In this guide you'll learn: How & where to buy the Epipremnum aureum, how to care for your plant and answers to FAQs to keep your plant happy
About the Epipremnum aureum
The Epipremnum aureum, also known as the Golden Pothos and Devil’s Ivy, is an extremely easy-to-grow vining plant from the French Polynesian islands, with beautifully vibrant variegated and heart-shaped leaves.
As one of the world’s most popular houseplants, it thrives in tropical climates, but is notorious for surviving in the poorest of conditions, making it an excellent plant for poorly-lit homes with few other options for colourful foliage. Consequently, it is sometimes called Devil’s Ivy because it is so difficult to kill.
The Epipremnum aureum can be grown as a climbing plant if given a trellis or moss pole, or as a trailing plant if positioned high up and allowed to naturally grow towards the floor, but a bushier look can be achieved with regular pruning.
This plant is one of the best options for beginners as it is so easy to grow with minimal care and few needs, so if this is the plant for you, check out our buyers guide below.
Epipremnum aureum in the House & Office
The aureum is a delightful plant that grows extremely well in most conditions, so no matter whether your home or office is a little dark, too dry or slightly cool, this plant could be the easiest to keep happy in any situation.
As a trailing plant, devils ivy looks splendid and elegant sat upon a bookcase or shelf and left to trail down.
At Outplanted we have a golden pothos near a bright north-west facing window, in an office with air conditioning and few other plants. This creates a cool environment with very dry air that has a humidity level of under 45% for nine hours each day. While this plant would prefer warmer temperatures and higher humidity, it has grown tremendously in the past year and flourished with new leaves.
Compared to many indoor plants, this is about the easiest to keep happy as a houseplant, making is a perfect option for busy offices that need a touch of nature..
Popular Cultivars
If you’re looking for a rare plant, the standard pothos may not be for you, but there are a number of beautiful cultivars available, such as the N-Joy Gold.
Epiremnum aureum Size
Length: 100cm / 39in / 3.3ft
Spread: 45cm / 17.7in / 1.5ft
Epipremnum aureum Care
Light: Provide your golden pothos with a good source of bright light, ideally within a few feet of any window that doesn’t face south. This plant is best suited to bright indirect light, as direct light that is too harsh may scorch the leaves. While bright light is ideal, this plant should still do well in low light conditions, but you should strive to provide a bright location where possible as this will help to bring out better colour and variegation in the leaves.
Soil: The potting mix should be light and airy with a good amount of perlite, bark and other materials to increase drainage. The soil need to maintain some moisture, but drain freely and not become waterlogged as this may cause root rot.
Watering: Watering can take place weekly, with more in the summer. To be sure that your plant needs more water, wait until the top one inch of soil is dry by inserting a finger. If the soil is wet enough that it will stick to your finger then your plant needs a little more time to use what it has before you add more.
Humidity: Like many indoor plants, the Epiremnum aureum grows best in high humidity environments. At home, the highest humidity rooms are often the bathroom and kitchen where water from cooking and showers enters the air. While it may prefer humidity of 60% or more, it will grow perfectly well down to about 40%, which makes it suitable for most indoor conditions. You can increase humidity using a humidifier, spraying reguarly, by grouping it with other plants or by sitting the pot on top of a plate of pebbles and water.
Feeding: The golden pothos doesn’t need much fertiliser, so a standard houseplant feed every month (except for winter) should be enough to keep your plant happy. As it can grow quite quick in the summer and in a bright location, you can increase feeding to every other week during the height of summer.
Temperature: Being a tropical plant it will prefer warmer temperatures, and won’t like temperatures below 10°C / 50°F which may be the end of your plant. Ideal temperatures are typically what we would find comfortable, so room temperatures of 18-24°C / 64-75°F and above are ideal.
Ailments: Brown leaf tips and yellowing leaves are common ailments and are usually caused by underwatering and overwatering respectively. If the leaves begin to brown, check the soil and water when the top one inch has dried out. If the leaves go yellow, you are most likely providing too much water and the plant cannot breathe through its roots, so allow the soil to dry out some more before watering,
Growth pattern: As a trailing, climbing and hanging plant many owners of a pothos will either choose a moss pole, where the plant will climb upwards and develop larger leaves and more compact growth, or allow the plant to trail over the edges of the pot, where it often develops smaller leaves. By pinching out the growth tips your plant will also become shorter with bushier and more compact growth.
Further care: Read our full care guide to keep your plant happy and thriving throughout the year.
Where To Buy Epipremnum aureum Online
- Ebay (UK) / (USA)
- Etsy
- Bloombox Club (UK) / (USA)
- Local Facebook Groups
The golden pothos plant, or devil’s ivy, is one of the most popular houseplants that you should find easily at many plant shops and garden centres, with many of its cultivars available to choose from.
Online, this plant is also easy to find, especially if you are looking for a particular cultivar or size. Ebay and Etsy are good options if you would like to choose the exact plant you receive, while local Facebook groups may also be good to find clippings that you can propagate.
If you do buy online, make sure that you are buying from a reputable seller by checking reviews and testimonials from other customers, and ensure that there is a reliable return and refund policy in case you are unhappy with the plant you receive.
If the plant arrives and is damaged, diseased, or infected with pests, do not introduce it to your other plants and instead start a return process with the seller.
FAQs
Is golden pothos the same as devil’s ivy?
Both are names used for the same plant. The plant is often called devil’s ivy, golden pothos, hunter’s rove, devil’s vine or even just pothos.
Why is golden pothos called devil’s ivy?
The plant is said to be so difficult to kill that even the devil couldn’t kill it. Thus, it is commonly called some variation of devil’s vine / ivy / pothos.
