How to Choose The Best Pot For a Pothos Plant - Size & Material

The best pot for your pothos depends on a number of factors, all of which have an impact on how well your plant does in its new home.

A drainage hole is necessary to prevent overwatering, and a pothos does best in one that is about 2 inches wider than the root mass. It's usually best to use terra cotta pots if your Pothos is in low light because it's more difficult to prevent overwatering with plastic, metal, or glazed containers. Every 1-2 years, repotter your pothos.

Let's examine the various containers on the market to determine which is best for your plant.

Pothos Plant Container Features

As long as it has at least one drainage hole in the bottom, almost any container type can be used to grow a pothos. So that the soil doesn't become waterlogged, this hole allows extra moisture to drain freely. Pothos thrives in soil that is kept consistently moist and doesn't dry out easily. The plant will require more frequent watering in a clay pot because clay pots wick moisture from the soil, which can cause it to dry out more quickly. Although plastic pots often need less watering because they retain more moisture, you must regularly check the soil's moisture to ensure that it doesn't get too wet.

What Pot is Best for Pothos?

As long as there are drainage holes at the bottom of the pot, pothos can grow in almost any container. In actuality, the material of the container makes little difference to this amiable plant. Having said that, certain pots are more suitable for pothos than others.

You can probably infer that plant size affects pot size. The best pot for a Pothos should be big enough for the roots to spread out. The soil should not massively outweigh the roots, but it should also be small enough to avoid this. The amount of potting mix in the container determines how long it takes to dry out. This makes it much simpler to drown or rot your Pothos roots through excessive watering.

By selecting a pot that is 2 inches wider than the root ball, you can achieve the ideal balance. In most cases, you can assume that the roots are the same size as the current pot if you don't want to uproot your plant until you're ready to repot it. Pothos roots quickly spread to the edges of their containers due to their rapid growth.

If your Pothos is severely overgrown, you might need to select a larger pot than usual. Look at the roots when you remove your plant from the soil. Do they constrict one another tightly and are they encircled in circles? In that case, your plant has likely outgrown its container for a while. In lieu of 2, think about potting up 3–4 inches.

As root pruning reduces the need for a larger pot, you could also do it before repotting your Pothos. By pruning the roots once or twice every two years, you can maintain the size of your plant for as long as is required. For this, use a serrated garden knife to saw off the bottom one-third of the root mass. Start by cleaning the blade with some rubbing alcohol or a 10% bleach solution.

What Material is Best for a Pothos Pot?

The most popular materials for indoor plant pots are clay, ceramics, plastic, and metal. But there are also a lot of choices available made of materials like glass, concrete, stone, wood, fiberglass, and even fabric. The majority of these materials are suitable for Pothos. The durability and breathability are where the biggest differences lie.

Materials like plastic, metal, glass, and fiberglass only permit water to evaporate from the soil surface. This indicates that the drying process for these pots is slower. That's okay if your Pothos plant is in a fast-draining potting soil and is receiving plenty of sunlight. An impermeable pot, however, might dry out too slowly if the soil is heavy or the space is poorly lit. When using this kind of container, exercise extra caution when watering.

Porous materials allow water vapor to escape from the pot's sides so that the soil can dry out more quickly. This explains why terra cotta, or unglazed clay, pots, are so popular. They're great if:

• The lighting is dim
• Your potting mix doesn't drain very fast
• You have a tendency to overwater (Read More:How To Fix Overwatered Pothos)

You should be aware that glazing plugs the tiny pores that allow clay to breathe. A glossy, painted ceramic pot won't prevent overwatering because it isn't made of terra cotta.

Terra cotta's primary flaw is that it is incredibly delicate. If you drop your pot or unintentionally strike it too hard, it will break. Another porous material that is slightly more durable is concrete, but it is heavier, more expensive, and still not shatter-proof. The downside of wooden planters is that they quickly rot due to poor ventilation.

A less popular choice is a fabric pot, which is very breathable but unbreakable. However, they can be a little expensive relative to their size, and the style isn't for everyone.

• Also Read: What Is The Best Soil Mix For Pothos

Can a Pothos Grow in a Pot Without Drainage?

A pot with a drainage hole is always the best pot for a Pothos to avoid Pothos root rot or yellow leaves. Devil's ivy can grow in a container without holes in the base, but it is much more difficult to do so. Root rot is more likely because the water stays in the soil for longer. (Read More: Why Are My Pothos Leaves Turning Yellow)

What if a pot that is a perfect fit for your personal style is discovered but lacks a drainage hole? If it's plastic, adding a few openings will be as simple as drilling through the bottom. Glass or ceramics are much more difficult, but you can still do this by using a special drill bit with a carbide tip.

A simpler option is to use the solid-bottomed pot as a cachepot. (Pronounced "cash-poe" if you want to be true to the word's Find a slightly smaller plastic container with a drainage hole and put your Pothos plant inside of it. Then conceal this pot inside the more elaborate one, only removing it to water plants.

