Skip to Content

Why Is My Pothos Droopy? | Common Problems & Solutions

Home and garden decoration of top view Epipremnum aureum in the
Epipremnum aureum

This article may contain affiliate links. I may receive a small commission when you make a purchase using my link.

The most common reasons your pothos gets droopy are that your soil is too dry and hasn’t been watered enough or you overwatered your pothos. It could also be that you left your plant in a low humidity location or cold freezing temperature for outdoor pothos.

Pothos is easily a favorite in tons of households. Their easy-to-care-for nature makes them the perfect plant for anyone who wants to get into plant-owning with minimal effort. With so many types of pothos, you are generally spoiled for choice.

Since they are such simple plants, at times, you tend to forget you have them. Droopy leaves are one of the most common issues that the pothos have.

Pothos’ yellow leaves are commonly the starting point of the drooping process. 

This post will discuss how the problem starts and move on to the most common solutions to get your pothos back into perfect shape. 

Pothos Drooping Common Problems

A few things can cause your plant to start drooping, and most of the time, it’s something that could’ve been avoided.

There are plenty of times where your plant was fine and then the next thing you know you’re asking yourself why is my pothos wilting?

Here you’ll find the most common causes of droopy leaves on your pothos.

Dry Soil

Not getting the proper pothos soil is one thing but leaving your pothos in dry soil will have a worse effect on your plant and will add to leaves dropping or turning brown.

It’s a common mistake that happens more often than not.

Since the plant needs very little attention, it’s easy to forget about caring for it. Dry soil is normally caused by not watering your plant enough or just forgetting to water it, especially in the warmer months. Sticking to a thorough watering schedule is a great way to combat dry soil.

Overwatered Pothos

Pothos wilting can be caused by overwatering your plant. Watering pothos is considered one of its easiest tasks since you don’t have to water your plants frequently. Overwatering is mostly done by inexperienced gardeners.

Too much water can leave your pothos leaves curling and can cause them to drop if not attended to immediately.

Overwatering can also cause root rot on your plant which is a much worse problem to deal with – you’ll need to catch root rot early to prevent further damage.

Humidity

The pothos plant family all have one common trait – they love warm and humid environments.

Low humidity can cause your plant to slowly turn brown, droop, and lose some of its leaves. Low humidity can also be caused by not misting your plant.

Leaving your plant in dry areas around your home will have the same effect. Common household items like heaters or AC’s being close to the plant can cause dry air as well.

Cold Weather

Cold weather is mostly only a factor if you grow your pothos outdoors with the seasons constantly changing.

After freezing temperatures, your pothos leaves will become shriveled and can turn your leaves brown or black which will then cause the entire plant to droop.

Although an easily avoidable issue, it still does cause damage to your plant and the growth of the plant will be affected if you don’t attend to it immediately.

Satin pothos scindapsus pictus houseplant

Droopy Pothos Solutions

For almost every problem, there is a solution to get your plant back to a healthier state. Since the issues have already been covered above, you’ll see below how to get your plant back to life or how to make sure it never happens.

How To Make Sure Your Soil Is Not Dry

Dry soil is a problem for every pothos but can be easily avoidable. One way to check if your soil is dry or not is by pressing your finger into the soil.

If the top part is completely dry, then you should give your plant a thorough soaking.

There is a possibility that soaking may not be enough to get your plant back to health. In that case, you would need to water your plant from the bottom.

Let it soak in a tub of water for a couple of hours so it can absorb as much water as it needs.

How To Water Pothos

There is a common issue with watering when it comes to pothos. Since not watering it enough causes dry soil, too much water makes the soil too soft.

Water damage has two main causes; bad drainage on your pot or soil, or simply watering your plant too much.

If it’s an issue with the soil not being able to drain properly, replace it with one with good drainage soil

If overwatering is the problem, you should look at your watering schedule and drastically change it immediately.

The plant does not need a lot of water; simply watering it once a week will be good enough. In colder seasons consider watering them every two weeks.

Increase Humidity

Humidity is what the pothos live off. Cold areas are not the plant’s friend, so placing your pothos in warmer areas around the house is what’s best for your plant baby.

If you have an issue with finding an area in your house that is humid enough, there are ways to keep your plant humid.

You can increase your plant humidity by simply misting it or by using a humidifier. Especially since pothos grows best between 70-90℉.

How To Counter Cold Weather

Unfortunately leaving your pothos outside isn’t always your best bet, especially in the colder months.

But if your plant is affected by freezing temperatures, you can simply take it inside and it won’t affect its growth much longer.

It’s a very simple way to get your plant back to life. After being indoors for a few weeks, your pothos should start growing back some of their lost foliage.

Resurrect Your Pothos Leaves

As you probably noticed, most of the pothos’ droopy issues are caused by a lack of attention or over-excitement towards the plant, but it can easily be prevented.

Pothos and philodendrons are so similar in that they are easy to care for, yet become easy to forget since they need so little attention. But with enough care and attention, your plants can grow without having any issues at all.

Now that you know how to care for your plants’ droopy leaves, go and get your pothos back to good health.