What will you do if you suddenly notice that your pothos (devils ivy) plant is dying? If you're like most people, then I guess you'll be worried. But you don't have to be as we're about to show you how to revive a dying pothos plant.
In one way or the other, experts would recommend pothos plants for gardeners or plant lovers because of their easy growth, not just because of their beauty.
Pothos plants are relatively one of the easiest plants to maintain because they do not need much attention. Hence, it makes a great house plant for both beginners and seasoned gardeners.
These plants have been marked great because they virtually share the same comparisons with other houseplants.
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Can You Save a Dying Devils Ivy Plant?
Sincerely chances of saving them are high if they just started showing these signs and the chances of saving them might be discouraging if the problems have gone to the root and damaged a lot. So to an extent Yes!
What You Need To know About Pothos Plant
Pothos plants popularly known as devil’s ivy are recognized for their fast growth and the ease in taking care of them. This plant comes in several varieties. It has mottled heart-shaped leaves along twining stems, it.
The vine grows tremendously fast, knowing the types might help you deal with issues that might arise at any given time and possibly ' save that dying plant.'
Pothos plant would preferably sit well and germinate in slightly acidic soil. The requisite PH for pothos is between 6.1-6.5, nevertheless, they can still perform well slightly outside this range. This can be easily measured using a soil PH meter.
Your pothos plants would be dying due to many reasons that you might be aware of but didn’t consider. But the plants would show signs of abnormal growth after fighting the good fight.
Let’s see these signs
Signs of a Dying Pothos Plant
How do you know that your pothos plant is dying? Below are some of the signs to look out to:
- Brown leaves are one of the signs a dying pothos plant would display.
- Stunted growth; your pothos plants growing inadequately are signs that they are on the verge of dying.
- A foul odor can cause damage to your pothos plant.
- Yellow leaves
- Droopy leaves; a few leaves dropping might be due to regeneration, but more than that is not a good sign!
- Discoloration and deformed stems.
All these are signs of a dying pothos plant and if neglected could be lethal, especially if you do not know the cause.
Why Your Pothos Plant is Dying
A lot of factors can contribute to the death of devil's ivy plant, some of these factors include:
1. Overwatering
Overwatering would cause your leaves to turn brown and cause root rot, exposing them to unfavorable temperature is harmful to pothos plants. Improper dosage of fertilizer could add up to this.
Excessive water is also the cause of droopy leaves and high-intensity lighting too. Again, discoloration and deformed stems are caused due to root rot and root rot is caused due to overwatering.
2. Poor Lighting
Poor lighting would cause your pothos plant stunted growth, also, inadequate watering and lack of nutrients can lead to it dying.
3. Poor Drainage
Poor drainage; lack of aeration and overwatering too, would lead to the pothos plant have a foul odor. More also inappropriate decomposed organic matter can lead to a bad smell.
4. Other reasons
Major causes of yellow leaves are over-fertilizing, excessive lighting, and insect infestation; insects infestation of them due to lack of ventilation and high humidity. It attracts bugs and spider mites.
Spider mites would spread, silky thin substance all over the plant they lay on and Pierce the foliage which discolors the leaves and causes yellowing, other insects includes aphids and whitefly and upon infestation, plants may die if not saved.
Note: It might be difficult seeing with naked eyes, use an eye magnifier for a better view.
How to Revive a Dying Pothos Plant
Now that you already know that your pothos plant is dying and some of the possible causes of its death, let's quickly look at some ways that you can revive your dying pothos plant:
- Start by watering your plant adequately, water your pothos plants whenever the top 1 to 2 inches is completely dry, water evenly in the pot until it drains out the bottom as this nourishes the roots and prevents them from becoming diseased.
- Move your plant to a medium-light spot, providing bright light to this plant would help save your pothos plant from dying.
- Fertilize your plant when it needs it. Apply a diluted house plant fertilizer once a month during the growing season for its healthy growth. Do not over-fertilize!
Note: your plant could grow seemingly slow in response to some conditions, do not be quick to use fertilizer, and if at all use a slow-release fertilizer in spring. This will help give the plant the nutrient it deserves.
- Refrain your plant from too much light as this might burn the leaves and cause it to be stressed.
- To keep the insects at bay; you might have a hard time staving them off especially if they have taken the better side of your pothos plant; however, giving up is not the best, treating it might give your plant another chance to live!
Firstly isolate your affected plant from others to avoid transmitting it to others.
Use strong streaming water to knock off a good number of them.
Note: You might want to keep chemical insecticide off your mind, it would end up killing your plant the more, besides, some organic solutions could be more effective and non-toxic to your plant, e. g use horticulture oil.
Otherwise settle for the pesticide labelled specifically for a houseplant.
Further tips
- Prune your pothos plant, especially the affected areas and clustered areas to encourage healthy growth.
- Do not fertilize your plant when it is infected with pests, treat them first!
- Cut the wilting vines about 2inches from the surface of the soil to encourage healthy growth
Do these and watch your plant do your bidding!
Conclusion | How To Save a Dying Devils Ivy
It is clear that your pothos plants could be suffering because it has been neglected or has been over-supported that it has lost the natural abilities to fight for itself. But with this guide, you could beat your chest and say you revived a dying pothos plant.
Remember pets and your children might be allergic to these plants, so keep them out of their reach! Go save your dying pothos plant and be glad you did now that you know “how to revive a dying pothos plant.”
You have a great time saving it!