Nevertheless, you must take care to prevent liquid from collecting in the cachepot. The simplest method is to remove the smaller pot from the larger one and water it in the sink (or another location where it can drain easily) when you're watering. Place it back in the larger pot after you've waited for it to stop dripping.

Alternatively, you could water the plant as usual and return in about an hour to empty the cachepot. Just be sure to remember that step two, or your soil will become soggy.

What Pot Size is Best for Pothos?

It is advised to use a value between 5 and 7 in ideal circumstances. It's the ideal size for your pothos.

Many of you must become distracted by their appearance when shopping for pots or planters. And it makes sense because the plant's container and the two work so well together to enhance one another.

However, the pot's size is a crucial factor that affects the plant's growth just as much. The key to your pothos growing successfully is therefore choosing the right pot size.

I've included a list of important considerations below, along with an estimate of the typical pot size for pothos.

Factors to Consider When Buying Pothos Pot

1. Size

Every plant needs adequate space to grow inside the container or pot, even pothos, which doesn't rely heavily on its surroundings for growth.

They need lots of room to spread out as they grow from the pothos roots. Otherwise, they may tangle or fail to develop normally.

The bigger is not necessarily better, though! A larger pot will result in poor soil water retention, for instance, if your pothos plant is small in size and has a shallow root system.

Similar to this, choose a large pot if you have medium to large pothos at home.

Such a size will enable the plant's roots to spread out as widely as they ought to, and a larger size will improve the soil's ability to retain moisture.

To put it simply, the pot size shouldn't be either too small or too large.

2. Be Careful About the Various Dimensions of the Pots

"I want a bigger pot for my pothos," " A small pot, in my opinion, would complement my pothos." It is utterly incorrect to choose a plant pot in this manner on a regular basis.

In order to accommodate different plant sizes and potential growth, flowerpots have multiple dimensions. Examples of the most important dimensions are height and width.

Let's say your pothos has a good height and a strong root system; in this case, you'd prefer a taller, wider pot. The pothos' roots will be able to penetrate the soil deeper with help from its height, but it will be able to grow as wide as possible.

However, either the roots or the plant itself won't do well in a short, narrower pot for pothos. The pot sizes listed below won't be useful either.

• Short and wide pot.
• Tall and narrow pot.

Therefore, when choosing a pot for your pothos plant, be careful not to focus only on the height or width.

3. Be Mindful of the Pothos Size

You should be aware that pothos comes in a variety of sizes and has good future growth potential. Consequently, selecting a pot for these plants is a difficult task.

However, it's not impossible! The first and most important thing to keep in mind is never to choose a pot's size based solely on the size of your pothos.

Instead, consult the pothos' growth chart to determine how much more it will inevitably grow and whether you should continue pruning it to keep it at a set height.

Instead of rushing to buy the pot again and again, choose a slightly larger pot. Moreover, consider how much soil the plant will need.

For typical plants, it is recommended to use 1-2 gallons of soil. The plant will need more soil as it gets bigger in order to support that growth.

You can choose a pot that is 2 Prime inches larger than the root ball and at least 10 Prime inches deeper by taking into account the pot's overall size, its various dimensions, the pothos standard size, and its rate of growth.

When and How to Repot

With the right care, Devil's Ivy plants can grow very quickly. The majority of indoor gardeners must repot their Pothos at least twice a decade. If yours is especially robust, once a year might be required.

How do you know when to repot? One possibility is that sudden slowing of that blazingly rapid growth. Due to their lack of room in the pot, the roots may also begin to spread outside the drainage hole. (Read More: How and When to Repot Your Pothos)

Another red flag is when your Pothos begins to wilt right away after you water it. Additionally, you might observe that as soon as water is added, it immediately begins to flow out the bottom. The soil that retains moisture is pushed out by the overgrown roots, which is why this occurs.

Repot your Pothos or perform root pruning as soon as you notice any of these warning signs. If not, spring is the ideal season to give your plant a larger container. Your Pothos will receive more sunlight as the days lengthen because of this. That will invigorate it and aid in its quick recovery from the stress of repotting.

It's a good idea to replace the soil when potting up your Pothos. Use a coarse mixture with good drainage and aeration. Our preferred potting mixture for Devil's Ivy contains 4 parts perlite, 3 parts coconut coir, 2 parts orchid bark, and 1 part worm castings. When adding it to the pot, lightly moisten it. It should have the texture of a damp sponge that has been wrung out.

If your Pothos has tightly bound roots, you can use your fingers to gently pry the roots apart. Instead of curling up tighter, this will encourage them to expand. After repotting, keep your Devil's Ivy humid, keep it out of direct sunlight, and don't fertilize it for the next two to four weeks. (Read More: Why Are My Pothos Leaves Curling)

Final Thoughts

The plant's size, location, and rate of growth will determine the ideal pot for a Pothos. Additionally, it depends on your personal preferences and routines as a caregiver. Overwatering is one of the biggest threats to an indoor Pothos, so generally speaking, you should search for a container with good drainage that allows evaporation. Our advice should assist you in locating a pot that will allow your plant to flourish.