Pothos will grow on the side that gets the most sunlight. If your pothos is against a wall it its vines will head out away from the darkness of the wall towards the sunlight. You can even out the growth by rotating the pot so that all sides get the light. Train your plant up a grow pole to grow a dense, bushy plant with even leaf coverage.
This article will explore why pothos will only grow on one side and what you can do to even it up. Pothos are hardy, easy to grow vines and with a few tips you can have a balanced plant with even leaf coverage.
Why pothos will grow on one side (lop sided)
Pothos will grow towards the light so plants that are facing a wall will only grow on the side that gets the light. This means that one half of your plant will grow long vines while on the other side there will not be any vines. For pothos to grow evenly on all sides it needs to be in a position where it gets light from all sides.
This could be in the center of a table or outdoor space. Any time the pot is placed against a wall, the pothos will lean and grow over to one side following the light.
Pothos plants can be rotated to encourage growth on all sides. The vines that are in shade or further from the light can turn a dark green color and lose their variegation.
How to get pothos to grow on all sides – 4 Easy Tips
Here are my easy tips to get pothos to grow evenly on all sides. This means you can have a full, even plant.
1.Trim pothos regularly
To grow a full and bushy plant with leaves that grow evenly it is ideal to trim your pothos. This means you can create shorter vines that grow more densely. You can even plant multiple vines in one pot to grow a dense and healthy plant.
Trim the vines to a short length, as close as 1 foot from the base of the plant.
2. Take cuttings and plug them into the same pot
You can place the cuttings into water and let roots sprout and plant them back into the same pot. This will help to fill out all sides of the plant and help it to grow evenly. I like to plant pothos with 3-4 cuttings but you can plant even more in larger pots.
Train the vines up a grow pole to create vertical height or allow them to flow down the sides of the pot on a pot stand.
2. Find a position that gets light from all sides
The key to growing a pothos plant evenly on all sides is to place it in a position that gets light from all sides. This can mean placing it on a pot stand away from a wall, outdoors or by using a grow light.
Pothos plants grow well with bright, filtered light. If you can find a position that gets even light throughout the day and avoids the direct afternoon sun your pothos will grow evenly on all sides.
Indoor grow lights will make sure the plant has consistent light and can be used on the darker side of the plant near the wall.
3. Rotate the pot
Rotating the pothos pot can help to grow it evenly on all sides. Making sure all sides are exposed to the light regularly will stop one side from becoming overgrown while the other side remains bare. The easiest way to do this is to twist the pot 180 degrees every 4 weeks. This will give both sides exposure to the light.
The direction that the plant grows will be determined by the way the vines fall in many places. I train my vines to grow down the front and sides of a book case. You can even use small, removable hooks to stick to the wall or shelf to hold the vine in place. Look out for picture hooks that come with a removable, sticky backing.
4. Use a grow pole
Another great way to encourage pothos plants to grow evenly is to use a grow pole. You can train the vines up and around a pole so that the leaves cover both sides. This means that you can encourage the plant to grow all over the pole and across each side.
Rotating pot is still important to make sure all of the leaves get equal exposure to light. I find that rotating the pot every 4 weeks is usually enough. If your pothos is growing rapidly however you can rotate it every 2 weeks to get even growth and color across the leaves.
Pothos plants will become more variegated. This means that if you have a marble or snow queen they will become more white and golden pothos will develop more gold or yellow coloring in their leaves.
I like to take cuttings from the most variegated parts of the plant to grow new plants that will continue with these colors.
Pothos Only Growing on One Side | Summary
Pothos will grow on one side if it is placed up against a wall. You can place pothos in an area that gets even light around all sides like the center of a table or rotate it every 4 weeks. Trim pothos regularly to even up the growth of the vines and train it up a grow pole to add extra height.
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.