Golden pothos care in Dubai: watering, light and AC

Golden pothos (Epipremnum aureum) needs water about once a week in a Dubai summer and every 10 to 14 days in winter, bright to medium indirect light, and a pot that drains. Water when the top 3 to 4 cm of soil is dry. It dislikes soggy roots.

Key takeaways

• Water when the top 3 to 4 cm of soil feels dry: roughly weekly in summer, every 10 to 14 days in winter, under AC.
• Bright indirect light keeps the variegation. Deep shade turns leaves plain green and sparse.
• Drooping that perks up after watering means thirst. Yellow leaves with wet soil mean overwatering.
• Dry AC air browns leaf edges. Group plants or use a pebble tray if it bothers you.
• Trim long vines to keep it full, and root the cuttings in water.

Is golden pothos the "money plant"?

In the UAE, many people call pothos a "money plant". The name is also used for other plants, including the ZZ plant and the money tree. If you're sure you want the trailing green and gold vine, golden pothos is the one. Our ZZ plant care guide explains the other plants that get the same name.

How much light does golden pothos need indoors?

Golden pothos copes with a wide range, from bright indirect light to fairly dim corners. The gold-and-green marbling is strongest with bright indirect light, such as a spot near a window that doesn't get hot direct sun. In low light it will survive, but the leaves can go mostly green and the stems grow longer between leaves.

Direct summer sun through glass in Dubai can scorch the leaves, leaving pale, papery patches. A sheer curtain or a position a metre or two back from the window avoids that.

How often should you water golden pothos in a Dubai summer?

Pothos likes the top layer of soil to dry out before it is watered again. In an air-conditioned room in summer, that usually means about once a week. Test with a finger: if the top 3 to 4 cm is dry, water until it drains from the bottom, then empty the saucer.

Leaves that droop and feel soft usually mean the plant is thirsty. They tend to recover within a few hours of watering. Leaves that turn yellow while the soil is still wet are a sign of too much water.

And in winter, from November to March?

Growth slows, so the plant drinks less. Every 10 to 14 days is typical for an air-conditioned room, and longer in a cool room with little light. Keep checking the soil rather than following a fixed day.

What does AC do to pothos?

Air conditioning dries the air, and pothos leaf edges and tips often show it as thin brown, crisp margins. Cold airflow straight from a vent can do the same, along with leaf drop. Hang or place the plant out of the direct stream.

To raise humidity around it:

• Group it with other plants so they share moisture.
• Stand the pot on a tray of pebbles with water below the top of the pebbles, so the pot isn't sitting in water.
• Keep it in a bathroom or kitchen with some natural light if you have one.

Misting gives very short-term moisture and isn't a fix.

What soil, pot and support does pothos need?

Use a regular indoor potting mix with a little perlite for drainage. The pot needs holes. Pothos grows well in hanging baskets, on a shelf where vines trail, or up a moss pole or trellis, where leaves grow larger. Repot every 1 to 2 years, or when roots circle the pot or push out of the drainage holes, into a pot one size up. If you have a large or hard-to-reach plant, our plant repotting service can help.

How big does golden pothos get indoors?

Trailing vines commonly reach 2 to 3 metres or more over several years in a good spot, though you control the length by trimming. On a pole or trellis the leaves grow bigger and the plant stays more upright. You can look at our golden pothos listing for current sizes.

How do you trim and propagate pothos?

Cut a vine just below a node (the small bump where a leaf meets the stem) with clean scissors. Cutting back long, bare vines pushes new growth near the base and makes the plant fuller. Place cuttings with at least one node in a jar of water in bright indirect light. Roots form in a few weeks, and then you can pot them in soil. Change the water every week or two.

Why are my pothos leaves turning yellow, brown or black?

• Yellow leaves with damp soil: overwatering. Let the soil dry more between waterings, and check the roots for brown, mushy parts.
• Yellow older leaves, otherwise healthy plant: normal ageing. Remove them.
• Brown, crispy edges: dry air, a vent, or a build-up of salts. Flush the pot with water now and then, and move it out of the airflow.
• Black, soft stems: root or stem rot from standing water. Cut the healthy ends off and root them.
• Pale, faded leaves: too much sun or very low light.
• Small leaves and long, bare stems: not enough light.

Which pests affect pothos?

Look for mealybugs (white cotton-like tufts in leaf joints), spider mites (fine speckles and webbing, common in dry AC air), scale (brown bumps on stems) and fungus gnats (small flies from constantly damp soil). Wipe mealybugs and scale off with a cotton bud dipped in rubbing alcohol, rinse the foliage in the shower for mites, and let the soil dry between waterings for gnats. Check the underside of leaves every couple of weeks.

If you'd like help with a lobby or office full of plants, see our plant maintenance service, quoted after a free site visit. To browse plants, visit the indoor plants category.

Reviewed by Hamza, site supervisor at Green Beetle.