Learn How to Grow Big Pothos without Fertilizer with easy-to-follow tips and using household items for a giant plant.
Yes, you read it right, it is possible to grow big, healthy pothos plants even without fertilizer. Just follow this post for a huge houseplant in your home.
How to Grow Big Pothos without Fertilizer
1. Choose the Right Pot and Soil
The first step to growing a large pothos is giving it a good home. Use a pot with drainage holes so water does not sit at the bottom. For soil, choose a light, well-draining mix. You can use regular garden soil mixed with a small amount of sand or coco peat. This will help the roots breathe and spread easily.
2. Give It Bright, Indirect Light
Pothos can grow in both sun and shade, and it even does well in low light or under fluorescent lights. Indoors, it prefers bright but indirect light. If kept in too much shade, the leaves may lose their patterns and turn solid green, but moving the plant to a brighter spot usually brings the variegation back. If the leaves start looking pale, it means the plant is getting too much direct sunlight.
3. Water the Right Way
Water pothos when the top 2 inches of soil feel dry. In good light, this usually means every one to two weeks, and even less often in winter. The plant will droop slightly when it needs water, which is the best time to water it. Don’t wait until the leaves shrivel or dry out. Avoid keeping the soil too wet for too long, as this can cause root rot.
4. Train the Vines to Climb
Pothos loves to climb. If you give it support like a moss pole, a wooden stick, or even a wall, the plant will grow larger leaves. When pothos climbs upward, it thinks it is growing in the wild on tall trees, so it produces bigger leaves to reach the light. This is one of the best tricks to get a bushy, tall pothos without fertilizer.
5. Use Natural Compost or Kitchen Waste
Instead of chemical fertilizer, you can feed your pothos naturally. Add banana peels, used tea leaves, coffee grounds, or crushed eggshells to the soil in small amounts. These kitchen scraps release nutrients slowly and keep the plant strong. Another natural option is to use water from washing rice or boiled vegetables, which is full of minerals.
6. Repot at the Right Time
Pothos loves room for its roots, but too much space at once can slow growth. The best time to repot is when roots begin circling inside the pot or popping out from the bottom holes. Move it into a slightly larger pot, not a giant one. This gentle upgrade encourages new roots to spread quickly, leading to stronger stems and bigger leaves.
7. Prune to Encourage Growth
Pothos grow fast and can sometimes look thin or leggy. Pruning isn’t required for the plant’s health, but trimming now and then helps keep a nice shape. Always use a clean, sharp tool to cut.
Pruning also makes the plant look fuller. Cut just below a node near the base of the vine, and be sure to leave at least two leaf nodes on the stem. If your plant looks too long or bare, trim the growing tip to the length you want.
You can prune pothos anytime during the growing season, but avoid cutting it back when the plant is resting in dormancy.
