Pothos plants are one of the most popular houseplants. They are easy to grow and can thrive and grow large as long as the environmental conditions are right.
Giant Pothos plants exist. For pothos to grow into giants, the right conditions must be provided. Pothos plants need bright, indirect sunlight for 12-14 hours per day, and balanced water to grow into giants. The plant eventually gets to such a size that it has to be supported by a trellis or stake for better growth.
This article will explain how you can produce giant pothos by outlining the ideal conditions you can provide for your pothos plants to flourish with large foliage.
How to Grow Giant Pothos Effectively?
Growing giant pothos plants is easy when you know what to do. You need to give the right conditions to the pothos plant to make them grow into giants.
In this section of the article, how to grow giant pothos effectively has been discussed.
Follow the tips below on growing giant pothos by providing them with the right conditions.
Let’s look at these tips:
Choose from Variety
There are many different varieties of the pothos plant and few can actually produce large stems and leaves.
Since you need to grow giant pothos, choose that variety of plant that naturally produces giant leaves.
For example, golden pothos is one such cultivar of the plant produces large leaves.
The golden pothos produce a much larger plant than what is commonly grown.
Choose a Location for Growing Giant Pothos
The foremost thing to do is to choose a location. Giant Pothos can be grown in a pot or on the ground.
All you have to do is fill a pot with well-drained soil that does not contain fertilizer or compost.
Alternatively, if you are growing in the ground, check the soil texture and ensure that the soil in which giant pothos is grown is well-drained and is rich in nutrients.
Giant Pothos require moist soil and should not be watered from above, as this could cause fungal diseases on their leaves and stems.
Using Propagation Technique
Generally, if you cut the variegated pothos and propagate them, the resultant plant will carry the same color on the leaves.
In the same manner, if you take a cutting off of a giant pothos leaf and propagate it, then the resultant plant will have all the characteristics of the parent plant.
This ultimately means you will get a giant pothos plant with bigger leaves.
Lighting
Giant Pothos plants grow best when they are exposed to bright, indirect sunlight for 12-14 hours per day. They should be kept out of direct sunlight.
Keep it in an area where it will receive bright indirect light but not direct sunlight so it does not dry out or become too hot.
The best area to grow a large pothos is by placing it in an east-facing window or door.
Watering
Giant Pothos should be watered and misted with a spray bottle only when approximately 40% of the top layer of the soil is dry.
You can check the quality of the soil by placing your fingers in the soil. If it’s dry, water it.
For the new ones, water it four times a day, and for the established ones, water it twice a day. Giant Pothos mainly faces two issues related to watering.
The first is underwatering, and the second is overwatering. Underwatering causes stunted growth in the plant.
Dry soil can cause a negative impact on foliage’s growth and affect the entire health of the plants.
Overwatering causes root rot and droopy foliage. Hence, to bring the plant back to normal, it is necessary to have a sound drainage system to avoid building up salt in the pots or ground.
Using Fertilizers
Fertilize your plant every two weeks with a liquid fertilizer diluted to half strength, using a dropper or syringe to apply the fertilizer directly on the plant leaves rather than the soil where it will be washed away too quickly by watering or misting.
You should try feeding pothos with water-soluble fertilizer by spraying on the stems to encourage the aerial growth of the plants that cling to the pole.
Make the Plant Climb
There’s a big secret to growing giant pothos plants. The secret is to make the pothos plant climb. You can purchase a stake, pole, support, or trellis to let the plant climb.
You can also use plant supports such as moss poles which can also be kept moist so the plant will not go without water for long periods.
By climbing, the plant receives more indirect sunlight, which helps it to produce giant foliage by gaining more nutrients from the sun.
Providing constant support to the plant is necessary to ensure that you get a giant pothos plant.
Nothing can stop you from having a giant pothos plant if the above things are taken care of. Put in some effort and see the result yourself!
Can a Golden Pothos Grow Giant
The Golden pothos is a vine-like plant with heart-shaped leaves. It is known for its beautiful golden leaves and vines.
The Golden Pothos is a tropical plant that can grow up to 10 feet tall. The plant is very easy to grow.
This question is one of the most popular among plant lovers. The answer is yes; golden pothos can grow into giant pothos.
Golden Pothos can grow into a giant plant with the right conditions and sunlight. When you have to make sure that your Golden Pothos will grow into a giant, you need to:
- Water it regularly and keep the soil moist.
