Pothos yellowing many leaves at a time!

Plant Parent

I must start off with thanking you for the amazing job you’re doing! I’ve read your book and am so thankful for all the wonderful information you’ve shared.

I’m writing to you today about my Pothos which I’ve had for more than 2 years now. It’s my oldest plant since I moved to Canada and so is very dear to me. A few months ago I moved it from the top of the fireplace to the bottom and since a few weeks I’ve been seeing some of the older leaves go yellow and then brown.

It has a view of the window and is not exposed to direct sunlight. I check the soil and water it when I find it to be completely dry. I follow your advise of poking with a chopstick and watering in a circular motion. I water till I see water overflowing in the plate below.

It’s still producing new leaves but I recently saw a brown spot on the edge of one of the new leaves and am worried. Am I doing something wrong? Please help!

Darryl

I’m glad you enjoyed my book! Thank you!

What kind of fertilizer have you been using? Have you ever repotted the plant in the past two years? Where is this brown spot you mentioned? Please let me know and I’ll do my best to help!

Plant Parent

I have not used fertilizer on any of my plants yet. Is that why it could be happening? I repotted the plant in October from a smaller pot. I’ve attached a photo of the leaf with the brown spot..the spot is on the edge of the leaf.

Darryl

I wouldn’t be concerned with little blemishes like that. What is more concerning is having never used fertilizer at all. New soil often comes with a little bit of nutrients but as the plant keeps growing, the soil nutrients become depleted. Watering also washes away a small amount of nutrients.

I would also adjust your watering strategy to “water when partially dry” as opposed to “water when completely dry”. Sometimes when pothos roots get totally dry, they get damaged and the corresponding leaves dry up.

Overall your plant is looking good.

Plant Parent

Thank you so much for the info Darryl. Really appreciate how generous you are with your knowledge and time. Keep up the good work!

Tired of your houseplants dying on you?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *