This article may contain affiliate / compensated links. For full information, please see our disclaimer here.
Pothos plants are known to “cry” or “sweat” in humid conditions, but why exactly does it happen? Pothos plants get rid of excess moisture in two ways; guttation and transpiration. This is why your pothos leaves drip water. These are natural processes that help your pothos balance their moisture levels.
I got a pothos plant as a housewarming gift, and after a few weeks, I started to notice that there were drops of water on the leaves of my pothos plant in the mornings.
I thought it was very strange until I did some thorough research; I decided to share what I found about why this happens.
Why Does My Pothos Sweat/Drip Water?
When the moisture levels of a pothos plant get too high, the extra water puts a lot of pressure on the plant’s roots.
It has to get rid of the excess water before the roots rot and the plant dies. It moves the excess water through the hydathodes (pores) on the tip of the leaves.
The hydathodes then release the excess water through the tips of the water, and that is when the pothos plant sweats or drips water.
What Is Guttation?
Guttation is when the pothos plant needs to get rid of the excess moisture in the roots. The moisture then travels through the plant to the leaves and moves to the hydathodes. The hydathodes then release the excess water through the leaves of the plant.
Guttation happens at night, and the fluid secreted from the leaves is not water. Guttation is not to be confused with transpiration or dew.
Dew is when moisture condenses from the atmosphere and lands on the plant’s surface. Guttation leaves a white crust on the leaves.
What Is Transpiration?
Transpiration happens during the day and not at night because the stomata are closed. Transpiration causes the excess water trapped in the roots to travel up the stem and evaporate through the leaves, not the hydathodes at the tip of the leaves like with guttation.
The moisture that evaporates through transpiration is clean water. The stomata help the moisture that travels through the stem to evaporate and closes or opens the pores to allow the evaporated moisture out into the air.
What Is In Guttation Fluid (The Water That Drips From The Leaves)
The liquid that escapes through the leaves during guttation is all the excess nutritious fluid built up in the plant. The is filled with numerous minerals and sap called xylem, sugars, potassium, and organic and inorganic compounds.
Reasons Why My Pothos Drips Water
When your pothos plant drips water through guttation or transpiration, there are four main reasons why this happens:
- Environmental changes
- Moisture
- Overwatering
- Stress from repotting
Environment
One of the main reasons your pothos will drip water is environmental changes. If the weather is hot and humid, it creates more moisture in the air. The pothos plant then tries to rid itself of the extra moisture in the air by guttation.
Moisture
If you have a humidifier or live in an area with excess moisture, your pothos plant needs to get rid of the extra drops of water; it uses guttation to get the excess minerals and sap out.
Overwatering
It’s important to remember that your pothos plant will excrete about 95% of the water you give it; pothos plants need to get rid of the excess water, or the roots will rot, and the leaves will wilt.
When It Gets Stressed
Replanting a pothos, bringing it home from a nursery, delivering it as a gift, or moving a pothos plant out of its regular pot or space can cause stress in the plant, and it will drip water as a result. Cars get hot quickly, and a plant loses water in those conditions.
Low-Air Supply
When a pothos plant doesn’t get enough and adequate air supply, it will cause your plant to become limp and eventually die. When the air doesn’t get properly circulated and distributed, it will cause you pothos to become sick.
Pothos plants need clean air to breathe, just like humans and animals. Oxygen is crucial to the health of your pothos.
If you only have a low air supply, try putting the plant near an open window. Low-air supply can also be a factor when your pothos keeps dripping water.
Should Weeping Pothos Be A Concern
When your pothos drips water/sweats/ weeps, it’s nothing to worry about unless you see signs of root rot and leaf damage. It is important to check your pothos to ensure it’s not due to overwatering.
Pothos plants are very hardy and will survive overwatering and guttation if you take care of it before it gets out of hand.
What Can You Do When Your Pothos Leaves Dripping Water
There are several ways to help your pothos plant when it drips too much water. It’s natural for a pothos plant to drip water, but if it happens too often, you need to find out why, so you can take the right measures because the reason it drips might kill your plant.
What To Do About Sweating Pothos
When you see your pothos sweating or dripping water, the reason might not be natural causes. The first cause you need to check for is overwatering, the second is stress, and the third is moisture and humidity levels.
Finding the cause of the sweating and checking to see how much the plant is sweating will be the best indicator of keeping your pothos happy or saving it.
Sings Of Overwatering Your Pothos
Several indicators will help you identify if the pothos is dripping/sweating because of overwatering.
