Pothos vs. Money Plant (Are They One and the Same?)

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Pothos plants are very common sights in many peoples’ homes. They’re pretty plants that are very easy to care for.

You may have also heard people talking about how much they love money plants. Money plants are commonly sold in stores, and people seem to adore them.

If you’ve looked at pothos plants and money plants, you likely think that they look the same. Are these plants the same, or are they related in some way?

Continue reading to learn about these two popular houseplants. This will ensure that you understand exactly what you’re getting when you buy a money plant from a local store.

Are Pothos Money Plants?

Sometimes the money plants that you will find being sold at stores are indeed pothos plants. However, this isn’t always going to be the case.

There are money plants that are sold that belong to other plant species. The common money plants that you’re most familiar with are pothos plants, though.

Other plants are also called money plants and cannot be categorized as pothos plants. All pothos plants can be called money plants.

When you go to the nursery or garden center and see money plants for sale, you’re likely looking at a pothos plant. Many people are drawn to the way that these plants look, and they feel that they’re lucky.

Why Are They Called Money Plants?

Why aren’t pothos plants just sold under their real name? What made people start calling them money plants?

There are a few potential reasons why these plants earned the money plant nickname over the years. One reason why the money plant name stuck is that pothos plants have leaves that sort of resemble coins.

The shape of the leaf and how flat it is reminds people of a coin. Even if the leaves don’t look exactly like coins, there’s enough of a resemblance that the name stuck.

There are also rumors that pothos plants seem to bring people good luck and fortune. Even if there’s no truth to the idea that owning and caring for a money plant will bring you fortune, it’s something fun that people like to believe.

Often, people will give money plants as gifts. These plants are given to people because they want them to have good luck and find success in life.

Are Money Plants Easy to Care For?

Yes, money plants are very easy to care for overall. This is another thing that makes them great plants to give away as gifts.

People don’t need to have a lot of experience with houseplants to care for these plants properly. You only need to do the basics right to keep these plants looking nice.

To keep a money plant healthy, you must water it every so often, give it enough sunlight, and maintain the right humidity level. None of these things should be hard to accomplish.

Water the plant to ensure that the top two inches of the soil remain moist. When the top two inches have started to dry out a little bit, you’re supposed to water the plant.

The humidity level should stay between 40% and 60%. Since these plants are houseplants, you won’t want your home to be too humid.

Keeping the humidity level around 45% or so will be fine for these plants. You generally don’t want the humidity in your home to go above 50%, but you can use a humidifier near the plants to raise the humidity if you live in a dry area.

Money plants thrive when they receive bright indirect sunlight. Make sure that you put your plant in a spot where it’ll get enough sun without being scorched by direct sunlight.

As long as you can meet these basic care requirements, the money plant will do well in your home. It doesn’t take a lot of skill to keep these plants alive and in good shape.

Are Money Plants Safe for Pets?

Sadly, some money plants aren’t going to be safe to keep around cats and dogs. Cats and dogs make bad choices sometimes, and they might choose to nibble on plants that they shouldn’t.

Of course, you don’t want your pets to eat your houseplants even if they are safe. Some types of money plants are bad for cats and dogs to eat, though.

If a cat or a dog were to eat a jade plant, it’d cause them to experience stomach pain. It can make dogs and cats vomit.

So if you have pets, it’s best to keep these plants out of their reach. This will keep them from messing with the plant, and you won’t have to worry about them getting sick.

Note that money plants shouldn’t be capable of killing cats and dogs. The pets will just vomit and get sick if they happen to eat portions of the plant.

How Long Do These Plants Live?

When you buy one of these plants from a garden center, you want it to last for a long time. Can you expect these plants to stick around for years?

Yes, as long as you care for the pothos plants well, they’re going to survive for up to ten years. Some things can cause pothos plants to die before they reach ten years of age, but it’s up to you to care for the plant to the best of your ability.

Continue to meet the basic care needs of the plant. This will help to keep the plant healthy.

You will need to watch out for problems with fungus and rot. Don’t water the plants too much because that can create many issues.

Be careful not to let the environment get too dry either. So long as you’re monitoring the humidity in your home, it’ll be easy to keep tabs on your houseplants.

Does a Pothos Plant Need Fertilizer?

Pothos plants will thrive if you give them fertilizer. It’s wise to fertilize the plants once per month during the growing season.

Using a simple 10-10-10 fertilizer to give these plants all of the nutrients that they need. These plants need phosphorus, nitrogen, copper, and potassium.

It should be fine to follow the instructions that come with the fertilizer that you purchase. Some people choose to dilute the fertilizer to half-strength just to be safe.

During the spring and summer months, you’ll continue to fertilize the plant. Do this once per month until the fall.

You can resume fertilizing the plant again in the spring. Keep to this schedule, and you should see the plant grow big and stay healthy.

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