What is going on with this pothos plant?

11 years ago

I bought a beautiful verigated pothos a few weeks ago and kept it indoors for a couple of weeks. Some of the leaves started developing brown spots and my mom suggested I should try keeping it outdoors for a few days. I did that and the situation is much worse, as you can see in the picture. Does anyone have any experience with this? I'd read that they're pretty hardy, so I'm very surprised that this is happening for no apparent reason. :-( Initially I used to water it once in 3-4 days and now I do so once a week, only when the soil is dry.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

Geneviève
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
It all depends on your location in regard of the temperature , it looks like your plant has had an exposure to the cold . Keep in indoor and expose it to direct sunlight .

http://www.ehow.com/how_5104474_care-golden-pothos.html?ref=Track2&utm_source=ask
Storm 7a
11 years ago
Where is it located inside? They tend to like low, indirect lighting. Try moving it away from any light fixtures or lamps that are on a lot and to a dimmer part of the house for a week or so and see if that helps.
Related Professionals
Savannah Bathroom Remodelers · New York City Bathroom Remodelers · Amarillo Bathroom Remodelers · Tupelo General Contractors · Muncie General Contractors · Brooklyn General Contractors · Allentown General Contractors · Tucson General Contractors · Brunswick Interior Designers & Decorators · Quincy Interior Designers & Decorators · Salina Interior Designers & Decorators · Wichita Interior Designers & Decorators · Lawton Interior Designers & Decorators · Grand Junction Interior Designers & Decorators · San Angelo Interior Designers & Decorators
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
If it was in direct sun outdoors or the light load where you placed it outdoors was considerably brighter than light levels at its immediately previous position, photo-oxidation (sunburn) is the likely cause. Too much sun causes molecules in the leaf's photosynthesizing apparatus to get over-excited. As they calm down a chemical reaction causes release of an oxidase, namely hydrogen peroxide - the same stuff used to bleach hair - which attacks the nearest organic molecule which is often the pigment chlorophyll. This usually turns foliage silver or gray first, followed by it turning brown then crispy or black and mushy depending on how fleshy the leaves are and/or how much water and sap they contain. Since chlorophyll acts as nature's sunscreen for plants, and the variegated portion of the leaves contains very little chlorophyll, the lighter part of the variegation is much more susceptible to to photo-oxidation. Unless I'm reading the leaves wrong, it appears that's what happened, and the most severe damage is limited to leaf parts with the least amount of green pigment.

Al

Edited to say: Aww cheese! Nothing like participating in a post that died years previous.
tina d
5 years ago
too much fertilizer?
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
5 years ago
If the damage was the result of over-fertilizing, it would have to have been a massive over-dose. With a fair amount of frequency, someone repeats advice they heard somewhere that, "Plants like magnesium, and it will make them green and healthy again". The advice typically continues with, "Make a solution of 1 tablespoon of Epsom salts in a gallon of water and pour it on the soil", which usually ends up to be severely limiting at best, especially if the plant happened to be dry.

Fertilizer burn by way of a more or less gradual build-up of dissolved solids (salts) in the soil solution affects leaf tips and margins first, before getting gradually worse and spreading to affect the entire leaf.

Al