Encouraging New Pothos Vines – How To Make Pothos Fuller

Those of us who keep houseplants usually have a pothos ivy in our collection, and often we have several of the low maintenance beauties. If you’ve added a new one recently, you may be looking for ways to make pothos fuller. Often, the newer plants have lots of long shoots with most of the leaves on them.

Growing New Pothos Vines

One way to make foliage grow in the pot is to clip the plant stems under a node to push growing energy to the nodes above. Let a leaf or two remain on what you’ve cut off. New pothos vines will sprout and eventually become longer shoots. If you continue the clipping process your pothos will grow more foliage from each node, but you must allow time for growth.

In the meantime, you can attempt a few other ways to prune and display pothos to make it more attractive. First, plant the stems you’ve removed. Repot the plant if that is on the agenda soon. Plant cuttings in bare areas of the container. Just put some rooting hormone on the cut ends and using a chopstick, push holes into the soil. Stick the cuttings into the holes and firm them up with the soil.

To turn your pothos into a bushier plant, provide it with the right care. Since pothos does not like direct sunlight, it may be hanging in a shady corner. To encourage growth overall, and from the nodes especially, locate it near a bright area in indirect sun. 

Stimulating growth on your pothos propagation is encouraged by fertilization. While feeding is not always necessary with this plant, houseplant food will help the plant grow and fill out more quickly. You can mix compost or fish emulsion in the soil. Use pelleted fertilizer or mix liquid houseplant food at half strength. 

Water before using liquid fertilizer to avoid burning the plant. Drench the plant when you water, then allow it to dry out. Check the soil a couple inches (5 cm.) down to make sure it is dry before watering again.

Getting Pothos to Branch

Cuttings may be rooted in water before planting. Some are more comfortable rooting cuttings in this manner and like to watch the roots develop. Plant water rooted cuttings into the soil before the roots are 3 inches (8 cm.).

Take cuttings from hanging stems if you like. This will provide another hanging strand lower on the plant and also provide cuttings for propagation. You are likely to have the pothos plant for years, as they rarely die off, so you will have many chances to clip and propagate shoots as it grows out.