You likely know that pothos plants are excellent houseplants. Many people choose to grow these plants indoors.
They can easily be grown in your home, and you can keep them alive all year. This is in a temperature-controlled environment, though.
What if you decide to keep a pothos plant outside? Would a pothos be able to tolerate cold weather?
Keep reading to learn about pothos’ cold tolerance. You’ll learn whether you can keep these plants alive outside in the winter and what you should be doing when caring for pothos plants outdoors.
Can Pothos Survive in Winter?
Pothos plants can’t tolerate weather that is too cold. Generally, these plants are supposed to be kept in temperatures that range from 70 degrees Fahrenheit to 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
You’re supposed to live in USDA hardiness zones 10 through 12 when growing pothos plants outside. If you live in an area of the United States that gets quite cold in the winter, it’s likely not a good idea to keep these plants outdoors.
The plant is capable of tolerating slightly cooler temperatures, though. As long as the temperature doesn’t dip below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, it’ll be able to survive.
Sometimes you can protect these plants from the cold in the winter by taking certain precautions. For example, you can put the pothos plant close to your home to keep it from dealing with cold drafts.
You can also cover the plants to try to keep them safe. Even with these protections in place, the plant won’t survive if the temperature dips far below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Since it will likely be much colder than this in many parts of the world during the winter, it isn’t always practical to grow pothos plants outdoors. You might want to consider utilizing pothos plants as houseplants instead.
If you live in USDA hardiness zones 10 through 12, you won’t have to worry. The climate in those zones will be perfect for pothos plants.
A pothos plant can certainly survive during the winter as a houseplant indoors. You’ll still need to understand how to care for the plant properly.
How Often to Water Pothos in Winter
You likely already know how easy pothos plants are to care for. They’re often referred to as devil’s ivy plants because they’re so difficult to kill.
These plants are usually fine, even if you miss a watering session or two. You do need to change how you water the plant a bit during the winter, though.
It won’t be necessary to water the plant quite as often as usual. You’ll be watering the plant every two or three weeks.
Also, it’s best not to water it quite as thoroughly as you do during the spring and summer months. Instead of soaking the plant through, it’s best to water it lightly.
Do your best to water the plant lightly and check the soil before doing so. Ensure that the soil is dry before you decide to water the plant.
Do Pothos Go Dormant in Winter?
Yes, pothos plants do indeed go dormant during the winter. Your plant will be just fine so long as you take care of it properly.
Dormancy just means that the plant won’t grow much at all during the winter. You still need to water the plant to keep it alive.
Make sure that you only water the plant as much as you need to. As mentioned above, you’ll probably only be watering the plant once every two or three weeks.
Don’t give the plant any fertilizer during the winter either. This would be detrimental to the plant.
Do Pothos Lose Leaves in Winter?
Cold exposure could cause problems with your pothos plants. Earlier, you learned that these plants don’t do well in temperatures that dip below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
When the weather gets too cold, it’ll become problematic for the pothos plants. Often, exposure to cold weather will turn the leaves yellow.
Eventually, the plant might lose some of its leaves. If you’re keeping the plant indoors, it shouldn’t lose leaves in the winter.
Something could cause the plant to lose leaves, though. For example, you might have the plant too close to a vent, a draft window, or an air conditioning unit.
Temperature fluctuations could stress the plant and cause it to experience leaf loss. Be careful to put your plants in safe spots so they won’t have to deal with such issues.
Fertilizer Tips
You know that you’re not supposed to fertilize the plant in the winter. However, it can be beneficial to fertilize the plant during the autumn.
Giving the pothos plant some fertilizer in the winter will ensure that it has enough nutrients. This can make the stems, leaves, and roots stronger than normal.
A good slow-release fertilizer should allow the plant to get the nutrients that it needs. Don’t use too much fertilizer, but making sure to use some will be helpful.
You want to do this before the growth slows down to a halt in the winter months. It’ll make sure that your plant has what it takes to get through the winter just fine.
Put Your Pothos Plant in a Bright Window
During the winter, it’s best to move your pothos plant to a bright window. This should help the plant to stay healthy.
You want to help the soil dry out between watering sessions. More sunlight will make it easier for this to happen.
Do your best to find the brightest window in your home. Position the plant properly, and it should make it easier for the plant to remain looking nice all winter long.
This is a simple way to protect your plant during the coldest months of the year. If you don’t do this, it’d be easy to water the plant too much and cause it to experience rot issues.
Be Careful When Misting the Plant
Keeping the pothos plant humid enough is important. During most of the year, you might mist the plant to help maintain the proper humidity level near your plants.
This is fine to do, but misting can be dangerous during the winter. Misting the plant too much can wind up contributing to fungal growth problems.
The cooler weather makes it so the plant doesn’t dry up as easily. You might even want to avoid misting during the winter to be safe.
It’d be easier to use a small humidifier for plants. These humidifiers can keep the humidity in the right range without making the leaves wet.
Trim the Pothos Before the Winter
Before the winter, you should go ahead and trim away old leaves. Get rid of any yellow or brown leaves that you see on the plant.
Any of the damaged leaves that you see aren’t going to get better. They simply need to be cut away from the plant.
Trim your pothos plant using a sharp pair of gardening shears. It doesn’t take a lot of time to trim the plant.
This helps your plant to look its best. It also ensures that the pothos won’t waste energy on dead or dying leaves and stems.
Final Thoughts
Pothos plants can survive during the winter, but you need to care for them right. These plants won’t be able to survive outdoors during the winter unless you live in USDA hardiness zones 10 through 12.
Don’t water your plant quite as often during the winter. Move it to a bright window in your home so that it can dry out between watering sessions.
If you approach things carefully, it won’t be hard to keep your pothos plant looking healthy in the winter. These hardy houseplants are still easy to care for indoors, even during the coldest months of the year.
Growing up with a mom who filled her home (inside and out) with all sorts of plants, Lisa got her start in gardening at a young age. Living now on her own with a home and yard full of plants (including an indoor greenhouse), she shares all the gardening tips she’s gained over the years.