Do you know one of the most essential steps to make a Pothos fuller is to prune them in time?
Read to discover the best hacks to make your Pothos enjoy fuller growth without much hassle.
Table of Contents Show
How Big Do Pothos Plants Grow?
Pothos can grow over 60 feet in their natural habitat and have a growth rate of 12 inches annually.
Meanwhile, outdoor Pothos can grow 20 feet tall, but indoor Pothos can only grow up to 6-10 feet long with 3-6 feet spread.
Likewise, the heart-shaped leaves of Pothos can get 4-8 inches long with a width of 6-8 inches under optimal care.
In addition to the Pothos species, the size of the Pothos depends on how proficient primary care they receive.
Do You Know?
The size of Pothos also depends on the nature of its growth habit, as Pothos are naturally high-climbing hemi-epiphytes and thrive best if grown as an epiphytic plant.
Thus, aim for the Pothos variety that is comparatively big and master the art of judicial pruning to make them fuller.
A Pothos survives for 5-10 years in the wild and grows continuously until the plant begins to fade.
However, juvenile Pothos are small and not bushy but gradually become fuller with age.
How To Make Pothos Fuller?
The juvenile Pothos are small and not bushy but gradually become fuller with age.
However, if the plant misses proper care, it might grow slowly and appear thin with leggy, sparse growth.
1. Regular Correct Pruning
Prompt pruning of the leggy, damaged, or unhealthy foliage is the most effective way to make Pothos fuller.
As Pothos are fast growers, they require proper tidying up once or twice a month in spring or summer.
The climbing vines will grow sparse, leggy, thin foliage when Pothos are left without pruning.
- Carefully inspect and look for damaged, discolored or dead foliage to prune.
- Make a clean cut one-fourth inch above each leaf node on the vine using sterilized pruners.
- Cut off leafless vines or irregular stems heading downwards close to the plant crown.
- Save the healthier stems for propagation purposes.
Remember, pruning over one-third of the plant can cause heavy stress.
Note: Refrain from pruning Pothos in winter or fall as the plants are dormant and will not put out new growth.
2. Enough Light
Pothos are tropical plants that grow under the canopy of other tall tree species. Hence, they get diffused sunlight throughout the day.
Pothos thrives with 6-12 hours of bright indirect sunlight from the curtained east-facing windows.
The plant detests direct sunlight and often suffers from brown and yellow leaves due to dehydration.
Meanwhile, Pothos exhibit sparse, thin foliage with slow, stunted growth in less light.
Thus, aim to place Pothos in an east window ensuring 1-2 hours of direct morning glow.
Alternatively, use artificial lights to meet the Pothos light requirements in winter.
3. Fertilizing Pothos
To make Pothos fuller, give them a little push via fertilizer application once or twice a month.
It is one of the easiest ways to fix a leggy Pothos plant and make it more bushy.
Nitrous fertilizer is best suited for better foliage growth, but you can also use all-purpose balanced ones.
Alternatively, you can resort to slow-release fertilizer every 3 months.
Hence, avoid winter feeding to avert overfertilization issues like yellow leaves in Pothos.
4. Ideal Watering
Pathos is a water-sensitive plant, so it is essential to water the plant properly to make them fuller.
Overwatering and underwatering harm the plant and can result in long-term problems.
Thus, always allow the top 1-2 inches of soil to dry out before watering the Pothos in the growing season.
Moreover, you can also check the water content in the soil using a moisture meter.
Remember!
Underwatered Pothos often have curling leaves with brown edges, while overwatered plants have squishy vines with rotten roots.
A wrong watering schedule can stunt your Pothos, making it unable to grow fuller.
5. Right Temperature & Humidity
Being a tropical plant, Pothos thrives well in warmer temperatures of 65-85°F and humidity over 60%.
To make Pothos bushier and fuller, avoid sudden temperature fluctuation and drops below 60°F.
Likewise, do not expose Pothos to consistently low (<40%) or too high humidity levels as it negatively influences growth.
Thus, to get a fuller Pothos plant, leverage a humidity tray or group your Pothos with other houseplants.
Furthermore, incorporate your Pothos in a bright kitchen or bathroom for the dappled warmth of the morning sun.
6. Staking for Vine Support
With proper staking, you can support the climbing vines of Pothos and encourage greater foliage growth in the vines.
Generally, use moss poles to make Pothos grow fuller and climb higher.
Owing to their growth habit, all Pothos need to climb. Letting your Pothos hang or trail will lead to barren stems, smaller leaves, and vaster internodes.
Staking prevents the weaker stems from breaking or dropping and encourages robust vine growth, making Pothos fuller in the long haul.
7. Group Planting
Another fast approach for making Pothos fuller is planting two or more plants in a single pot.
While planting two or three plants makes Pothos look bushier, it also facilitates a natural humidity boost.
Do You Know?
Some of the plants you can incorporate besides the same Pothos variety to grow in one pot are Spider Plant, Snake Plant, Butterfly Palm, and Plumosa Fern.
Alternatively, plant healthy stem cutting from pruning in the same pot or clip the leaf node underneath the soil.
As multiple Pothos grow together in a container, they look bushier and fuller.
8. Correct Soil Mix
Pothos thrives well in light, well-draining, nutrient-rich, soil-free potting mix with a 6.1-6.8 pH.
Prepare an ideal soil for Pothos by mixing peat moss or coco coir, organic perlite, sand, and shredded bark on a ratio of 4:2:1:1.
Otherwise, rely on commercial products from online stores to buy organic sterilized soil mix with average water retention.
Furthermore, aim for a right-sized terracotta container that facilitates proper drainage via multiple drain holes.
From Editorial Team
Proper Pruning Does Not Harm Pothos!
Careful pruning or snipping off fewer new growths in the active growing season encourages better foliage growth and does not damage parts.
While pinching back growths, ensure to pinch off the growths above the leaf node as new branching sprouts out from the leaf node.
