Watering Hacks That Help Indoor Pothos Plants Thrive

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Do you have a showstopping plant with stunning, broad leaves in green and yellow variegation which never fails to get compliments from your visitors? Well, then, chances are that you're the proud parent of a pothos plant (Epipremnum aureum). These charming plants are a great choice for indoor growing due to their long, trailing stems and beautiful foliage. They are even considered an easy-to-care for houseplant, meaning that they are great for beginners or people who don't have much time to devote to complicated plant care. However, did you know that there are a variety of clever watering hacks which can help your pothos go beyond simply surviving and start actually thriving?

These hacks involve either adding certain substances to the water — such as coffee, cinnamon, or soda water — or completely changing up how the plant accesses the water in the first place. And, thankfully, each of these tricks involves materials which can either be found at home or purchased from local or online stores, so you likely won't have to cut back on your spending just to help your pothos plants thrive. So, if you've been hoping for your own pothos to become bushier, healthier, and more attractive overall, then you might want to try a few of these out for yourself. And who knows? Your pothos may just thank you for the change.

According to a study published in the peer-reviewed chemistry journal, Molecules, cinnamon has been shown to have antifungal qualities which can combat a variety of diseases that affect plants. This spice may be even more effective for pothos plants because they can be particularly prone to rot and fungal diseases. So, if you want to protect your pothos from diseases, try mixing a couple tablespoons of cinnamon into 2 pints of warm water. Let it sit for a day, then strain the mixture and pour it into a spray bottle for use on potentially problematic areas twice a week.

Another ingredient you could add to your pothos watering schedule is hydrogen peroxide. This chemical compound can be used on pothos to prevent root rot and deter infections, allowing the plant to spend more energy on growing and less on combatting these harmful issues. To water your pothos with hydrogen peroxide, look for a plant-safe 3% option — such as this Amazon Basics hydrogen peroxide topical solution, which multiple reviewers state has been effective for improving plant health. Mix 1 part of peroxide to 2 parts water and add to the soil to combat fungal and bacterial disease.

It might be funny to imagine your pothos plant burping after drinking fizzy liquid, but you can actually use soda water to infuse your plant's soil with carbon, oxygen, potassium, phosphorous, hydrogen, and sulfur. Not all plants will tolerate the carbonation, so you may want to let the soda water go flat before adding it to your soil. Once you have, however, the phosphorous and other helpful minerals could help your plant grow nice and healthy. Remember not to overwater, though, as pothos prefer good drainage and can be prone to root rot if the soil is kept too wet.

Pothos plants prefer soil which is neutral or slightly acidic, meaning they can take advantage of coffee grounds to help them thrive because the used grounds have mild acidity — fresh ones are too acidic for most houseplants. Water your pothos with coffee to provide minerals like phosphorus, potassium, and nitrogen by mixing one cup of the grounds with two and a half gallons of water, taking care to strain it and avoid overwatering.

Rice water is full of starches and other elements that can be helpful for pothos growing in lean soil. Fermented rice water is most effective for helping plants thrive because the fermentation process cultivates good bacteria which work to boost beneficial nutrients. To make it, place some rice into a jar full of water and cover with a cloth in a cool, dark location for a couple of weeks. If it doesn't grow dark mold, you can then filter it, add 1 part filtered water, and use it to water your pothos no more than once a month.

Moving on from liquid fertilizers, the following hacks alter how you water your pothos to help it thrive. One such trick involves placing ice cubes on the soil. This helps pothos because of their aversion to overwatering and tendency to develop root rot. This trick is not always recommended because it can cause the water to be uneven and shock the plant with cold. However, if you use a maximum of two per week, spacing them evenly far from the foliage or roots, it can be a helpful trick, especially if you regularly overwater your pothos.

If you struggle with watering your pothos consistently or you're planning to be away for a while, opting for a rope wick could help keep your plant alive and thriving. This works by sticking a piece of rope into the soil and dunking the other end into water, allowing the liquid to be drawn into the soil when it goes dry. It is generally recommended to let the first couple inches of a pothos' soil dry out before watering, so it is best to have the wick coming into the soil from the bottom, not the top.

Finally, did you know that you can actually use your aquarium to grow your garden? Growing a pothos in an existing aquarium is a unique method used by both beginner and experienced gardeners. While this may sound odd at first, the method allows the plant to absorb nutrients out of the water, benefitting both the pothos itself and the fish who live inside the tank. This method also gets rid of the need for soil, so the plant is always watered without becoming bogged down and rotting in the dirt.