I’ve been growing pothos for a while now, and one question that always comes up is: how much sunlight do these guys actually need? I mean, we’ve all heard they’re pretty chill with low light, but I wanted to see for myself what the deal was.
My Pothos Experiment
So, I started with three pothos plants, all roughly the same size and health. I put one in a spot that gets a good amount of bright, indirect light. Think near a window, but not directly in the sun’s path. It’s like they’re getting a nice, gentle sunbath without the sunburn, you know?
Then, I placed another one in a shadier spot. This one was further away from the window, where the light was much softer. It was more like the kind of light you’d get on a cloudy day. Not dark, but definitely not bright. I just want to see what happened in the plant.
Lastly, I put the third plant directly in front of the window to let it have a sunbath. In this way, I can check its difference with the first plant.
Tracking the Sun’s Effect
Over the next few weeks, I kept a close eye on them. Watered them the same, made sure the soil was feeling good, the usual plant parent stuff. The one in the bright, indirect light seemed pretty happy. It started sprouting new leaves, and they were a nice, vibrant green. The plant grew quickly.
The one in the shadier spot was a bit slower. It didn’t look sad or anything, just not as energetic as the first one. The leaves were still green, but they weren’t popping up as fast. I started to worry about this guy. What is wrong with it? I could not figure it out.
The third plant which enjoyed the sunbath did not look good. The leaves became yellow. Maybe it was because of the strong sunlight. It told me that maybe the pothos can not have direct light, even though through the window.
My Takeaway
So, what did I learn from my little pothos experiment? Well, it seems like they really do best with that sweet spot of bright, indirect light. They can handle lower light, sure, but they won’t be as lively. They like shade, I think it has a positive effect on pothos. And too much direct sun? Nope, not a fan. Maybe because I live in a place with high humidity, I don’t know. But it really made me believe that pothos love higher humidity levels.
At the end of the day, it’s all about finding what works for your plant in your home. Every space is different, so you gotta play around a bit. But hopefully, my experience gives you a good starting point for figuring out your pothos’ sunlight needs!
