Why does my pothos have variegated leaves turning plain green?
On a pothos the new leaves come out plain green, or with fewer and paler gold or cream patches than the leaves before them, while the older leaves keep the marks they were made with. The change is gradual: each leaf a little greener than the last, along a vine that has grown away from the window.
The most likely cause is too little light. The entry puts the best spot in medium indirect light, and the Royal Horticultural Society and the NC State plant toolbox both name low light as the reason a pothos loses its variegation. Pothos survives in a dim corner, which is why it turns up in so many offices, and variegation is the price.
To confirm it in a minute, stand where the plant stands at midday and look at the light. If a bright window is across the room, or the plant is on a floor or shelf that a curtain or a neighbouring plant shades, that is the cause. Compare a new leaf with one made a year ago: the older one will have more pattern. Also look at the gaps between leaves along the vine, because longer gaps on new growth mean the plant is reaching for light.
Two other causes are worth ruling out. A single stem that is wholly green and growing faster than the rest has reverted. Heavy feeding also pushes new growth towards green, and the entry advises half-strength feed monthly through spring and summer, not more.
Old leaves stay as they are, so judge the recovery by the new ones. After a move to brighter light, the next leaves should show more gold, and in the growing season that takes a few weeks. In winter growth is slow, and the change is clearest in spring.
What this plant wants
| Light | Medium light |
|---|---|
| Water, growing season | Every 7 days |
| Water, winter | Every 12 days |
| Humidity | Medium |
| Temperature | 12 to 30 °C |
| Grows in winter | No |
The fix
Move to a brighter spot out of direct sun; new leaves will show more gold.
Read on
- Why Variegated Plants Turn Green: Causes and Solutions
- The same sign on any plant, with the causes in the order they are likely.
- Pothos care
- Light, water, feeding, repotting and the rest of the entry.
- Check it in the diagnoser
- Opens with the plant, the part and the sign already chosen.
Checked against
The figures and the advice on this page were checked against the sources below, and where they disagree the page says so.