How To Care For Low-Maintenance Golden Pothos Houseplants

Golden pothos (Epipremnum aureum) is an incredibly resilient and adaptable plant, making it a perfect choice for houseplant beginners—or anyone who wants a dramatic touch of green in their space. Here's what to know about this wonderful starter plant and how to care for it indoors.

You're sure to find the wildly popular plant at your local nursery, home improvement store, or online without trouble.

The golden pothos is one of dozens of pothos varieties that can thrive as houseplants. Here are a few other popular ones:

So while you don't have to work too hard to minimize its conditions, even this houseplant has some living standards. Here's how to help it thrive in your space:

"While this plant does grow in low light, you'll want to have more light exposure in order to keep the creamy golden color," says Uyema. Bright, indirect sunlight will be ideal for your golden.

Give your pothos time to dry in between waterings. Contrary to belief, Nikolic tells mbg that "you should never have a strict watering schedule." Instead, hold off on watering until the top half of your plant's soil is dry to the touch. He adds you can also use a chopstick to get an idea of how wet or dry the soil is.

"Even though pothos is a plant that comes from a tropical area, it actually adapts very well to low humidity," says Nikolic. As long as you aren't keeping your home below 50-degrees Fahrenheit, your pothos should be just fine.

Any well-draining potting soil that's rich with nutrients will make a good home for your pothos houseplant.

Striking the right balance between fertilizing and repotting is also important for this plant. "If you're repotting your plant once a year, it'll get plenty of nutrients from the fresh new soil," says Nikolic. While it's fine if you want to keep your plant in the same pot, you'll just want to add a little fertilizer every once in a while in that case.

Here are some common problems to look out for with your golden pothos and how to remedy them:

This pothos is incredibly easy to propagate in various mediums (water, soil, LECA, etc.). Propagating is a brilliant way to give your plant new life or gift a part of it to someone else. Here, our experts share the basics on how to propagate your golden pothos:

"I'd recommend wearing gloves as the sap may cause an allergic reaction," Uyema tells mbg. You'll also want to keep any curious dogs or cats away from your propagation station. Besides gloves, you'll need a container, either a sharp knife or scissors, and well-draining soil or an alternative medium. (More on those below!)

Next, it's time to snip a few healthy leaves from your pothos to be propagated. "Make a cutting that includes at least one 'node' or growing point," says Linn. Try to keep the cutting between 3 and 6 inches long or however long it needs to be to keep at least two leaves.

Note: If you want a fuller plant, Linn suggests planting multiple cuttings together. You can even add in leaves from other pothos varieties for a more dynamic look.

After roughly two weeks, small white roots will start to form from your cutting. Unless you planted your cutting directly into soil in Step 3, this is your time to transfer your newly rooted plant into damp soil. Then, all that's left is to wait for growth!

Here are some final tips to keep in mind with this green beauty:

Golden pothos is a tough, forgiving plant that makes a wonderful addition to any home. Whether you train it to climb up a windowsill or let it hang above your bed, you can enjoy the greenery without worrying about being a bad plant parent. Because along with the almighty ZZ plant, this has got to be one of the all-time easiest houseplants to care for.