Mention Pothos varieties, and we picture a trailing, climbing, rambling vine on grandma’s windowsill. She called these house plants Silver Vine, Money Plant, Devil’s Ivy, and more.
While the Pothos plant can climb and trail great distances, it doesn’t have to be that way. Training your Pothos to behave like a civilized, respectable, bushy houseplant is possible. Let’s look at – How to get Pothos to grow fuller.
How To Make A Pothos Fuller
In this article, we share care tips on how to keep Pothos bushy, fuller, and more attractive.
The tips below also apply to Scindapsus Pictus (Satin Pothos).
#1 For A Bushy Pothos, Prune Your Plant Frequently
Pothos is a rapid grower, so you must be an excellent pruner. Doing so will make pothos bushier.
Examine your plant daily, and pinch back errant tendrils as they appear.
When you water your plant (once or twice a month), give it a good going-over.
Trim back dead leaves and long stems that may have developed since the last watering.
#2 Prune Your Pothos Correctly
Make clean cuts to stems. Trim just before a leaf node, or cut the stem all the way back to the surface of the soil. You can use healthy cuttings to propagate more Pothos plants.
#3 Use Well-Maintained Tools
Always use a sharp, clean pruning tool to avoid damaging your plant and spreading disease. After you’re done pruning the plant, clean your knife, scissors, or pruner blades with rubbing alcohol.
#4 Keep Your Pothos Healthy And Strong
These rugged plants don’t need a lot of fertilizer. When you perform regular pruning, you are spurring the plant to produce more new leaves. This takes a little extra nutrition.
Feed your Pothos a good quality, balanced, diluted liquid fertilizer once a month. A 50% dilution should be perfect.
#5 Provide Enough Light
Insufficient light is the primary cause of Pothos plants becoming leggy. “How To Make Devil’s Ivy bushier?” you may ask.
The answer is simple: provide the plant with bright, indirect sunlight. This kind of lighting fosters denser growth, thus making your Devil’s Ivy bushier.
Choosing the right setting can be a bit of a balancing act. Variegated Pothos will lose their variegation if they have low light conditions.
Place solid green Pothos a few feet away from south or west-facing windows with a source of light. You can use artificial lights if you don’t have access to natural light.
Make sure to avoid direct sunlight, as this can cause leaves to curl and wilt. Variegated plants do better if placed several feet away from north or east-facing windows that have plenty of indirect light.
#6 Water Right
Here’s another method on how to make pothos bushier. Use the soak-and-dry watering method.
Give your plants a thorough, occasional drink. Pour water through the soil until it runs through the drainage holes.
Adjust your watering schedule. Do not water again until the soil is dry. This method ensures that your plant gets enough to drink and does not develop root rot.
Mix the necessary amount of fertilizer with water in a watering can when using a liquid fertilizer. Then, pour the solution into the pot as if you’re watering the plant. If liquid fertilizer is not available, compost is a good alternative.
The best time to fertilize your Pothos is during spring and summer when it is actively growing.
Tips on:
#7 Provide Consistent Warmth
Pothos are tropical plants and enjoy consistent temperatures between 65° – 85° degrees Fahrenheit.
Temperature spikes cause stress and interfere with healthy growth.
#8 Don’t Overcrowd
Crowded plants will not grow consistently. They will be flat on one side and overgrown on another due to the need to compete for light.
Your plants need room to grow on all sides. Turn them on a regular basis, a quarter turn every week to make sure they receive even light on all sides.
Diligent Care Brings The Best Results, Making Pothos Fuller
If you neglect your Pothos, it will become gangly and unruly.
It is a good idea to prune Pothos. Regular pruning helps:
- Redirect its new growth, keeps it under control, and makes Pothos bushier.
- Smart pruning improves the plant’s structure.
- Pruning removes diseased or dead foliage and stems before they can cause problems.
- Removing unwanted growth opens up the plant and makes room for newer, healthier growth.
Pothos will tolerate heavy pruning. If your plant is full of long, thin vines due to neglect, give it a heavy pruning. Pothos naturally exhibit rapid growth.
Pinch the plant’s tips back between regular pruning to promote branching at stem ends.
Follow these tips and simple principles to create a fuller, bushier Pothos plant.
Using a trellis and planting a few cuttings around the bottom is also a good decision. You can stake your Pothos using a bamboo cane, a moss pole, a trellis, or something else that’s similar. Training it to climb up a stake or trellis may improve appearance.