Learn How to Make Pothos Grow Fuller from the Base with easy care steps and make this houseplant look bushier with simple tricks.
Pothos plants are very popular houseplants because of their shiny leaves and trailing vines. They are easy to care for and can be grown in many ways, like in hanging baskets, on tables, or in vertical gardens. These tropical plants make any room feel fresh and green. However, sometimes a pothos can start to appear thin or weak. The good news is, with a few easy tips you can learn How to Make Pothos Grow Fuller from the Base.
How to Make Pothos Grow Fuller from the Base
1. Propagate Pothos
Propagating your pothos is a quick and easy way to make it look fuller. You can plant the new cuttings back into the same pot as the main plant. The best time to do this is in spring or summer.
Take stem cuttings and remove the leaves from the bottom half. Place the cuttings in water and keep them in a spot with bright, indirect light. In a few weeks, small roots will grow from the nodes. When the roots are 2 to 3 inches long, plant the cuttings in soil. They’ll grow into full, healthy vines.
2. Provide Sufficient Light
Making sure your pothos gets enough light is an easy way to help it grow thick and healthy. Without good light, the plant grows slowly and may make smaller leaves to save energy.
If your pothos already looks thin or leggy, moving it to a brighter spot won’t fix the old growth, but it will help new growth come in stronger. Try to give your plant several hours of bright, indirect light each day. Pothos can live in low light, but they grow much fuller with more light. If your home doesn’t get enough sunlight, you can use a grow light instead.
3. Prune the Plant
Regular pruning helps your plant look neat and encourages it to grow more. The best time to prune is during spring or summer when the plant is actively growing. Avoid pruning in fall or winter, as the plant grows more slowly then.
Use clean, sharp scissors or pruning shears, and don’t cut off more than one-third of the plant at once. A bonus of pruning is that you can use the cuttings to grow new pothos plants, which also helps make your plant look fuller.
4. Go for the Basketing Method
The basketing method is an easy way to help your pothos grow fuller. To do this, gently wrap the long vines around the top of the soil in the pot. Make sure the little bumps on the stems, called nodes, are touching the soil. These nodes will grow roots and new leaves over time.
To keep the vines in place, you can use floral wire or a bent paperclip to pin them down so they stay in contact with the soil.
5. Use Moss Pole
Adding a moss pole to your pothos pot helps it grow bigger leaves and look fuller. You can buy a moss pole or make one at home. Place the pole in the pot and gently tie the vines to it using twist ties or zip ties. After a few months, the plant will start to climb the pole on its own.
Keep the moss pole slightly damp to help the plant stick to it and grow upward.
6. Feed Right
To help your pothos grow more leaves, you can add compost on top of the soil or use a liquid seaweed mix once or twice a month. If you’re using solid fertilizer, sprinkle the right amount on the soil and gently mix it in with a small tool.
A fertilizer with more nitrogen works best for leafy growth. If using liquid fertilizer, choose an all-purpose kind and use only half the recommended amount every 4 to 6 weeks.
The best time to feed your pothos is in spring and summer when it’s growing. Don’t fertilize in fall and winter when growth slows down.
7. Water Adequately
Water your pothos when the top 1 to 2 inches of soil feels dry. While it can handle a little dryness, the leaves may get damaged if it’s not watered enough. Try to water it regularly, especially in spring and summer when it grows the most. Using a self-watering pot or water globes can help keep the soil moist and make watering easier.
8. Keep an Eye on the Temperature
Pothos grows best in temperatures between 70 and 90°F, with steady conditions. It can handle temperatures as low as 65°F, but it grows better and looks healthier in warmer weather.
Never let your pothos get colder than 50°F, as this can kill the plant. Also, don’t place it in a hot spot with direct sunlight, like a sunny window, because too much heat can burn the leaves.
