hi pothos fam! my pothos has been kinda struggling lately. its winter and i think ive been overwatering it a bit, leaving it with some yellow leaves and leaves that are very soft to the touch. i watered it a little less than a week ago, but am going on vacation in 5 days for another two weeks 😭 can my poor pothos go 3 and a half weeks without watering or do you suggest i give it a little water before i leave? for some more context, the soil is a bit old and gets dry at the top kinda quick. any advice would be appreciated this is my baby 🙏🙏🙏
When you water a little at a time, you’re not fully drenching her soil and reaching all of her roots. Pothos need to be watered throughly all around their pot until the excess runs out the bottom. Then don’t water again until her soil is completely dry. Watering with a little water more often will lead to root rot. Overwatering comes from frequency not necessarily quantity. So drench her, thoroughly. Let excess drain. She may wilt a little by the time you get back but they are resilient. Check her when you return and drench again.
thank uuuu so u think its better to drench her before i leave than to let her sit for 3.5 weeks and drench her when im back?
She looks like she needs water now. She’ll more than likely need water again when you return. She’ll need a drench every time you water. Letting excess drain then waiting until she dries out to water again.
Horticulture Professors Advice: put each plant in a plastic bag & seal it up, then put them all in a dark closet. There might be surface fungus when you open them back up (that disappears after being exposed to air/light again) but you can keep a houseplant in ‘suspended animation’ like this for up to 2 months
If you don’t like the idea of the bag, at least put them somewhere dark. Photosynthesis is what starts the chain reaction leading to the roots sucking up water. Less photosynthesis = less water used, and plants can handle a month normal light
thank you!! just to clarify- should i put them in the dark after i water or without watering(
Water them but make sure you’ve wicked out any excess if your soil is peat-based