- Give it enough sunlight.
- Keep your Golden Pothos in an area with a consistent temperature.
Provide the right conditions for the golden pothos to grow giant. Enough Light and water plays a significant role.
Apart from that, try making golden pothos climb through trees, sticks, etc. Climbing of the pothos plant helps in growing the pothos plant to grow to a large state.
Golden Pothos Vs. Hawaiian Pothos
Golden Pothos and Hawaiian Pothos are closely related to each other. However, a few differences set them apart from each other.
In the early stages of the plant’s growth, it may be a little challenging to figure out the exact plant, but as it matures, some visible differences will make it easier to figure it out.
This section of the article discusses a few pointers on how golden pothos differ from Hawaiian pothos. But before we move ahead, let us briefly see the comparison between the two through a table.
| Characteristics | Golden Pothos | Hawaiian Pothos |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Epipremnum Aureum | Epipremnum Aureum ‘Hawaiian’ |
| Leaf Appearance | Heart-Shaped Pointed Leaves Develop Fenestration | Heart-Shaped Leaves with Pointed Tips |
| Leaf Colour | Green with Yellow Flecks | Green with Creamy Yellow and White Flecks |
| Texture | Glossy | Bright |
| Sun Exposure | Bright, Indirect Light (Thrives Best in Shade) | Bright, Indirect light |
| Lighting Tolerance | Low-Light Tolerance | Medium-Bright Light Tolerance |
Having understood the comparison, let us look at the specific differences that would help you figure out both the plants.
Both the plants have a subtle difference in their appearance. The shape, color, and size of the plants differ. Let us look at how a leaf’s shape, color, and size can determine the difference between the two.
Leaf Shape
The first factor of difference between Golden Pothos and Hawaiian Pothos is the difference in the shape of their leaves. Usually, all pothos plants are heart-shaped with rounded tips.
However, Hawaiian Pothos are rounded more than the Golden Pothos from the tip. Alone, leaf shape cannot help determine the kind of plant. Other factors such as leaf color and size also help alongside. Let’s discuss them!
Leaf Color
The second factor is the color of the leaves of the plant. The color of the leaves of Golden Pothos is green with yellow flecks on it. Golden Pothos, as the name suggests, has flecks of golden variation.
On the contrary, the color of the leaves of Hawaiian pothos is green with creamy light yellow flecks. Sometimes, the color can change to white as well. If more light is given to Hawaiian pothos, they can turn golden yellow.
But the variegation of Hawaiian pothos will remain less intense and lighter than the golden pothos. Therefore, in this way, by looking at the leaves, you can quickly know which plant it is.
Leaf Size
Leaf size is the third and last vital factor that helps determine which plant it is. The factors like leaf color and shape play a secondary role in differentiating between the two plants.
But the leaf size will play a primary role in differentiating between these two pothos. Hawaiian pothos leaves grow larger and much more prominent than the golden pothos leaves.
The leaves of pothos are usually bigger than the size of your hand. The only condition is that Hawaiian pothos should get enough light to grow big. Otherwise, the leaves cannot grow to their full potential.
Golden pothos remains relatively small indoors. Hence, the size of its leaves also remains smaller than the Hawaiian pothos. But the size of the leaves must be checked once the plants are matured.
When they are at a maturing stage, the growth difference in both plants is almost negligible. You may find difficulty in differentiating based on its leaf size. Because then only you will figure out the difference.
These were the significant differences or factors that can help differentiate between the Hawaiian pothos and Golden pothos.
Another vital thing to note is that golden pothos is not a rare plant. You can find them easily as they are common plants.
However, as compared to golden pothos, Hawaiian pothos are slightly challenging to find, but they are not categorized as incredibly rare.
It’s just that they are slightly tougher to find because of the similar appearance of both the plants in the early stages of growth.
The Takeaway
Many consider giant pothos plants to be a myth. However, it is not a myth. Giant pothos plants exist. It is possible to grow giant pothos plants by giving them the right environment for them to grow giant.
Provide your pothos plant with as much sunlight and balanced water. Also, ensure to make it stand through any concrete wall, trellis, tree, or stake for better and healthy growth.
Take care of everything discussed in this article, and you are closer to getting your giant pothos plant.
