Pothos leaves turning yellow: causes and what to do
17 results in the diagnosis tree begin with yellowing leaves, 7 of them marked likely when the answers fit. They are ordered here for Pothos (Epipremnum aureum), using what its sources say about soil moisture, light, soil, watering and feeding and one problem recorded for it.
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Epipremnum aureum is a species in the arum family Araceae, native to Mo'orea in the Society Islands of French Polynesia. The species is a popular houseplant in temperate regions, but has also become naturalised in tropical and sub-tropical forests worldwide, including northern South Africa, Australia, Southeast Asia, Indian subcontinent, the Pacific Islands and the West Indies, where it has caused severe ecological damage in some cases. Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Native range: Society Is. (Mo'orea) (wet tropical). Also sold as Ceylon creeper, devil's ivy, Devil's Vine, Golden Pothos, hunter's robe and Ivy Arum.
What Pothos’s sources say that bears on this
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drainedRHS · read 11 September 2026
- Light
- Low lightClemson Extension · read 11 September 2026Full sun, Partial shadeRHS · read 11 September 2026
- Soil
- Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or NeutralRHS · read 11 September 2026
- Watering
- Raise humidity with a humidifier or a tray of wet pebbles under the container, and water once the well-drained potting mix has dried. Vines root readily in water.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Feeding
- Feed every two months, except in winter while the plant is dormant.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
How this shows up on a Pothos
Yellowing that begins at the leaves nearest the soil
Yellow spreads upward through the pothos a few leaf blades at a time, and the compost darkens and stays cold to the touch.
Its source describes soil that is moist but well-drained. Roots held below that are short of air, and roots short of air stop moving water, so the vine wilts in a wet pot.
Telling it apart: Whether new growth is affected too. Root damage shows up everywhere at once; ordinary leaf loss shows only in the oldest leaves.
RHS · read 11 September 2026Possible causes, likeliest first for a Pothos
Most likely cold
Ranked higher because Pothos's recorded problems point this way.
Its RHS hardiness rating puts this plant's cold floor at 10°C or above, so a cold windowsill at night is a strong explanation.
- H1B — 10–15°C RHS · read 11 September 2026
Why: Soft, dark patches rather than crisp ones are damaged tissue rather than dried tissue.
What to try:
- Move it away from the glass at night, or keep the curtain on the room side of the pothos.
- Leave damaged leaves until new growth appears, then remove the worst of them.
What would settle it: Where the pothos sits at night, and what the glass feels like at that hour. Damage that appeared after one cold night, on the side facing the window, is the pattern.
Most likely not enough light
Ranked higher because Pothos's recorded problems point this way.
- Low light Clemson Extension · read 11 September 2026
- Full sun, Partial shade RHS · read 11 September 2026
Why: Far from a bright window, a pothos builds leaves it cannot afford.
What to try:
- Move it closer to the brightest window you have, over a week or two rather than in one step.Useful: grow light
- Water less while it is in low light; a pothos that is barely growing uses little.
What would settle it: Compare a new leaf with one from last year. Smaller and paler, with a longer gap below it, is the reaching pattern rather than a nutrient one.
Most likely too much water
Ranked higher because Pothos's recorded problems point this way.
- Moist but well-drained RHS · read 11 September 2026
- Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or Neutral RHS · read 11 September 2026
Why: Soil that is wet two inches down, under leaves that are yellowing from the bottom or falling, points at roots that cannot breathe.
What to try:
- Hold off watering until the top two inches of soil are dry, and check again with a finger rather than by the calendar.Useful: moisture meter
- Empty any water standing in the saucer or the outer pot within half an hour of watering.Useful: pot with drainage holes
What would settle it: Lift the pothos out of its pot. Healthy roots are firm and pale; roots that have been wet too long are brown, soft and smell sour.
Less likely for a Pothos, still possible
- Most likely too little water
- Most likely short of nutrients
- Most likely a build-up of salts in the soil
- Light and feeding are both plausible, and this does not separate them
- Nutrients are an unlikely explanation here
- Possibly root rot, in a pot that has stopped draining
- Probably too much water, but this is not settled
- Probably too much water
- Possibly too much direct sun
- Possibly too much direct sun, or feeding
- This may be ordinary leaf loss
- Possibly dry air
- The answers do not point at one cause
Questions
- What usually causes yellowing leaves on a Pothos?
- For Pothos: most likely cold, most likely not enough light and most likely too much water. Its RHS hardiness rating puts this plant's cold floor at 10°C or above, so a cold windowsill at night is a strong explanation.
- How can I tell which one it is on my Pothos?
- Where is the yellowing? The lowest leaves, working upward; New growth at the top, while older leaves stay green; Between the veins, the veins themselves still green; At the leaf tips and edges, browning as it goes; Patchy, only on the side facing the window.
- What do Pothos's sources say about its soil moisture?
- RHS: Moist but well-drained.
- What does this look like on a Pothos?
- Yellow spreads upward through the pothos a few leaf blades at a time, and the compost darkens and stays cold to the touch. Telling it apart: Whether new growth is affected too. Root damage shows up everywhere at once; ordinary leaf loss shows only in the oldest leaves.
- Is Pothos safe to handle while I check it?
- Its sources list it as toxic to cats, dogs and people. Wash your hands after handling the roots or sap, and keep trimmings away from pets.
Other plants that show yellowing leaves
AlocasiaThe crown yellows from below and the pot stays heavy
Arrowhead plantNew leaf blades arrive smaller and paler than the ones below
Dumb caneLower leaves collapse and yellow within days of a watering
Elephant earThe older part of the crown yellows while the compost stays soaked
Heartleaf philodendronThe leaves nearest the soil turn yellow and hang
- No photograph yetLacy tree philodendronPale, undersized leaf blades at the tips of the stems
Something else wrong with the Pothos?
What this does not cover
This page orders a decision tree's results using a plant's sourced care. It has not seen your plant, its pot or its window, and two problems at once are common: that is the usual reason a confident answer turns out wrong. The questions in the diagnosis tool narrow it further than a list can.