Do Pothos Plants Need Light?

With the right amount of light, Epipremnum aureum has the ability to grow up to one and a half feet every month! As long as they are properly taken care of, they can be one of the most vibrant and exciting houseplants you’ll ever own.

Pothos vine can be grown in hanging baskets, pots, or even across your walls/ceiling. This makes them an excellent choice for people who want their home to feel warm, bright, and natural. 

In a moderate amount of light, they can survive and grow, but they won’t thrive as much as ivy living with the right sun exposure. If you want to know how much light your pothos needs, continue reading!

Pothos Light Needs

The good news is that golden ivy is highly adaptable to most environments! Your pothos can live in low to medium light without dying, but you will not see as much growth and fullness in the foliage compared to one living in a brighter space.

The most ideal light condition for Epipremnum aureum is twelve hours of bright, yet indirect light every day. To achieve this, place your devil’s ivy near a window, on a windowsill, or in a room that naturally receives a lot of light throughout the day. 

Don’t put your plant in direct sunlight! This will dry out and kill off your ivy’s foliage. 

If your devil’s ivy lives outside, make sure that it is an area with at least partial shade. In outside environments, they can also flourish in fully shaded spots.

How to Know if Your Pothos Is Getting Enough Light

If you’re curious to know exactly how much light your ivy is getting, you can actually measure it with just your hand. Using a very easy method, you can estimate a rough idea of how much light your ivy will receive. 

• Step one: Find a few different places around your home or office where you could potentially put your pothos.
• Step Two: On a sunny day, in the afternoon, put your hand up and assess the shadow it gives. The more blurred and undefined the shadow is, the less light that space is getting. If your hand produces a sharp, stark shadow, this is a great sign!
• Step Three: It’s as simple as that. Based on your shadows, choose the best location for your plant!

Signs That Your Pothos is Getting Improper Sun Exposure

Too Little Light

There are quite a few indicators that can let you know your pothos is not getting enough sun exposure. Slow growth, irregularly small leaves, yellowing leaves, drooping, brown leaves, and curling is your plant’s way of telling you that there is something wrong. 

To combat these symptoms, move your plant into a brighter room and see if the problems persist. Prune and trim off any damaged foliage and hopefully, the new growth will come back stronger and healthier than ever. If not, you may have another issue in your plant care routine including low humidity, overwatering, or pests.

Too Much Light

If your devil’s ivy is getting too much sunlight, it will begin to show symptoms such as wilting, cracking, brown edges, burnt leaves, unhealthily compact growth, and even no growth at all.

Move your plant out of the sun right away and make sure not to put it back into direct sunlight again. Your golden ivy will be stressed and will not be able to handle any more heat damage. 

Instead of pruning, leave the foliage alone and make sure the plant is getting sufficient amounts of water, fertilizer, and humidity. If the soil has dried out, repot with fresh potting mix.

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