How to Care for Neon Pothos?
This trailing pothos with glowing, neon green leaves, adds that touch of vibrancy to your houseplant collection that you didn’t know you needed.
The neon pothos does not require too much attention, nor is it fussy about being grown indoors.
Follow my neon pothos plant care guide to ensure your plant stays vibrant and healthy all year round.
Size & Growth
If your pothos comes from the garden center, it’s probably potted in a small grow pot that is somewhere around 4 or 6 inches.
Given enough time and care, your trailing neon pothos will outgrow its current pot and the trails can reach up to 6 feet in length.
When they’re still smaller, they look great in tabletop grow pots, but as they start to trail, it’s best to move them to a hanging basket, so they can live up to their full potential.
Light Requirements
The neon pothos will thrive in light conditions that are above moderate. Bright, indirect light is their ideal environment. In low light conditions, the plant will survive, only its leaves will lose their vibrancy.
Avoid direct light exposure as well since strong sun exposure will burn the leaves. Given the delicate leaves, do keep the plant away from windows that get a lot of direct sunlight.
Watering
There are a few different approaches to watering the neon pothos, and the one that works for me is to water the soil until water starts to trickle out of the draining holes, allow excess water to drain, then wait for the soil to dry out slightly before watering again.
In my area, this means watering once every 6 to 7 days. But this can be different based on the temperature and humidity levels in your home or area.
Wherever you’re located, focus on watering only when the soil starts to dry. Make sure the pot has holes on the bottom to allow excess water to get out and don’t panic when you miss a watering. Pothos are resilient and they’ll bounce back.
Soil Type
Pothos aren’t particular about their soil type, yet I make it a point to use nutritious soil that offers good drainage. A peat based houseplant mix will offer these qualities and ensure that your neon pothos stays healthy.
Temperature & Humidity
Warmth and high humidity are what your neon pothos enjoys best. Temperatures should be in the 70-90 F range, which is easily attainable indoors. Humidity, on the other hand, can be a bit tricky, but you can make some adjustments.
You can keep your pothos in the kitchen or bathroom, where it’s naturally more humid, or create some more humidity by misting the plant or straight up involving the use of a humidifier, if needed.
If you notice brown leaf tips on your pothos, it may be caused by the air being too dry for your plant. Increase humidity levels, either by misting, moving the plant to a more humid location or using a tray of pebbles with water and allowing your potted plant to sit on top of the pebbles.
Fertilizing
In no way are pothos plants heavy feeders, so fertilizing isn’t really a necessity, especially if the soil mix that you’ve picked for them is highly nutritious.
That said, you can help along the plant to grow better and stay healthy by adding a bit of houseplant fertilizer every 2-3 months during the growing season. Alternatively, adding a light layer of compost to the soil in the spring, will enhance its growth.
Potting & Repotting
Pothos plants are known for their medium to high growth rate, so sooner or later you will find yourself needing to repot your plant.
Normally, these plants will come in growing pots of 4 or 6 inches and you’ll need to move up to 8 or 10-inch pots. Once the plant starts trailing, a hanging basket will be your best choice.
Here are my repotting tips for a quick and easy transfer without any stress:
- Water a few days before repotting, this will make it easier to remove and lessens the stress to the plant
- Repot every 2-3 years to accommodate the roots
- Repot in spring or summer, or even a month and a half before the cold sets in; don’t repot in winter, that’s when the plant is resting
- Always use a pot with holes at the bottom
- Use a well nourished and well draining potting mix
Repotting every 2-3 years will make sure that roots aren’t too crowded and that the soil is replenished with nutrients needed for your neon pothos to thrive.
How to Propagate Neon Pothos?
Neon pothos are just as easy to propagate as other pothos varieties. It can be done from stem cuttings. Here’s how to do it:
- Pick stem cuttings that have leaves on them
- Cut the bottom leaves to reveal the leaf nodes and make sure the stem cutting still have 2-3 remaining leaves
- Root in water or potting medium
- When rooted in water, make sure that the bottom leaf nodes are under water and leaves stay above the water
- Replace the water often (every 2 days or so)
- Transfer stem cuttings to a pot as soon as the emerging roots are about an inch long
- Keep cuttings in a warm location, out of direct sunlight
This is how most pothos are propagated and the success rate is usually quite high, so you don’t really need to worry about failure rates. If you’re still worried, propagate multiple stem cuttings at once.
Wrapping Up
Neon pothos is one of the most vibrant pothos varieties. It’s just as easy-going as other pothos plants and does best if kept in optimal conditions.
As a trailing plant, you can grow your pothos in hanging baskets and allow it to grow freely or prune it back when it gets too much for you to handle. Either way, the resilient house plant will prove a great addition to your existing collection of plants.
Make sure it gets enough warmth, light and humidity, so you can enjoy a healthy plant all year round.