Vent: I just realized I've been under-watering my pothos for like 2 years

So I'm sitting there last week looking at my pothos that always had those sad droopy leaves and some yellowing at the tips. I figured I was giving it plenty of water since the soil surface always felt damp. Then my sister who works at a nursery in Portland came over and she stuck her finger ALL the way down into the pot. Turns out the bottom half was bone dry because my pot is super tall and I was only wetting the top layer. She told me to water until it runs out the drainage holes and my plant perked up in like 2 days. Now I feel like a dummy for ignoring that basic rule for so long. Has anyone else had a plant do great after you figured out you were watering wrong?

2 comments

2 Comments

nathan85114d ago

My sister in law runs a greenhouse in Ohio and she told me the opposite actually. She said a lot of people overwater pothos because they water until it drains and then the soil stays wet too long. Her pothos are all in those shallow terracotta pots and she only waters them once the leaves start to curl slightly, maybe every 10 to 14 days. The top being damp doesn't always tell the real story, you're right about that part, but fully saturating a pot that's too tall might just lead to root rot if the bottom stays wet for a week. She uses a wooden skewer to check moisture at different depths instead of her finger.

seanh9113d ago

Man that skewer trick is smart actually. Ive been watering my pothos wrong for years apparently. My mom used to just water until it came out the bottom and I never thought twice about it. @nathan851 your sister in law sounds like she knows her stuff. I bet Ohio weather makes a big difference too with how fast stuff dries out. I live in a dry climate and still manage to kill plants by overwatering somehow. Gotta look into those shallow terracotta pots because mine are in deep plastic ones right now and the bottom always feels soggy.