then sends shoots of stems down until it reaches the soil beneath it, where the stems themselves take root and begin to grow across the ground. In the wild, this plant will grow up to 66 feet tall.

How it looks: The beauty of this plant is in its leaves. Each arrow-shaped leaf will alternate location with the leaves around it. These heart-shaped leaves will grow up to 39 inches long (100 cm) and 18 inches across (45 cm). Even on juvenile plants, the leaves appear exactly the same as they do on mature plants, only as smaller versions of themselves. This makes this plant beautiful at any age.

The tops of the leaves appear as a blotched marbled yellow and green combination of variegation, with each leaf being unique from the others on the vine. You may pinch off the leaves at the stems in order to shape the plant and control where it grows.

Flowering: Although this plant does occasionally bloom in the wild, cases of blooms when grown indoors are extremely rare. The beauty of this plant is in the leaves, not in the flowers it creates. In the event that your indoor plant begins flowering, you may nip the flowers off below the bud when they are discovered. The flowers are nothing but a waste of energy to this plant.

Poisonous: Every part of this plant is poisonous to domestic animals and pets of all kinds, as well as to humans. The cultivars of pothos are Toxic due to calcium oxalate crystals but are not fatal in small amounts. Children can also be at risk if ingested.

Facts

Golden Pothos Care

Potential Problems

• Yellowing leaves that fall: The likely cause is overwatering, so the remedy is the opposite of what you’ve been doing which is watering much less and keeping to the amount in the care instructions.
• Dry brown leaf tips: You will find the room is too dry. Misting the plant leaves will improve humidity and prevent dryness of the leaves.
• Stems rotting: The cause here can either be a drop in temperatures or over-watering. If the leaves have become limp I would suggest it could be a cold temperature drop rather than over-watering. The plant will now need treatment to save it and check for root rot.

Elyssa Goins

Elyssa Goins is an experienced house plant hobbyist who maintains over a hundred plants. She is a gardener, beekeeper, and a proud mother of four.  She is a member of the American Horticultural Society, has a published study in the National Social Science Association, and loves to talk about her love of plants.  For the past twenty years, she’s been all about growing and caring for various fruits, veggies, herbs, livestock, kids, and houseplants. Managing a big garden to feed four growing kids and raising dairy goats has taught her so much about being an excellent plant parent and now is her time to share with you.