What are the light requirements for golden pothos?
Golden pothos is a tropical plant and is often used as a houseplant around the world.
If you are growing this plant indoors, you should know a thing or two about its light requirements.
So, in today’s guide, let’s try to understand more about it.
Contents:
How Much Light Does A Golden Pothos Need?
Golden pothos is a notoriously tough plant and can tolerate a wide range of light conditions.
However, they should be grown in bright, indirect light for optimal growth.
If you’re growing golden pothos in low light, you may notice that the leaves are smaller than usual, and the plant isn’t growing as vigorously.
This plant needs at least four hours of indirect light every day to thrive.
So, you will need to accommodate them accordingly.
Keep these golden pothos light requirements in mind to ensure that your plant stays happy!
How To Provide Sufficient Sunlight To Golden Pothos
For best results, you should place your golden pothos plant in an east or west-facing window.
This way, the plant will get plenty of indirect light throughout the day.
You can also use grow lights to provide sufficient lighting for your golden pothos plant.
Just make sure to place the plant about 12 inches away from the light source.
And, if you’re using artificial lights, turn them off for at least a few hours every day to give the plant a rest.
If you’re using incandescent bulbs, put the plant about 24 inches away from the light source.
It will help avoid heat damage to the leaves.
When it comes to golden pothos light requirements, the plant is very adaptable.
But that doesn’t mean you can neglect them entirely.
Just keep an eye on the plant and provide the light it needs to thrive.
3 Signs Of Your Golden Pothos Not Getting Enough Sunlight
Is your plant not receiving proper sunlight?
Here are some signs to watch out for –
Smaller Leaves
If the golden pothos is not getting enough sunlight, you’ll notice that the leaves are much smaller in size as compared to when they’re placed in a bright spot.
The golden pothos is a fast-growing plant, so the difference in leaf size will be quite noticeable.
Once you notice this difference, you can move the plant to a brighter location.
Slow Growth
This is another common sign that your golden pothos is not getting enough sunlight.
The plant will grow much slower than usual, and the new leaves will be much smaller in size.
You can take this as a cue and act accordingly.
Yellow Leaves Or Pale Green Leaves
When you see golden pothos leaves turning yellow, it is often a sign of too little light.
If you notice any of these signs, you will have to take some immediate action.
Otherwise, your plant might not be able to recover.
3 Signs Of Golde Pothos Getting Too Much Sunlight
Just like lack of sunlight can have an adverse effect on the golden pothos, so can too much sunlight.
Here are some of the signs that your plant is getting more than required sunlight –
Brown Spots On The Leaves
If you see golden pothos leaves with brown spots, it means that the plant is getting too much sunlight.
As a result, the leaves will eventually turn yellow and then brown and eventually fall off the plant.
To avoid this, you will have to move the plant to a shadier spot.
Wilted Or Drooping Leaves
When golden pothos leaves start to wilt or droop, it is often a sign of excess sunlight.
Furthermore, the leaves will also start to turn yellow.
If you see any of these signs, it is best to move the plant to an appropriate place.
Dry Soil
Well, it’s not always about the plant.
Sometimes, the soil can also give you some hints.
If you see that the golden pothos soil is consistently dry, despite regular watering, it is a sign that the plant is getting too much sun.
In such a case, you will probably need to increase watering and move the plant to a slightly shadier place.
How To Grow Golden Pothos In Low Light Conditions
Even though the golden pothos plant requires a fair bit of sunlight, it is still possible to grow it in low light conditions.
Here are some tips that will help you –
1. Choose The Right Pot
When growing golden pothos in low light conditions, it is important to choose the right pot.
The pot should be big enough to allow the roots to spread out and should have drainage holes to prevent the roots from rotting.
2. Use The Right Soil
The golden pothos plant prefers well-draining soil.
So, make sure to use the right kind of soil.
You can also add some perlite or vermiculite to the soil to improve drainage.
3. Water The Plant Properly
Golden pothos does not like to sit in wet soil.
So, you should water the plant only when the top inch of the soil is dry.
Furthermore, you should also allow the excess water to drain out completely.
4. Fertilize The Plant
Since golden pothos is a fast-growing plant, it will need some extra nutrients to thrive.
You can fertilize the plant every month during the growing season.
You may also use a liquid fertilizer or slow-release pellets, which will help to reduce the frequency of fertilization.
5. Move The Plant To A Bright Place Occassionaly
This is quite crucial if you want your golden pothos to thrive in low-light conditions.
You will need to move the plant to a brighter place for at least a few hours every week.
This will help the plant get the sunlight needed to grow properly.
And this is the best you can do to have this beautiful plant in your home.
Now, let’s check out the FAQs related to this topic.
FAQs
Yes, golden pothos can survive without sunlight, but it will not grow as well.
If you’re not too concerned about its growth, you can surely keep it in the dark room.
Just make sure to provide some indirect light every few days so that it doesn’t become etiolated.
Yes, golden pothos can grow in the shade, but it’s not ideal.
The plant will survive, but it won’t thrive and may even become etiolated over time.
LED lights are becoming more popular for growing houseplants, and golden pothos can certainly tolerate them.
Golden pothos is variegated by nature, and there is very little you can do about it.
But you can definitely provide more light to encourage more variegation.
Do not place it in direct sunlight, as that can scorch the leaves.
There is no definitive answer to this question as it depends on the plant species.
But in general, low light for plants is anything less than 500 Lux.
So, if you’re growing golden pothos in an area that receives less than 500 Lux of light, it would be considered low light.
Over To You
There is no one-size-fits-all answer when you talk about golden pothos light requirements.
It all depends on the plant’s current condition and your goals for its growth.
If you want your golden pothos to thrive, you will have to follow the guidelines suggested above.
In case you’re not too concerned about its growth and just want it to survive, you can definitely get away with lower light levels.
On that note, do let me know if you have any questions or suggestions.
I would love to hear from you.
Please share this guide with your friends and family if you found it useful.
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