Why Is My Pothos Drooping - Teak And Terracotta

Introduction

Why is my pothos drooping? Pothos are generally tough and resilient and it will take a lot to stress them. However they can droop occasionally, we cover the reasons below and what you can do to fix them.

Why Is My Pothos Drooping?

The most common cause of pothos drooping is the soil has dried out completely. Check the soil to confirm and if it is dry throughout then give the plant a thorough drenching in water. Your pothos will take a few days to recover but should be fine.

Note that the plant could also be wilting due to over watering, so it is important to check the soil first. If the soil is wet then take the plant out of it’s pot and let it dry out for a few hours. Consider removing some of the brown rotted roots, then repot it in dry soil. Healthy roots should be white.

Bigger Plants (And Smaller Pots) Will Use Up More Water

It is important to realize that different plants need different amounts of water. You can see a picture of one of my pothos below. When it is on it’s shelf it is almost as tall as me. A bigger plant like this uses up a lot more water than a smaller plant. The pot size makes a difference too , as more soil hold more water. A lot of pothos plants get underwatered and droop when as they grow so quickly and you end up with a huge plant in a small pot. The larger stems and abundant leaves take up a lot more water, and evaporate more too as the plant has a much larger surface area. So check bigger plants more regularly, especially on hotter days,

A large pothos plant. — One of my pothos, with a lot of foliage for a small pot, this will obviously need a lot more water than a smaller pothos in the same pot.

Why Is My Pothos Droopy After Repotting?

Sometimes pothos wilt after repotting. Make sure the new soil is moist, not dry or soaking wet. Give it a few days and it should settle in to its new soil.

Why Is My Pothos Droopy After Watering?

The leaves are normally droopy due to under underwatering, but after watering the plant may take few days to recover. With some plants like basil they will recover in hours, but pothos may take a few days.

How Often To Water Pothos

The bigger the plant, the more water, if you have a really long bushy pothos growing from a small pot then it will need watering more regularly than a smaller plant in the same pot.

How Do You Revive Wilting Pothos?

You can revive a wilting pothos by giving it a good watering. Make sure it is wilting due to underwatering by seeing if the soil is dry first. If the soil is wet then the problem could well be root rot, in which case you should remove the plant from it’s pot and let it dry out for half a day before potting it back up in dry soil.

Pothos Root Rot Symptoms

Pothos can develop root rot if left to stand in soggy soil for too long. You can see the leaves change color and yellow, or feel soft to the touch, they may even fall off. The plant may start wilting or drooping. If you take the plant out of it’s soil the roots should be white, any browning (that is not soil) is likely to be root rot.

Look out for these symptoms, and take some cuttings of the healthier stems and propagate them just in case, then take the plant out of it’s soil and dry it out, trim the rotten roots, and repot it in dry soil.