Houseplant
Golden Pothos
Epipremnum aureum · Araceae
Also called: Pothos, Devil's Ivy, Money Plant, Ceylon Creeper
Golden Pothos (Epipremnum aureum) is a low-water houseplant well suited to Tucson and the low desert. It's a fast (vining)-growing houseplant.
Golden Pothos at a glance
- Water use
- Low (established)
- Sun
- Bright indirect light indoors; tolerates low to medium light. Avoid direct, hot window sun, which scorches leaves - especially important behind Tucson's intense south/west glass.
- Mature size
- Vines commonly 6-10 ft indoors (can trail much longer); easily kept smaller by trimming
- Growth rate
- Fast (vining)
- Bloom
- Does not bloom indoors (flowering essentially never occurs in cultivation), N/A indoors
- Cold hardiness
- Frost-tender tropical; keep above ~50-55 F. Do not place outdoors in Tucson winters and shelter from direct summer sun and dry drafts. Grown strictly as an indoor plant here.
- Soil
- Standard well-draining potting mix in a pot with drainage holes.
- Native range
- Mo'orea (French Polynesia), now pantropical; grown indoors in Tucson
- Best used as
- Easy-care indoor foliage plant, Hanging baskets, shelves, and trailing/climbing displays, Low-light tolerant office and home greenery
- Wildlife
- N/A (indoor plant).
- Toxicity
- TOXIC - contains insoluble calcium oxalate crystals. Harmful to cats, dogs, and children if chewed/ingested (mouth irritation, drooling, vomiting). Keep away from pets and small kids.
How to grow Golden Pothos in Tucson & the low desert
Watering
Water when the top 1-2 inches of soil are dry, then water thoroughly and let drain. Indoors in Tucson's dry air it may need water every 7-10 days in summer and less in winter. Overwatering/soggy soil causes root rot; it tolerates occasional drying out better than constant wetness.
Fertilizer & nutrients
Feed monthly during spring and summer with a balanced, diluted houseplant fertilizer (e.g., 10-10-10 or a foliage-houseplant formula at half strength); little to no feeding in winter.
Pruning & care
Pinch or trim vines to control length and encourage bushiness; cut just above a node. Trimmed cuttings root easily in water for propagation.
Notes
One of the most forgiving houseplants - thrives in Tucson homes despite low humidity and is far easier indoors than as a landscape plant (it is not frost-hardy here). Variegation is strongest in brighter (still indirect) light. Easy to propagate from cuttings.
Sources: University of Arizona Cooperative Extension houseplant guidance; ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List - Pothos (Epipremnum aureum); Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder - Epipremnum aureum