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Vining plants, also known as climbers or creepers, are a versatile addition to any garden or indoor space. These plants grow long stems that can climb structures, trail along the ground, or become more compact and bushy with proper pruning. Whether indoors or out, vining plants use supports like trellises, moss poles, or even tree branches in their natural habitat to thrive, thanks to their unique growth mechanisms such as tendrils, aerial roots, or twining stems. Perfect for adding vertical interest, vining plants are typically easy to care for. They flourish with moderate to bright indirect light, need watering when the top layer of their well-draining soil dries out, and benefit from feeding during the growing season.

Author

Denine Walters

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Date

August 1, 2024

Category

Health and wellness

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Immunity, Lifestyle, Longevity

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Help! Why Isn’t My Pothos Vining? Common Issues & Solutions

Immunity, Lifestyle, Longevity

Page Author

Author

Denine Walters

August 1, 2024

Denine Walters

When I began my vining indoor garden, I didn’t know as much as my dad had, and it took me some time to get the low-down on how to get those lush vines that are so stunning. My first vining plant was a gorgeous pothos, but it only made a nice-looking bush and no vines. I kept wondering, “Why isn’t my pothos vining?”

In my quest to get those lovely devil’s ivy locks that I wanted to trellis across my walls, I soon learned what possible reasons could make my pothos not vine, such as being rootbound or incorrect watering.

Read on; I have the inside scoop on what could stop your pothos from vining and the potential solutions to help cultivate that display of green vines you’re looking for.

A close-up of a Golden Pothos plant with variegated leaves. The leaves are heart-shaped and have shades of green and yellow. The plant is growing in a hanging basket and appears to be healthy and well-maintained.

Photo by Denine

Quick Vining Fixes for Pothos

Regarding my plant care, I love having a quick reference or checklist to help me determine what could be ailing my plants. I created a checklist for my pothos plants, specifically targeted at what could stop them from vining. After all, I had struggled so much in the beginning, and I wanted to make sure I never had vining woes again.

A few culprits could lead to your pothos not vining or producing weak and leggy vines that aren’t at all the lush trails you want. Here are the usual suspects:

Vining Culprit

How to Check (Check for)

Insufficient light

Darkened leaves and a lack of vines are noticed in low-light areas.

Under or overwatering

Yellowed leaves, leggy growth, clumpy soil.

Incorrect soil

Stagnation in growth or wet clogged soil.

Inadequate fertilizer

Poor growth or chemical burns on stems.

Insufficient humidity

Dull leaves and dry edges of leaves.

Temperature

Cold weather: Small, shriveled leaves.

Excess heat: Dry and crusty leaves.

Pests

Mites, aphids, spider mites, and mealy bugs.

Lack of support

Breaking vines and leaves that lay on the ground.

Understanding Pothos Vining Behavior

Pothos are tropical plants that vine along the ground or up into trees in their natural habitat. For pothos to grow and vine successfully, their basic needs must be met.

The pothos plant needs sufficient light, water, nutrients, and heat to grow lush enough to vine. When healthy and able to produce the energy to grow, a pothos should grow an average of 12 inches a month.

It's usual for pothos plants, regardless of the type, to grow long trails, which usually grow toward the light. When pothos don't meet enough basic needs, they develop a brush or bush, not forming trails. During the resting season, your pothos will also grow minimally. The pothos grows optimally from April to the Fall in the Northern Hemisphere.

Pothos plants vine long trails that can be shaped or trained along guides or supports, often creating a green curtain when anchored to a wall. Alternatively, I like to place my pothos on shelves, with green trails hanging or in baskets to trail in a green shower from the main bush.

A close-up of a Scindapsus Pictus Trebie plant. The plant has large, heart-shaped leaves with a deep green color and irregular, silvery-white markings. The leaves have a glossy texture and are arranged in a cascading pattern.

Pothos Vines Troubleshooting: Common Issues and Solutions

When your pothos plant isn't vining, there are usually a few common issues at fault, and the solutions are not nearly as complicated as you may believe. If my quick checklist didn't answer your pothos' vining questions, this in-depth look will help you create the ideal vining conditions.

Resting Season

You may have just gotten your pothos plant, but it doesn't seem to grow and is undoubtedly not vining. Chances are it's currently the resting season for your pothos.

