Why Is My Pothos Turning Yellow? 6 Causes and How to Fix Each

There is nothing quite as disheartening as walking past your favourite trailing vine and noticing that its vibrant, lush green leaves are slowly turning a sickly shade of yellow. Pothos, scientifically known as Epipremnum aureum, is famous for being one of the most resilient and forgiving houseplants available. So, when those golden or pale yellow patches begin to appear, it is completely normal to feel a sense of panic. But do not worry—your leafy companion is simply trying to communicate with you.

Yellow leaves are essentially a plant's version of a distress signal. The good news is that pothos is incredibly forgiving, and if you catch the problem early enough, you can reverse the damage and restore your plant to its former glory. Let's dive into the six most common reasons your pothos is turning yellow and exactly how you can fix each one.

Overwatering

Without a doubt, the number one culprit behind a yellowing pothos is overwatering. As plant parents, our instinct is often to nurture our green friends with a generous splash of water, but pothos prefers to dry out between drinks. When the soil remains constantly soggy, the roots are starved of oxygen. This anaerobic environment is the perfect breeding ground for root rot, a condition where opportunistic fungi attack and decimate the root system. If your pothos has soft, mushy stems and yellowing leaves—especially on the lower half of the plant—overwatering is likely the issue.

How to fix it:

1. Check the soil moisture: Stick your finger about two inches into the soil. If it feels wet or clings to your finger, hold off on watering. You can also use a wooden chopstick; if it comes out clean, the soil is dry, but if it comes out with dark, wet soil clinging to it, it is too wet.
2. Assess the roots: Gently remove the plant from its pot. Healthy roots should be firm and white. If they are brown, black, or mushy and smell foul, you have root rot.
3. Prune the damaged roots: Using sterilised scissors, snip away all the rotten, mushy roots until you are left with only firm, healthy tissue.
4. Repot with fresh soil: Discard the old, soggy soil and repot your pothos in a fresh, well-draining chunky aroid mix. A blend of potting soil, perlite, and orchid bark works wonders.
5. Adjust your watering schedule: Going forward, only water when the top two inches of soil are completely dry to the touch.

💡 Tip — Always use a pot with drainage holes. A pot without drainage is a ticking time bomb for root rot, no matter how careful you are with the watering can.

Underwatering

Now that we have covered the dangers of too much water, let's swing to the other end of the spectrum. While pothos enjoys drying out, it does not want to live in a state of drought. If you have been neglecting your plant or if your home is exceptionally warm and dry, your pothos might be parched. Underwatered pothos leaves will typically turn a crispy, pale yellow before browning at the edges. You might also notice that the soil has pulled away from the sides of the pot and the leaves are drooping dramatically.

💡 Tip — Check the soil moisture before watering your pothos. Push your finger about 2cm into the soil — if it feels dry, it is time to water. If it still feels moist, wait another day or two.

How to fix it:

1. Give it a thorough soak: Place your plant in a sink or tub and water it slowly until water runs freely from the drainage holes.
2. Bottom water if the soil is hydrophobic: Extremely dry soil can become water-repellent, causing water to run straight down the sides of the pot without absorbing. Fill a basin with water and set the pot in it for 30 to 45 minutes, allowing the soil to wick moisture up from the bottom.
3. Establish a routine: Check your plant every 4 to 5 days. Do not stick to a rigid calendar schedule; instead, water based on the soil's actual moisture levels.
4. Increase humidity: If your home is very dry, consider placing your pothos on a pebble tray filled with water or grouping it with other plants to create a microclimate of higher humidity.

Inadequate Light

Moving on from water issues, let's shed some light on another critical factor. Pothos is renowned for its ability to survive in low light, but there is a big difference between surviving and thriving. If your pothos is sitting in a dark corner, it cannot perform photosynthesis efficiently. To survive, the plant will start cannibalising its older leaves, pulling chlorophyll from them to feed new growth, which results in a rapid yellowing and dropping of the lower foliage. Conversely, if your plant is placed in direct, harsh sunlight, the leaves can become sunburned, developing bleached, yellow patches that eventually turn brown and crispy.

How to fix it:

• Find the sweet spot: Relocate your pothos to a spot where it receives bright, indirect sunlight. An east-facing window where it gets gentle morning sun, or a few feet back from a south or west-facing window, is ideal.
• Filter harsh rays: If you only have a bright, south-facing windowsill, hang a sheer curtain to diffuse the intense light and protect the leaves from UV burn.
• Rotate the plant: Turn your pothos a quarter turn every time you water. This ensures all sides of the plant receive equal light exposure, preventing lopsided growth and uneven leaf yellowing.
• Supplement with grow lights: If your space truly lacks natural light, consider adding a full-spectrum LED grow light for 8 to 12 hours a day.

Nutrient Deficiency

If you have had your pothos for over a year and it lives in the same soil it came in, it might simply be starving. Potted plants have a finite amount of nutrients available to them, and over time, watering flushes these essential elements out of the soil. A lack of nitrogen, in particular, will cause older leaves to turn pale yellow while the new leaves remain green. This is because nitrogen is a mobile nutrient; the plant will move it from older foliage to support new growth. If the leaves are yellowing but the veins remain dark green, your plant might be suffering from a lack of iron or magnesium.

How to fix it:

💡 Tip — Pothos thrives with consistent care. Set a weekly reminder in the Green Sage app to stay on track with watering and fertilising schedules.

1. Choose the right fertiliser: Select a balanced, water-soluble houseplant fertiliser with an NPK ratio of 10-10-10.
2. Dilute the dose: Pothos is highly sensitive to chemical burn. Dilute your fertiliser to half the recommended strength to avoid shocking the roots.
3. Feed during the growing season: Apply the diluted fertiliser once a month during the spring and summer. Pause completely during the autumn and winter when the plant's growth naturally slows down.
4. Flu

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