pothos leaves starting to droop

tryme

New Member
I have no idea why this is happening and my pothos cutting right next to my big pothos is doing REALLY well and producing lost of new growth. What could be the reason the leaves are starting to droop? Some are turning yellow then eventually black/brown and crispy.
 
Sounds like your plant is suffering from root rot, which is common with plants in chameleon cages since they receive tons of water. At this point, it is very hard to save your plant. Root rot is caused by improper drainage. Several people on the forum (including myself) have come up with homemade solutions for allowing proper drainage of plants.
 
I have got rocks in the bottom to help drainage. I try not to water it to much. Is there a way I can tell if the roots are rotting?
 
I'm not sure how much experience you have with pothos but I think your advice is wrong, sorry. The roots seem fine to me and I found this piece of information from this website: http://gardening.about.com/od/specifichouseplants/p/Pothos.htm

Water: Pothos like to have their soil dry out completely between waterings. If left continually in damp soil, the roots will rot. Let the plant tell you when to water. When it starts to droop, it needs a good drink. Don’t wait until the leaves start to shrivel or you will lose some leaves. Unlike the general rule of watering deeply and infrequently, I have found my pothos grow best if I give them a splash of water whenever they start to droop.

I personally think my pothos may be root bound or not had enough water. If the roots are starting to come out of the bottom of the soil is it time for a larger pot?
 
I personally think my pothos may be root bound or not had enough water. If the roots are starting to come out of the bottom of the soil is it time for a larger pot?

Yes probably. Soil is possible nutrient deficient (i never fertilise) I fix this issue by simply
replacing the soil with fresh organic soil and you can trim back the roots and repot in the same pot.
water contanstantly covering leaves (dripper all day) can have an effect (leaves breath)
also proximity to heat and brightness or lack of lighting are other possible issues.

I find replenishing nutrients by replacing soil and root trimming gives a big boost! :)

P.S. when trimming roots, remove any damaged leaves aswell, this means the plant will better cope while regrowing roots (less froilege to support).
 
Yes probably. Soil is possible nutrient deficient (i never fertilise) I fix this issue by simply
replacing the soil with fresh organic soil and you can trim back the roots and repot in the same pot.
water contanstantly covering leaves (dripper all day) can have an effect (leaves breath)
also proximity to heat and brightness or lack of lighting are other possible issues.

I find replenishing nutrients by replacing soil and root trimming gives a big boost! :)

P.S. when trimming roots, remove any damaged leaves aswell, this means the plant will better cope while regrowing roots (less froilege to support).

give it loads of water and then it should be better in a few days!:)
 
I'm sorry I just made the assumption that you were watering your plants :D, which is why I thought it was root rot.
 
I got rid of the old soil repotted it same pot an trimmed the roots down. I used top soil so should be ok now hopefully :)
 
Alright, I didnt read the read of the posts past the first 3..So sorry if someone already said this.

Root rot will smell horrendous..like duh, something rotting..and thats from water retention. I notced that my pothos prefers it to ALMOST get dry before watering..not desert dry but where the top 2 inches are dry. I also noticed that my pothos takes off if its int he darker part of the cage. They are LOW light plants and a lot of light doesnt do it for them so just try moving it to a lesser lighted area. If that doesnt work, cut off what you can, reroot, and try again. I also use organic compost from my worm farm which keeps it pretty moist most the time..(hubby says Im the creepiest lady he knows with worms and roaches. LOL). I know most people dont have this, but it really does help keep it the right moisture for the environment. I have a large pothos in the middle of the pygmy cage and HAD a smaller one in the frog tank but took that out to use for the new pygms as they will soon be hatching. (i hope!)
 
Well i've repotted in the same pot but with new topsoil. Gave it a lil water to keep it a bit moist. I also trimmed the roots back and removed dead/dying leaves so hopefully it will perk up a bit.
 
My pothos still doesn't appear to be recovering. How long approx will it take before it starts showing signs of "comming back to life"
 
start some new cuttings from the big healthy plant.
Just snip, put stems in water, place in semibright location like a north-east facing window (not direct hot sunlight), and wait. Once well rooted, transfer to a moist earth pot if you wish. Keep it moist but not wet. The water roots have to change over to soil roots, so give it time. Once its roots are set, its a pretty hardy plant (flood and drought tolerant).
 
I have no idea why this is happening and my pothos cutting right next to my big pothos is doing REALLY well and producing lost of new growth. What could be the reason the leaves are starting to droop? Some are turning yellow then eventually black/brown and crispy.

Are you housing your Pothos indoors or out? They're pretty much an indoor plant and can't tolerate full exposure to sunlight.
 
Are you housing your Pothos indoors or out? They're pretty much an indoor plant and can't tolerate full exposure to sunlight.

True, they do not tolerate direct sun. But they certainly can be outdoor plants. Pothos is native to tropical regions of Southeast Asia, specifically Malaysia. If you live in a similar warm (65 to 85F), humid climate, you should have no trouble growing them outdoors. Even where I live I have them outside in pots hanging from/under trees in Summer.

If too much direct sunlight on the leaves and they will gradually become a pale washed out green color. In too little light, the new growth leaves will be very small and the stems thin and weak. If a Pothos receives too little water, the leaves will wilt and become weak. Some of the older leaves will turn bright yellow. If the soil is kept too moist, the roots will rot and cause the leaves to wilt because there is no way for the plant to absorb the moisture in the soil. With overwaterng, the leaves turn a dull, pale color. It takes awhile for this to happen. They are quite forgiving. They prefer water that is not too hard. If you have hard tap water, maybe collect some rain water for them. Note: Pothos LIKE to be quite potbound - 75% roots and 25% soil is fine!
 
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