- You will see the leaves look limp and brown.
- The leaves will have blisters or brown spots.
- The leaves will feel soft, limp, and squishy to the touch.
- The plant will start to smell like rotten vegetation.
- You might see fungus starting to form on the topsoil.
- You might see green or brown mold on the stems and soil of the plant.
How To Save Your Pothos From Overwatering
If you have seen any signs of overwatering your pothos, you can reduce the amount of water you give your pothos and the frequency. If it’s still a problem, you need to get a bucket full of water.
Gently take the pothos out of the pot (with the soil, so you don’t disturb the roots), hold the plant with both hands, and gently sway all the soil off the roots.
You need to dry off the roots by placing the plant on paper towels. Leave for at least 6-8 hours to dry completely.
You can report your pothos plant after letting the roots dry completely. You need to use loose soil and allow proper drainage to keep your pothos from soaking up too much water. Ensure the soil is dry when you repot the plant.
It’s extremely important to leave your plant for a while without watering it; the last thing you want is for the already damaged roots to become mushy.
Don’t use fertilizer on the plant for the next 12 months because it was damaged; it will burn the roots if exposed to fertilizer.
Signs Your Pothos Is Stressed
If you have recently moved your pothos plant, transported it, or moved it from the shadow into the sun, it might start to show signs of stress.
When it sweats, it becomes limp and yellow, and when you check the soil, you don’t find signs of overwatering.
You will need to adjust the care routine for your plant to get it back to health. You should put the plant closer to a window, adjust your watering routine and add a few nutrients to the soil. Filtering the water you give your pothos plant will also help relieve the stress.
Signs Of Humidity And Moisture Issues
Pothos plants can stand and survive low humidity, but they need to be in humidity levels close to their natural environment for your pothos to be healthy.
Pothos plants thrive in medium to slightly higher humid levels. But levels that are too high will lead to fungal growth and mold.
There are a few things that you can do to ensure optimum humidity levels in the room where you keep your pothos plant. To check the humidity, you can buy a temperature and humidity meter.
You can adjust the humidity in your home to suit your plant. One way to help balance the humidity In your home is to group your plants together. If you have low humidity, you can boil water on the stove; it ads moisture in the air and raises the humidity.
How Do You Stop Pothos From Dripping Water?
There are several tips that will help your pothos from dripping too much. It will help to keep it healthy:
- You should balance the amount of humidity in your home by raising or decreasing the levels to suit the natural humidity of a pothos plant.
- You need to balance the number of nutrients in the plant’s soil.
- Ensure the soil the pothos is planted in is loose and not compacted to drain properly.
- Never overwater your plant; it will lead to root rot, fungus, and mold.
- You should ensure the soil your pothos is planted in is loose and won’t compact the soil, essentially suffocating your plant.
Is Pothos Dripping Water Poisonous?
When a pothos plant goes through guttation, the drips of water that a pothos drip consists of xylem sap, organic and inorganic materials, minerals, sugars, and potassium. If a pothos plant goes through transpiration, it only excretes water, not nutrients.
The nutrients, sugars, potassium, xylem sap, organic and inorganic materials are not harmful to you or your plant. The water that transpiration causes to drip is also not harmful, as it is only water.
Frequently Asked Quuestion About A Pothos Plant Dripping Water
Here are some frequently asked questions about pothos plants dripping water:
Is My Pothos Plant Ok If It Drips Water From Its Leaves?
A pothos plant drips water to get rid of excess water or nutrients. While it is a natural occurrence, you should watch it; if it happens too often, there might be another issue.
How Can I Stop My Pothos From Dripping Water?
Depending on why your pothos is dripping water, you might try adjusting the amount and frequency you water your pothos plant.
You might also want to check your soil; if it’s compacted, that might put pressure on your plant, so you should report it in looser soil.
Will My Pothos Plant Die If It Drips Water?
Most pothos plants are fine if they drip water or nutrients from time to time. It only becomes an issue if you see other signs like fungus leaves turning yellow or brown. Then dripping is an indication of a bigger problem.
Conclusion
A pothos plant is known for weeping/sweating/dripping water. It’s not always a bad thing, but you need to keep an eye on it. If the dripping persists, you should find out what is causing the excess dripping.
When you find the cause, it’s easier to get the solution and get your pothos plant back to its full glory.
Some of the causes of excess transpiration and guttation are completely avoidable. Be careful not to overwater your pothos and keep the humidity level optimal.