Inadequate Light

Are your pothos leaves small and dark, and the vines weak? Your problem is a lack of light. Pothos plants like bright but indirect or filtered light, similar to their native environment in tropical jungles.

How to Fix Inadequate Light for Your Pothos?

The best solution is to move your pothos plant to an area with more light. However, do not place it in bright, direct sunlight, as the leaves will quickly scorch.

If you're unsure whether the light is bright enough, use an illumination meter to tell you how bright the light is in the spot where your pothos plant is standing. Pothos plants require 2,000 - 3,000 lumens of light to grow effectively.

If you don't have enough light in your home, consider adding a grow light to supplement the natural lighting where your pothos is placed. Pothos prefer east-facing windows, and when you make a change, do so gradually so your pothos can adapt to the increased light.

Improper Watering

When your pothos is leggy or sad with yellow leaves, it can be a sign that your watering routine isn't working. Pothos like well-draining soil, with watering as and when needed. If you tend to overwater, use a mister to spray the plant, like natural rain.

How to Water Your Pothos?

Check whether your pothos needs watering. Don’t simply water because your other plants are watered on a particular day.

I test plant dryness by inserting a finger into the soil near the stems. I water my plant if the first layer of soil up to my second knuckle is dry.

If you want to go high-tech, invest in a portable hygrometer, which you can set to tell you when to water your pothos.

Nutrient Deficiency

Despite light and watering being correct, Pothos plants that don't seem to grow well often need some nutrient boosting. You won't enjoy any vines without your pothos having the food and energy to grow.

How to Fertilize Your Pothos?

Pothos plants love eating. Nope, not like the plant in The Little House of Horrors (you're safe, Seymour). But they like a good dose of slow-release granular fertilizer in spring (which you can also combine with repotting as needed).

Add a small amount (half dose) of liquid plant fertilizer every 4-6 weeks to further boost your pothos, especially when it is vining extensively. It’s essential to keep track of when you provide fertilizer so you don’t give too often or not enough.

Pot Size and Root Health

If your pothos is in a pot that's too small, it will become rootbound, which means it can't absorb nutrients or water effectively. This will lead to stunted growth and poor vining.

How to Ensure Pot Size and Root Health for Your Pothos?

I check my pothos plants each year at the beginning of spring to ascertain whether their pots are still large enough for the growing season. A simple inspection, which involves checking the soil near the roots and around the plant and sticking my finger into the soil as far as I can, tells me whether the plant has overgrown the available space.

A rootbound plant will soon have crushed and rotting roots, and the water will not drain well.

In spring, I repot my overgrown pothos plants by choosing a pot two inches larger than the current one, ensuring sufficient drainage, and adding coarse gravel at the bottom for better drainage.

Next, I fill the pot one-third of the way with a suitable potting mix. I make my mix using 40% perlite, 20% orchid bark, 30% coco coir, and 10% worm compost. You can also use an orchid potting mix and add about 20% more perlite for a nice loose mix.

Disinfect a sharp garden knife and remove the pothos from its old pot. Shake off any remaining soil, disentangle the roots slightly, and, if necessary, cut about 25% of the bottom unhealthy roots. Now, place your pothos into the new pot, fill it with potting mix, and gently pat it around the stems.

Reinsert your trellis spikes or growing posts and secure them until they have settled and can support the pothos and its vines. Water well, then leave to drain before continuing with your regular watering routine.

I like to write the date at the bottom of the pot, which tells me how long my pothos have been there.

Temperature and Humidity

Pothos prefer warmer, somewhat humid conditions. Remember, these plants vine into large trees in the tropics. Test the humidity in the area where your pothos plants are with a hygrometer or spray water on a tray and wait to see how quickly it evaporates. High humidity means the water should take longer to evaporate.

How to Provide the Correct Temperature and Humidity for Your Pothos?

The hygrometer should indicate a humidity level of 60% to 70%, which is ideal for your pothos. If the air is too dry, your pothos will dry out, sapping its energy and preventing vining.

Place a tray of pebbles filled with water beneath your pothos plant to improve humidity. The water will evaporate and increase the relative humidity. Increase indoor heating in your pothos' space to ensure a temperature of 70-90 ℉, encouraging vining.

Pruning and Training

It may seem counter-intuitive, but a good pruning session can help your pothos vine better. And while you may want to leave vines to grow long before training them on bamboo trellises and hooks along your wall, your pothos will vine better when you help it carry a load of vines from the start.

