i have a golden pothos that's gotten a bit 'leggy'. some of it has lost the leaves in the middle - there are leaves at the end and some at the base. if i cut off some of the vine and leave a bit of leafless section above where there are a few leaves at the base, will the rest of the leafless area regrow leaves? thanks!
It might. It is impossible to predict where new shoots will come from. Try it. Another option is to cut it back harder to where there are leaves. You could also take the leafy bit at the end, stake it to the soil in the pot until it roots. Then you can just cut the bare part off and throw it away.
Correct Joclyn. I've got several enormous specimens of Epipremnum growing in in my atrium and sometimes all the leaves fall off one of the vines. But then others begin to grow. And sometimes the new ones are much larger. This plant needs to climb. Most people grow it as a trailing vine and when it trails is when I see leaves often fall off. If you don't have a tall totem, I'd suggest you buy the tallest one you can find. A tall piece of rough timber will also work. The ideal height would be at least 2 meters (6 feet). Pin the vines to the totem and I'd venture you'll see new growth. And don't be surprised if the leaves become larger. At the top of my atrium, approximately 5 to almost 6 meters up, the leaves are between 40 and 45cm (almost 18 inches). This plant is suspected to have originated in the Solomon Islands north of Australia and grows in very humid conditions. Give it soil that will not stay soggy but can be kept damp all the time. I totally soak the entire length of my climbing plants every time I water the atrium. In the summer that is almost daily and in the winter it is at least 2 days each week. In the rain forest, it receives a lot of water. Just don't keep the roots in mud. http://www.exoticrainforest.com/Epipremnum aurenum pc.html
ahh, steve!! you've got it!! my bad. i've been very very busy the past couple of months and i've basically been throwing some water at the plants when i remember. even though most of what i have is succulent-types, they're still suffering. i've just gotten situated with things and can focus on getting the plants back in order. which is how i found this leafless vine - i finally had some time to give them proper attention. this is a fairly small plant - i've only had it for about a year. i did put in a stake and wound two pieces that had really grown out onto it...this particular piece had fallen off (it is the shorter of the two and i didn't really secure them) and i didn't notice because of another plant that sits in front of it. so. the problem is that it's vining and not growing upwards. so, i should just re-attach it to the stake and it should leaf out again? i've been very bad about watering...it's been a rough few months here. and, it does need repotting so i guess i'll add in a better type of support. i have to say, this plant is actually in the correct soil already - i've not repotted it since i've had it. how often do you see that when buying something at the grocery store!? i've seen those pieces of wood with the bark in planters. where would i buy them, though? could i just use pieces of 1x1 or 1x2? or maybe even something that has some kind of netting/webbing? like taking a couple of 1x1 pieces and stringing wire between them? thanks for posting the link to your site... i should have just gone to my favs - i've got it there - and done some reading rather than posting a question! thanks for your help, both of you!!
It always pleases me when you, or anyone, finds the site useful! Most of the time commercial growers pot this plant in soil that stays too wet. They do that because most people just don't want to water it as often as it prefers. If you choose to repot it give it as large a pot as possible and mix a soil that drains fast. Add a bunch of orchid potting media which includes bark, charcoal and gravel to cause it to drain and add Perlite as well as peat (or any good substitute) to keep the soil damp. Then give the plant any rough piece of timber. You can use a commercial totem but a lot of people just buy any piece of rough wood they can find. Here's a good link for commercial totems: https://www.secureserver.com/mosserlee/orderonline.html I'd suggest you use some tacks and lightly tack the plant to a piece of wood, just don't strangle the vine. I've even used tea cup hooks. In no time at all the Epipremnum will attach itself to the wood and begin to climb and as it climbs you should see new leaves begin to develop. My biggest specimen has climbed all the way up a 12 foot pole, run across a rafter, dropped vines down to the pond, run across the surface ot the water back to the soil and climbed the pole again! It grows so fast we often just cut the vines and throw them away since there is no one around to give them a new home! When it gets started climbing you'll be surprised at how many new leaves the plant will produce! But the biggest surprise will be the size of the new leaves near the top of the post!
