How To Prune Pothos For A Bigger, Bushier Plant

Prune Pothos For A Fuller, More Fabulous Plant

Pothos is an attractive and low-maintenance vining plant, traits that make it exceptionally popular as a houseplant. It comes in different varieties with glossy, heart-shaped leaves that can be green to gold or variegated. As a houseplant it’s forgiving and easy to care for, and knowing how to prune pothos ensures you maintain it as a healthy, attractive, and full houseplant.

Benefits of Pruning Pothos

There are many good reasons to prune a vining plant like pothos. Regular trimming keeps these plants healthy. It also allows you to control their shape and growth habit. Pothos can become leggy, especially during winter, as the vines grow long and spindly in an attempt to reach weak, low light.

By pruning your pothos regularly, you can maintain a reasonable size, create a bushier growth habit, or encourage new growth. You can let some vines grow very long while trimming back others for a fuller appearance.

Best Time to Prune Pothos

You can perform light maintenance pruning on pothos any time of year. The best time for more heavy trimming is during the growing season, from spring to early fall. This gives the plant time to produce new growth. If you prune it heavily during the winter, it will take longer to regrow.

How to Prune Pothos

Pruning any plant can seem intimidating or overwhelming the first time, but trimming pothos is really very simple. Once you understand how and where to cut pothos vines, it’s easy to prune it to get the desired shape and size.

How to Trim Pothos Back

If you have a large pothos that is getting out of control, trimming it back is a good way to manage the size and shape. Make cuts with a clean, sharp pair of scissors or pruning shears. Cut vines just above a node, the point at which leaves emerge. New growth will appear at these nodes after you make the cut.

To manage a large pothos, you can trim each vine back as much or as little as you want as long as the cut is above a node, and you leave at least one pair of leaves. You can cut a vine back as much as two inches (5 cm) from the soil surface and still get new growth.

How to Make Pothos Fuller

Leggy growth is common in pothos plants that haven’t been trimmed in a while. This happens as vines grow long and develop leaves only at the ends that are reaching for light. When you cut a vine above a node, two new vines will develop from that spot. This adds to the fullness of the plant. Make strategic cuts to trim back leggy vines and get more fullness wherever you feel the plant needs it.

How Often Should You Prune Pothos?

It’s generally a good idea to trim pothos plants at least once a year. You can also remove leggy vines or any yellowed, dying, or damaged growth at any time of year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where Do You Cut Pothos for Propagation?

You can use your trimmings to propagate new pothos plants. Cut below a node with a leaf, and then cut the top part of the vine off so you have one node on the stem with a leaf or two. Place the cut stem in water and wait for new roots to grow.

How Do You Fix Leggy Pothos?

Cut back leggy vines to encourage additional growth closer to the base of the plant. This will result in fuller growth and less legginess.

See Our Complete Guide to Houseplants