How to Prune and Train Your Pothos?

When pruning your pothos plant, identify dying or dead leaves or stems. Leaving these on the plant will sap energy that could be used to grow vines. Cut leaves below the leafy node, and if your plant has only one long vine, prune the top of it, which will stop further growth on that vine and encourage the formation of new vines.

Always cut diagonally using sterilized shears to avoid bacterial or fungal infections. I like adding the old leaves and cuttings to a compost heap and recycling these as fertilizer for my pothos.

When training your pothos vines, it’s essential to prevent them from lying on soil or hanging on the ground, as this could encourage rotting. When the vines form, I use organic string to tie the vine to a trellis or growth wire. Tying to the very tip isn’t a great idea, so I tie it by the second or third leafy node, as this is a thicker area and won’t break as easily.

A pothos that has no vining support is unlikely to vine or will grow leggy vines with few leaves. So ensure the vining support is there before you start training vines. It's like the plant knows that the support is there, so it shows up to do what's required.

Avoid an ugly tall trellis with a small plant using modular trellises that expand as needed.

As your pothos vines develop, you can use multiple supports to train your pothos into something special.

Pest Infestation

Pothos plants have juice stems and leaf nodes, favorite hiding places for plant lice and other pesky critters. Pests can cause a loss of energy and essential nutrients, slowing growth. Damaged leaves can also become rotten, so inspecting the plant for pests is vital.

How to Rid Your Pothos of Pests?

Inspect the underside of leaves, around the stems, and inside the leafy nodes for lumps, black dots, or dust, which can all indicate pest infestation. If many pothos leaves are lying around the base of the plant, this can be a favorite hiding space for bugs.

If your plant has a sudden leaf fall, leaves become yellow or speckled, or there are patches of slime on the leaves, it can all point to insect damage. White fuzz and thin webs on the plant can also indicate that bugs have made their home in your prized pothos.

To treat:

1. Isolate your pothos to prevent spreading to other house plants.

2. Small plants can be submerged in water for at least 30 minutes, drowning the bugs before drying the plant. Applying rubbing alcohol on the leaves may also scare the bugs away.

If that doesn’t work, spray your plant with water and organic neem oil. If you can’t find neem oil, use water and a teaspoon of insecticidal soap.

3. Let your pothos rest for a few days, then reinspect for more bugs. Repeat step 2 as needed, letting the plant dry and soil to drain well between treatments.

In extreme cases, it may be necessary to repot your pothos to remove any potential eggs from the potting mix.

Lack of Rotation

I once had a pothos that vined only on one side, creating leggy vines that didn't look nice. This is usually a case of insufficient plant rotation.

How to Fix Rotation Issues for Your Pothos?

Your pothos should ideally get light from all sides for even growth as the vines grow toward the light. A simple solution is to rotate your pothos at least once a week, allowing all sides equal access to light. Plant rotation is a basic principle I now apply to all my indoor plants.

If the pothos is too large to rotate, use indoor grow lights to help distribute light to the areas that face away from natural light.

FAQs

How do I get my pothos to start vining?

If your pothos isn't vining, check whether you are meeting its basic needs of light, nourishment, water, and heat. Next, check for bugs, provide a suitable climbing structure for vines, and ensure the plant has sufficient space to grow.

Can I use supports to help my pothos vine?

Pothos plants don’t grow climbing vines, so you must add supports like trellises, bamboo cane, moss poles, or anchors to help the vines grow upward. Ensure you use soft ties to secure the vines to the support structures.

How long does it take for a pothos to start vining?

Pothos plants naturally grow by as much as 12 inches a month. If it's not winter, your pothos should form a significant vine within the first two to three months. If it's still not vining, check whether the plant is healthy and has all growth needs met.

Pothos Vining Success Stories

Over the last few years, I've grown an indoor vining garden that my dad would be proud of. My pothos vines are lush and have healthy leaves, and I've created a lovely display with various trellises and supports.

As a responsible plant parent, I ensure the basics, such as water, light, fertilizer, space, and climbing supports, are met. My pothos plants reward me with long trailing and climbing vines that my friends can't stop discussing, and I like adding their comments with plant tags.

Have you figured out how to make your pothos vine now?

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Author

Denine Walters

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