Temperature
60–85°F
Keep away from winter window glass and heating vents.
Pothos
Epipremnum aureum
Pothos wants bright indirect light and water every 7 to 14 days, once top 1-2 inches dry. Toxic to cats, dogs, and humans.
Light
Bright indirect
LowMediumBright indirectDirect
Tolerates low light, but golden variegation fades toward plain green. Buy the solid green form for dark rooms.
Water
Every 7–14 days
Baseline for a 6-inch pot indoors. Check first: water when top 1-2 inches dry, not on a schedule.
Humidity
40% and up
Fine in normal household air. Prefers 60%.
Difficulty
Easy
Scores 1 of 5: Droops visibly when thirsty and recovers within hours. Tells you what it needs.
Habit
Trailing
Grows to 72–240 inches. No support needed.
Toxic to cats, dogs, and humans — poison severity medium
Contains insoluble calcium oxalates. Reported signs include oral irritation, intense burning of mouth and tongue, excessive drooling.
If a pet has chewed a leaf, rinse the mouth with water and call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.
Full detail for cats → Full detail for dogs →
What each authority says 2 sources concur
- ASPCA
- Toxic to cats and dogs · insoluble calcium oxalates
- NC State Extension
- Poison severity: Medium · Calcium oxalate crystals · Oral irritation, pain and swelling of mouth, tongue, and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting (not horses), difficulty swallowing, skin irritation, diarrhea
Light
Bright indirect light. Tolerates low light, but golden variegation fades toward plain green. Buy the solid green form for dark rooms.
Water
Every 7 to 14 days in a 6-inch pot, when top 1-2 inches dry.
Treat the interval as a starting point and the test as the actual instruction. Pot size, light level and season all move the number.
| Method | top-water until draining |
|---|---|
| Test before watering | top 1-2 inches dry |
Soil and potting
Standard potting mix with one part perlite added.
Repot roughly every 2 years, or when roots come through the drainage holes and water runs straight through without absorbing.
Common problems
Ranked by how often each turns out to be the cause for this species. Each links to a diagnosis page with the causes ranked for this species.
- Yellow leaves this week
- Brown crispy edges monitor
- Leggy growth monitor
- Root rot act today
Pest and disease guidance for this species consulted at the Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, checked 2026-09-11.
Pests
Recorded for this species. Each links to identification and treatment.
- Mealybugs this week
- Spider mites act today
- Scale insects this week
Propagation
Node cutting in water or soil. Roots in 10 to 21 days.
A cutting without a node will not root. It may stay green in water for months and never produce a single root, because it has no growth point.
| Preferred method | node cutting |
|---|---|
| Medium | water, soil |
| Time to root | 10–21 days |
| Node required | Yes |
| Best season | Any time of year |
Sources
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control — Epipremnum aureum Checked 2026-09-11.
- North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — Epipremnum aureum Checked 2026-09-11.
- Wikidata entity Q161809 — taxonomy and entity identity.
- Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Plants of the World Online — Epipremnum aureum Accepted name; family Araceae. Checked 2026-09-11.
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder — Epipremnum aureum Pest and disease guidance. Checked 2026-09-11.
- Photograph: Joydeep, Wikimedia Commons , CC BY-SA 3.0.
Compiled and edited by Tony Valcarcel · 2026-09-02
Tony Valcarcel is the editor and publisher of this database, not a horticulturist
or a veterinarian. Every fact above is drawn from the sources listed, and
toxicity severity is reported only where one of them stated it.
How this is sourced.
Last updated 2026-09-02