Satin Pothos Care - Teak And Terracotta

Welcome to our guide to satin pothos care and propagation, they do well in most households and are easy to care for as long as you follow a few basic care needs…

Satin Pothos Care Summary

Light needs:	Lots of indirect sunlight.
Watering needs:	Water when the top layer is dry.
Fertilizer:	Feed a balanced fertilizer once a month in spring and summer.
Soil:	A well-draining peat-based potting compost.
Humidity:	They love humidity – mist them each morning.
Temperature:	20-30°C (approx 70-86°F).
Where to buy:	Try our list of Rare Plant Shops.
Other names:	Scindapsus pictus, silver pothos, silver splash pothos.
Common issues:	Can lose their color in low light conditions.

Introduction

The satin pothos aka the scindapsus pictus, is a climbing tropical houseplant originally from Asia. The good news it is a fairly tough and relatively easy to care for plant that will fit most homes.

We’ve also got guides on it’s relatives the scindapsus treubii moonlight and the scindapsus silver hero.

Light Needs

Satin pothos love lots of indirect sunlight, but not direct as this can burn them. They can do ok in lower light conditions, but can lose some of their silver coloring or become leggier.

How Often to Water

Water your scindapsus pictus when the top layer is dry, you can use your finger to test it.

Fertilizer

You can feed your satin pothos a balanced fertilizer once a month in spring and summer. Or you can use one will slightly higher nitrogen content. Dilute it well the first time and check the plant does not brown (from fertilizer burning).

Soil

A well-draining peat-based potting compost will suit your satin pothos well.

When To Repot

Repot in spring, you can take cuttings a month before and plant them back in at the same pot a the time of repotting to make the plant bushier.

Humidity

Satin pothos is a tropical houseplant and loves humidity, it will do well in normal household humidity, but will thrive if you can mist in the mornings, or when you water it.

Temperature

Satin pothos will do best in the 20-30°C temperature range (approx 70-86°F) during the day. Try to keep them above 10°C (50°F) at night or in the winter.

How To Propagate Satin Pothos

A satin pothos can be easily propagated with stem cuttings and rooting them in water, before moving them to soil. Take cuttings with one leaf and one node per cutting. Then let wounds callous over for half a day before putting them in a jar of tap water to root. Keep them warm, moist and well lit, and in one or two months when the roots are big enough you can move the cutting to soil.

Is It Toxic To Cats?

They are toxic to dogs and cats if eaten, and can cause problems including vomiting. Seek vets advice immediately if you think your pet has eaten any.

Satin Pothos Vs Silver Pothos

The silver pothos is another name for the satin pothos, they are just two different names. It’s not a pothos at all, but they look similar so often they are referred to as pothos.

Satin Pothos Vs Trebie

The satin pothos aka Scindapsus Pictus has a much more silvery cultivar known as the Scindapsus Pictus Trebie. They are very similar, just the Trebie’s leaves are majority silver color.

Satin Pothos Yellow Leaves

Yellow leaves are most commonly due to overwatering.

How Fast Do Satin Pothos Grow?

They grow relatively fast for a houseplant, but not as fast as some pothos.

How To Make Satin Pothos Fuller?

To make this plant fuller you can take stem cuttings, water propagate them in a jar, then once rooted pot them back in with the main plant and it will be much bushier due to the new propagations.

Can Satin Pothos Live In Water?

They can live in water, it’s best to start with a cuttings and root it in water and then it can live there indefinitely as long as you keep the water topped up and change it if it goes cloudy. Keep foliage out of the water to avoid it going cloudy.

Where To Buy A Satin Pothos

You can buy satin pothos from many rare plant shops or Etsy.

Other Names for Satin Pothos

Other names for satin pothos are scindapsus pictus, silver pothos, silver splash pothos.

Satin Pothos Varieties

There are a number of satin pothos varieties, we run down as many as we can below…

Argyraeus – small leaf dark green with silver speckles.
Silver Satin – large leaves, small silver speckles
Exotica – large, more curly leaf with grean and sivler speckles.
Silvery Ann – more silver than green, small leaf.
Silver Splash – big leaves lots of silver speckles almost overing the lea. .
Jade – All green, no silver.
Silver hero – practically all silver.
Silver Lady – very much like the argyraeus, the same patterning, but inverted – with much more liver than green.

Sources: Gabriella Plants and Plant Circle.

Satin Pothos Care FAQs and Common Problems

Satin pothos sometimes lose their color if in low light conditions, in this case give them more light. They are also susceptible to over watering, be careful to maintain a regular watering schedule, but only water if the top layer of soil is already dry.