Help With My Pothos

[sirmillardmulch]

I know this is not a "garden" plant but I was wondering if anyone can give me advice with my Pothos. This may sound like a joke, since they say you can't kill these plants... but I must honestly be doing something wrong, because I can't seem to keep Pothos plants alive no matter what I do. My most recent is slowly drooping and thinning out, losing leaves. It's vines are turning a dark color and it is losing its strength and sagging. I have tried more water, less water, more light, less light. This is not the first Pothos it has happened to. I put it out under a light rain the other night, and it seems to have perked up a bit since then, but it is still not as lush and beautiful as when I purchased it. I should have gotten a picture of it when I first brought it home from the garden center at Wal Mart, because it was amazing looking. But now there is considerable drooping and withering. Up until about 2 weeks ago it was steadily losing 4-5 leaves a day, which I found alarming.

I have posted some pictures of it here. Most of its vines near the top were sticking straight up in the air and growing happily when I first purchased it about a month and a half ago. Before I put it out in the rain, it looked seriously depressed. Does it need some sort of suppliment? I am watering it with filtered water from a water machine -- but my old Pothos plants also died from using tap water. The hanging pot is currently a plastic pot with a hole in the bottom to drain excess water.




Thank you,

-Millard.

[Newt]

Hi Millard,

I'm sure the problem is that your pothos is rootbound and needs a 2" larger pot.* That is why is perks up when it's out in the rain.* Generally yellowing leaves with a houseplant mean that a plant is rootbound.* Leaves are expendable to a plant and they will shed the ones they can't support.* You will probably have to tease the roots a bit as they are probably winding around and around in a tight ball.* This is a tough plant, so you can massage the outer layer of roots to loosen them.* Here's how to repot.

http://www.ourgardengang.com/containerpotting.htm
http://www.dirtdoctor.com/view_question.php?id=70

You will also find that pothos do lose their lower leaves as they grow, so your only hope of keeping it full will be to start new plants from cuttings.* I do that with mine every few years to refresh it.* In the wild in the jungle this plant grows as a vine up trees, losing it's lower leaves as it grows.* Don't overwater this plant.* I often remember to water after it's wilted a bit.
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/i...um_aureum.html

Newt