Pothos wants bright indirect light, water when the top two inches of soil are dry, and a pot with a drainage hole. That is most of it. It will forgive a dim hallway and a forgotten week. It is toxic to cats and dogs if chewed, so hang it high in a pet home. It is not a philodendron. Everything below is the detail behind those five sentences.
I killed my first pothos. Not through neglect, which is the thing pothos is supposed to be unkillable against, but through attention: a watering can every Sunday whether it needed it or not. This guide is written for the person about to do that.
Is pothos a philodendron?
No. Pothos is Epipremnum aureum. Philodendron is a different genus. They share Araceae, which is why shops have sold them under the wrong name for decades.
Pothos leaves are thicker and waxier, slightly uneven where the leaf meets the stem, and the petiole has a shallow groove. Philodendron often produces a papery cataphyll with each new leaf; pothos does not. Brown paper husks on the shelf usually mean philodendron.
- Devil's ivy is the same plant.
- Satin pothos is Scindapsus pictus — listed here, not Epipremnum.
- Cebu Blue is Epipremnum pinnatum. Listed, sold out.
How much light does a pothos need?
Bright indirect: east window, or south/west set back a few feet or behind a sheer. Low light keeps it alive and fades variegation; internodes stretch and that stretch does not reverse. Midday sun scorches. If the window is a guess, use the light calculator.
How often do I water a pothos?
Finger to the second knuckle. Dry there, water. Damp, wait. No Sunday calendar. The same plant can want water in six days in a bright July window and twenty in a cool corner. When you water, run it out the drainage hole and empty the saucer.
Thirst: leaves soften and the plant looks deflated, then recovers after a drink. Yellow lower leaves plus wet mix for a week is the other direction. Starting estimate: watering calculator. Then check with a finger.
Soil and pot
Chunky mix, not packed peat. Two parts indoor mix, one part perlite or pumice, one part bark is close enough. Size a batch with the soil recipe calculator. Drainage hole required. Cachepot is fine if the nursery pot sits inside it. Go up about two inches of diameter, not a leap. Terracotta dries faster. Feed half-strength in spring and summer only.
Is pothos toxic to cats and dogs?
Yes. Insoluble calcium oxalate crystals. Chewing usually means oral pain, drool, pawing at the mouth, sometimes vomiting. Call your vet or an animal poison line. Hang it or pick another plant. Pet-safe checker and the Houseplant Guide.
Golden vs Marble Queen vs Neon vs N'Joy
All four are Epipremnum aureum. More white on the leaf means more light to keep the pattern.
- Golden — green with gold streaking; fastest and most forgiving of a mediocre window.
- Marble Queen — heavy cream. Slower. Needs the brightest indirect spot or new leaves green out.
- Neon — solid chartreuse. Dulls toward green in low light.
- N'Joy — crisp white blocks, smaller leaf, compact.
More on the pothos hub.
How do I propagate pothos?
Cut below a node. One or two leaves. Water jar or damp mix. Roots in two to four weeks; pot at about two inches of root. Full steps: how to propagate pothos. Counts: propagation calculator.
Why are my pothos leaves yellow?
Most often wet mix. One old bottom leaf is age. Use the yellow-leaf tool.
Every pothos we have in stock is on the pothos hub. If you are matching a plant to a room, a window, or a cat, start at the Houseplant Guide and work from the conditions you actually have.