The Ultimate Guide to Growing and Caring for Pothos Pole Plants
Pothos are among the best houseplants you can buy. They’re easy to cultivate, and their vivid green leaves can add a touch of whimsy to even the most dire of domiciles. Plus, they don’t take a lot of effort to maintain, which makes Pothos a great plant for beginner (and more advanced) plant parents alike. Another great way to grow your pothos is by training it to climb a pole. Not only does this add height and visual interest to your indoor garden, but it also helps the climbing plant stay healthy by forcing it to grow as it would in the wild.
Let’s get going with this encyclopaedic guide about how to care for and cultivate a pothos pole plant. You’ll learn everything about what kind of pole to get, followed by advice on how to take care of this plant so it continues to thrive in your home.
Understanding Pothos Plants
One of my favourite house plants is scientifically known as Epipremnum aureum, commonly known as pothos, ivy-arum or Devil’s Ivy – the specific reflecting its fondness for both shade and sun, and its tendency to survive neglect. Sometimes referred to as money plant or golden pothos, this native tropical forest plant from the far east of Southeast Asia sports oval, broadly heart-shaped leaves. Varieties vary in shade from deep green to a variegated green-white or variegated green-yellow or green-light green.
Pothos is an epiphyte, a plant that naturally grows on trees or other building structures in its native habitats, attaching itself with aerial roots that the plant employs for climbing. Being trained on poles and given a vertical surface to ascend is a perfect match for pothos, enabling it to reach its greatest potential.
Why Grow Pothos on a Pole?
There are a few reasons why pothos are great to grow on a pole, firstly it looks visually appealing to have the vines climb, but it’s also suited to the pothos natural instinct of climbing plants. Here is why you should grow your pothos up a pole:
Healthy Growth: climbing pole conditions and trainingPothos actually grows faster and produces larger leaves if they have something to climb. By adding a lattice or pole you are replicating the host tree in their native habitat, which allows them to grow bigger and stronger than plants without support.
Space Conservation: Pot it up if your floor space is limited, and train your pothos to climb instead of letting it drip. The visual effect of that dense foliage is still there without taking up valuable floor space.
Aesthetic Value: Pothos pole plants bring dramatic vertical shapes into a room, with their large vining leaves flowing downward.
Improved Air Circulation: This allows better airflow around the leaves, reducing the risk of fungal diseases that can appear on the plants when they are crowded.
Easier to Mainetain; Pothos with poles grown are easy to maintain , can be cut on poles and does not spread as in naked in a pot.
Choosing the Right Pole for Your Pothos
When it comes to making a pothos pole plant, selecting an appropriate pole is the first step. There are some popular types of poles for this kind of use. They are all good options in their way but with their own considerations.
1. Moss Poles
Pothos are most often grown on moss poles, which are sphagnum moss wound around a sturdy base, such as a wooden dowel or PVC pipe. Moss is a natural, moisture-retentive surface that pothos can easily grip with their aerial roots. Plus, the pole provides moisture and humidity for the plant.
2. Coir Poles
Coir poles also make a good choice. These are made of coconut fibre (coir) wound around a structure: it’s rough enough for the plants to grasp it. It’s also long-lasting and hard-wearing. And it’s sustainable, renewable and eco-friendly.
3. Wooden Stakes
Or you could go back to minimalist basics with simple wooden stakes or dowels (these won’t retain moisture as effectively as moss or coir poles, but are easy to find and can be quite inexpensive). If you go with wooden stakes, be sure to monitor plant moisture needs more closely.
4. DIY Poles
Be creative! Make your own pole out of chicken wire wrapped around a pipe and stuffed with sphagnum moss. DIY poles allow for sizes and shapes to customise your pole and suit your own needs for space and aesthetics.
How to Train Your Pothos to Grow on a Pole
The next step is choosing the right pole and training the pothos to grow up it: 1. Prune the vertical tendril on one side of the pothos. You can do this by either: A. trimming it off:—or— B. breaking it off:2. Bridge the cut by placing the lower stem of a healthy approacher on the empty side.3. Tie the approacher to the pothos with twine or tape.4. Watch the pothos grow up the stem.5. Repeat with another pothos.6. Repeat with another pothos.7. Observe delightful IT clusters.8. Observe thriving neighbourhoods.9. Witness harmony.
1. Prepare the Pole
Ensure that the pole is sturdy in the correct location within the pot before you begin planting. If you are using a raw moss pole or coir pole, make sure it is fully soaked for several hours before inserting into the pot. This will give it a good, long start in retaining moisture and support aerial roots to climb and take hold.
2. Repotting Your Pothos
If your pothos is already in a pot, you may need to repot it into a larger container to make a place for the pole. A pot that is two to three inches wider than the current pot should do the trick. Fill the potting medium all the way to the base of the pole with a well-draining mix for houseplants, like peat moss, perlite and vermiculite.
3. Position the Plant
Insert the pole in the centre or back of your pot, depending on where you want it to be a featured display – for example, in the centre will keep the plant in the centre, while at the back allows more of the pot to be visible. Encourage the pothos to grow around the pole by carefully wrapping the vines around the pole, starting from the bottom of the plant, using soft plant ties or twine to anchor and connect the stems to the pole without damaging them. As the plant grows, periodically replant and wrap the vines further up the pole to encourage it to grow upwards towards the light.
4. Watering and Humidity
Pothos like to be on the drier side, so water them when the top inch of the soil feels dry to the touch. If you’re using a moss or coir pole, you can mist the pole every few weeks to keep it a bit moist, which will cause the aerial roots to grab hold more. Keeping the humidity around the plant modest will also encourage growth: if the air in your house is dry, you can place a humidifier near it or keep a tray of water nearby.
5. Light Requirements
Pothos plants are a forgiving hanging plant that do well in multiple lighting situations, though they excel in bright indirect light. Direct sunlight can burn the leaves, while lack of light can lead to stretching and paleness, with the variegation turning almost entirely green. An area near an east or north-facing window will give you the best success. If you feel that your pothos pole plant is not getting enough light, add a grow light.
6. Fertilizing
If you want your pothos pole plant to stay green and healthy, feed it every 4-6 weeks during the growing season (spring and summer) with a balanced, water-soluble fertiliser, applied at half strength to reduce the risk of leaf burn from over-fertilisation. During the plant’s winter dormant period, feed it every few months (once every two to three months).
7. Pruning and Maintenance
Pruning is needed on a regular basis to keep pothos pole plants looking good and healthy. Any leaves that turn yellow or are damaged should be removed. The vines can also become too long and straggly to look good so cut these back as needed. Pruning can also help to make the plant look more bushy to improve aesthetics. Any pieces you cut off of the plant can be propagated in water or soil to make more plants or fill in any bare areas established on the pole.