Prehaps my pothos could give it a friendly chat?

I have 3 varieties and 2 climb the palms and oaks, the third is relunctant to climb trees but it climbs the walls of the house well. I think the regular green one climbs the best as it has already topped the oak and has climbed down to dangle under the canopy. The marbled one like yours prefers the sable palm trees but will climb the oak but not as vigorous, the third has red stems and climbs the walls of my house no matter how many times i pull it off...it tried to climb into my dryer vent. I used to have a moosehead variety too but it did not survive the cropping down of the dead oak it was climbing.

Pea, please! Organize a pothos play-date. :)

I did not realize that it had tree-trunk preferences. That is so interesting. I don't have anything but a very short palm tree available for it. And I do have other varieties I could try... that didn't even occur to me. Very helpful!

Carol

I just speak from my experience.

the marble one tends to not only climp but like to spread across the ground too. My sable just seems its tree of choice

If they have established roots, just plant them as close as possible to the tree trunk and they will climb it. Make certain the new growth is toward the tree!

Planted around 5 years ago. In the second picture you can see the roots on the tree (African Tulip Tree) with some new growth that's just starting up.

This one was planted more than 10 years ago and is climbing a Washingtonia Palm.

I took some pictures of my pothos...i forgot to get one of the red stemmed one tho. Maybe you can show you little pothos what he is suppose to do by way of photos ;)

Wow, Ricky and Pea, your vines are amazing. Tarzan would approve! I hope mine works out. I checked it today and although it doesn't appear to have changed since I tied it up - no attachment to the tree - it hasn't rebelled yet, either.

Ricky, your comment about growth direction is well-taken. I have a second rooted piece - over on the left side in the photos - that somehow got turned around. I could swear it was pointed the right way when I put it in the ground. I'm blaming it on squirrels. ;)

Carol

I have an old ficus tree that had something similar growing up and through it. it has almost taken over the tree. Someone told me that it would kill the tree, so I'm trying to remove it a little at a time. But seeing these picture, now I wonder if I should just leave it? I'll try to get a picture. it looks very, very similar to the pictures here. Thoughts?

It all depends if if the vine is rooted on a tree or in a tree. If the growth is rooted in a tree the tree is already dying but if it is merely rooted on the tree the tree is healthy. The pothos on my sable has been there for over 20 years.

Finally "took"... but on its own terms. This is far around the tree to the right of where I had originally put it. :)

It's the little things in life, right? Yay!

Carol

After freezing to the ground this past winter, she's making another run at it:

Carol

Carol, very nice and a happy come back plant story.

Silvia

This makes me miss my huge pothos in my laurel oak tree at my house, and my philodendrons climbing the live oak. I really thought they were goners one year after a bad freeze, but they came back out and were just as gorgeous when I left.

I was actually quite amazed that mine weren't damaged more by the cold this winter as so many plants were but i only got a little leaf loss on the north side of each vining. You can't even tell now. They are too big to cover since they climb an oak and a palm. I do cover the base of the oak as that is where i have bromileads so there is always the roots covered for the one that climbs the oak.

The part that had run up the trunk of my oak tree froze so completely that even the vine itself was completely dead and gone. There was nothing remaining that would pop out new leaves. But the portion in the ground did wake up and has started back up the tree and across the ground.

I'm wondering: will a pothos run up a magnolia tree? Since I have it going now, on the oak, I'm thinking of grabbing some of the pieces that are running across the ground and transplanting to the base of my magnolia. Will it climb a magnolia tree? (I know from my experience above that if it will, I will have to wait for it to find its own way!)

Thanks!

Carol

That magnolia area is so peaceful i don't think it needs it and as the vine grows that bench will become unusable. If you really want to try it get a different variety so you can have a little different look. I have 3 different kinds of pothos...i used to have a moosehead pothos too but that died years ago.

For the magnolia, try something smaller, like a heartleaf philodendron. That would contrast with the large leaves of the magnolia.

Thanks to both of you, I never thought of that! First, I didn't even know that there were different kinds of pothos. And second, I had never considered a different vine. Will post an update if/when it gets going.

Several years later along with some significant climate change:

Carol, love seeing photos of your yard!

Water the bark. The roots will seek water. They won't stick to the bark until there is water there. I had one growing up my oak tree and some parts of it still insisted on crawling around the ground.

I have some orchids growing on branches on our oak tree. We also have Pothos that I didn't plant, really don't like and can't get rid of it. Our oak is a huge tree but these vines go crazy and are so aggressive. I have chopped them down, hit some with Roundup to kill it, nothing worked. The leaves are enormous.

I would never recommend planting these, they are truly aggressive and impossible to get rid of. Because I have orchids on upper branches which I shoot with the hose to water, the Pothos gets watered also which doesn't help.

I'll take some pics and post them so you can see what I mean.

Jane

Hi, Jane, after I read your message, I was standing in my backyard, looking up at this thing I thought I wanted. I can see that within another week or two, I will not be able to remove it - ever. It will be on its own and too high in the tree for me to get it all. As it is now, it will take every bit of my 8' ladder. I am going to take your advice and pull it down today.

For those following this thread, it did take over on the magnolia tree, too, but is only about 4' up. I will remove that, as well.

Thanks for the reality check. It was very timely!

Carol

While we're on the subject, does the same go for Philodendron 'Burle Marx'? Would it be a better option? I have plenty of it - in pots.

Or is the best option "no vines"?

@TheLemongardener, it was just plain ol' variegated pothos. I think my mother had it growing in a vase of water in her kitchen for years and years and years.

However, as of yesterday, I am pothos-free. :) I removed every last inch of it from the trees and the garden beds. (Thanks again for the advice, Jane!)

That was silly. You freaked out because someone had a bad experience with the plant ! I have these plants on trees and these plants look beautifull. If I were ever to see a situation where a tree were being suffocated , then I would trim the plant down. Like any plant , exercise management, if trimming were needed , then trim it and shape it down. You have grass right ? you have to mow it continuosly right ? Sad to see how people are so easily scared away … sad

https://www.south-florida-plant-guide.com/golden-pothos.html

Does not hurt a tree