To provide the golden pothos plant with an environment in which it can thrive, you need to grow it at moderate temperatures.
While it can survive in nearly any condition, it can only thrive in specific settings.
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What temperature for golden pothos?
Pothos plants of all varieties require moderate temperatures to thrive between 70°F and 90°F (21-32°C). You can grow a pothos in other conditions, but it will not do as well.
Ideal Temperature for Golden Pothos
The exotic Golden Pothos, also known as Epipremnum aureum, Pothos aureus, and Scindapsus aureus, grows on a variegated vine with waxy leaves of yellow, gold, and green.
In its natural growing conditions in the tropical forest, its leaves alone will grow to up to two feet in length.
This member of the Araceae family grows as a perennial tropical plant in the South Pacific, Southeast Asia, and the Solomon Islands.
While the pothos plant prefers to grow between the temperatures of 70°F to 90°F (21-32°C), it will grow in a range of environmental conditions.
Dropping below 70°F (21 °C) will retard its growth as will attempting to grow it in temperatures above 90°F (32°C).
The Epipremnum in its botanical name means “upon the tree stump,” its natural mode of growth. It grows in and on trees, often wrapping around them as a natural decoration.
You can train pothos to wrap around porch posts or lamp posts this same way.
When you obtain young golden pothos from a nursery, they have a height of about six inches. They rapidly grow longer.
This pothos grows rapidly and will spread quickly without any pruning or trimming. A typical length for those grown as a houseplant is about ten feet.
As long as they grow, a pothos grown as a houseplant does not bloom. In the wild, they grow erect flower stalks with a spathe of cream and a spadix of purple.
So, your pothos is fine if it does not produce flowers since that is normal. Pothos not flowering has nothing to do with the temperature.
If your home temperature is kept regularly at 68°F (20 °C), your golden pothos will remain perfectly happy.
Its ideal indoor temperatures range from 65° to 75°F (18-24°C), which provides you with a tiny range should you want to save on your electric bills by setting your thermostat to about 70°F (21°C).
This plant requires low light and partial shade. It can handle direct sunlight, but it does best in bright yet indirect light.
Make your pothos happy by providing it what it needs to thrive.
If you place your golden pothos in a hanging pot, you can hang the pot from a tree limb. This would provide it with the necessary shade plus a growth situation similar to that where it naturally grows in a tropical forest.
The plant also gets picky about its lighting conditions. Its stock plants grow best in 5,000 foot candles (ft-c) of light.
When you grow a cutting from a stock plant, the cutting needs 2,000 ft-c of light to thrive and develop roots.
If you take a cutting from the plant in your yard or home, you can encourage rapid growth of shoots and roots by placing these cuttings in 3,000 ft-c of light and keeping them in a room that’s at a temperature of 80°F.
By doing this, you can get roots to grow in as little as 3-4 weeks. Yes, I know that makes me sound like I am delivering an infomercial, but placed in the right conditions, these cuttings really can grow roots that quickly. You can see the buds begin to grow in one to two weeks.
You can plant your cuttings in an organic or inorganic medium. You can use peat or calcined clay.
They do not need fertilizer or any type of growth enhancer, such as indolebutyric acid (IBA). Golden pothos cuttings can be stored at 50-65°F, but it’s necessary to put a mist bed the soonest.
Cuttings will root both in an inorganic (calcined clay) medium or an organic one.
Frequently Asked Questions about Temperature for Golden Pothos
What common physiological problems do these plants experience from temperature issues?
Your pothos might experience a loss of variegation in which its leaves turn solid or mostly green. You need to prune off the best-colored vines to propagate the plant. This lets the healthy vines thrive as standalone plants, while the existing plant with its non-variegated leaves would improve without the other vegetation dwarfing it. Sometimes you must divide the pothos into two or three to make it a healthy situation for all. Move the plants indoors and keep them in a regulated temperate climate.
What do brown Golden Pothos leaves mean?
At certain times, the leaves turn brown. These discolored leaves result from an abrupt change in weather. This also happens at low temperatures or very high temperatures. Move the plant to a room that you can keep at a moderate temperature at all times. Prune the brown leaves.
Why are my Golden Pothos leaves small?
You might notice that new growth results in small- or medium-sized leaves instead of the massive two-foot-long ones you became used to seeing. You probably have had cloudy weather which lowered the temperature and blocked sunlight. You just need to provide the plant with a little fertilizer and increase its light by moving it indoors for a bit. You can provide it with enough light by using a plant nursery sun lamp. If you notice decaying roots, aerate the soil first. Reduce the frequency of irrigation next. This occurs when the temperature isn’t warm enough to dry the soil and it becomes soggy, which causes root rot.
Conclusion
You can easily grow the pothos plant at moderate temperatures. You do need to provide it with shade, indirect sunlight, and appropriate moisture, too.
Daniel has been a plant enthusiast for over 20 years. He owns hundreds of houseplants and prepares for the chili growing seasons yearly with great anticipation. His favorite plants are plant species in the Araceae family, such as Monstera, Philodendron, and Anthurium. He also loves gardening and is growing hot peppers, tomatoes, and many more vegetables.