Golden pothos can be encouraged to grow bright, golden leaves with a few easy tips. Bright, filtered light for at least 4 hours per day, regular fertilizer in the growing season and regular watering without making the soil soggy. Pruning pothos can help to encourage new leaves and remove long trailing stems that are heading off in the wrong direction.
This article will explore my top 7 tips for making your golden pothos more golden. These are easy tips that can tip the balance for your plant and help you to grow bright leaves.
1. Choose a bright plant to start with
The best thing to do to get a bright golden plant is to choose one that is naturally golden to start with. I have always found it easier to keep a naturally golden plant to stay bright than to turn a green plant golden. If you are choosing a new plant, choose one that is as golden as possible.
Each stem or plant that is growing will have its own level of natural variegation. Each cutting will be more or less golden naturally so if you are aiming for a bright plant, choose one that starts that way.
2. Bright light for at least 4 hours
Good lighting is second most important aspect to encourage a bright golden color on your pothos. Golden pothos like bright, filtered light, avoid direct sun and this will help your plant to grow large healthy leaves. These leaves will photosynthesize well and will develop brighter, gold leaves.
3. Fertilizer
Fertilizer is important to encourage large healthy leaves which will develop a natural golden color. I like to give my golden pothos a dose of slow release indoor plant food at the start of spring and fall. This will slowly release nutrients over a 6 month period.
You can also give your pothos a small boost of nutrient with a dilute amount of liquid plant fertilizer once per month in the growing seasons of spring and early summer. This will encourage rapid leaf growth and larger, more golden leaves.
4. Regular but limited water
Getting the water balance right is important to encourage your pothos to grow large, golden leaves. Pothos like moisture but too much water can damage the plant and slow growth. Adjust your watering to suit the season starting with once or twice per week in the warmest months, reducing to once every 2-3 weeks in the cooler months.
Check that the soil has started to dry out before watering again and avoid leaving your pot sitting in a tray of water. I like to take the pot out and water it outside as often as I can to allow the water to drain out.
Spray the leaves with a hose outside to remove any dust and improve photosynthesis.
5. Give it a climbing pole
Allowing your golden pothos to grow up a climbing pole is a great way to encourage golden leaves. This will help it to reach up, grow higher and collect more sunlight. This will help the plant to photosynthesize and create food more efficiently in its leaves and growing brighter, golden leaves.
6. Good soil
Planting your pothos in good quality soil is also key to golden leaves. To grow large, bright leaves the plant needs to have a strong and healthy root system. Good quality, potting soil that drains well and includes a slow release fertilizer is very important to encourage healthy root and stem growth.
From this basis the plant can absorb nutrients, grow large healthy leaves that collect sunlight, photosynthesize and turn bright yellow and golden.
7. Prune pothos regularly
Pruning your pothos plant is a great way to encourage more leaves with that golden color. Pruning encourages new growth, dense bushy habit and more leaves. When you trim a stem the plant will send out new stems from the cut point or from the center of the plant.
You can trim off any long stems that are growing into dark spots or wind them around a grow pole to help them to reach more sunlight. Remember that sunlight is key to more variegation.
Choosing the best pothos for golden leaves
When you are choosing your new pothos plant and want one that has bright, golden leaves it is always best to pick the most golden plant you can. Take the time to search through the plants available and choose one that is naturally more golden.
Often plants in nurseries are grown from stem cuttings so each stem will have different genetic tendencies to be more or less golden. Choosing a plant that is naturally gold will make it easier in the long term to keep it that color.
How to take bright golden pothos cuttings
You can propagate pothos easily at home by taking stem cuttings. When I want a very golden pothos I will take a cutting from the brightest part of the plant. Choose a piece of stem with lots of variegation and trim it just below the leaf join or below an aerial root.
You can then put the stem in a jar of water and allow the roots to grow. Place the jar near a window that gets bright light to keep the stem healthy as the roots grow.
I find that it can take anywhere from 4-6 weeks for the plant to grow enough roots to be ready to be planted into soil. Look for lots of white roots growing from the base of the stem at least 2-3 inches long.
7 Steps to make your golden pothos more golden | Summary
Golden pothos are easy to grow if you get the balance of water, fertilizer and light right. I have always found that a bright position is the most important factor to encourage your pothos to grow golden leaves. You can trim it regularly to grow a dense plant or wind the leaves up a grow pole to make your own indoor tree.
Happy growing.
I am an accredited practicing dietitian, experienced gardener and a dedicated cook. I love writing and sharing my experience so you can learn from my successes and mistakes.