Transform your home into a lush oasis with the unique foliage of Shangri La Pothos. Here’s an extensive Sleeping Pothos Care Guide for you!
Shangri La Pothos makes for a fantastic houseplant and is popular by the name—Sleeping Pothos for its unique foliage that looks like the plant is leisurely taking a nap! The twisted heart-shaped leaves with amazing variegations will glow in small planters and elevate your interiors to a new level. Grow yours with this Shangri La Pothos Care Guide!
- Botanical Name: Epipremnum aureum ‘Shangri La’
- Popular as Sleeping Pothos and Spinach Pothos
- Gorgeous variegated vines can reach upto 3-4 feet long
- Prized for its uniquely textured, variegated green and yellow foliage
- Loves bright, indirect light
- Toxic to pets and children if ingested
Shangri La Pothos Plant Profile
The Shangri La Pothos features striking heart-shaped foliage with a crooked or folded texture that pretty much gives the plant its nicknames—Sleeping Pothos and Spinach Pothos. The crinkled leaves with bright green edges and yellow variegated streaks in the center are what make this plant the center of attraction.
The beautiful leaves are about 6-8 inches long and 2-4 inches wide. The translucent stems of this plant look gorgeous in a hanging basket or climbing up a trellis, where they can reach about 3-4 feet long with proper support.
Ideal Pot Size
Start with a 4-inch small pot for a young Shangri La Pothos. As far as repotting is concerned, you will have to increase the pot size to a couple of inches when you see the roots coming out of the holes. Ensure to choose a pot with enough drainage holes to prevent water from accumulating in the medium, which can be fatal for the roots.
Shangri La Pothos Plant Propagation
There are multiple methods to propagate this plant, but if you want to choose the easiest and most relied one, the propagation from stem cutting is the best.
- Choose a disease-free plant and use a sterile knife to snip a healthy stem below the leaf nodes.
- Remove the bottom leaves, keeping the upper pair intact.
- Place the stem cutting in a glass filled with clean, filtered water while ensuring the foliage does not come in contact with water.
- Change the water every alternate day to keep fungal issues at bay.
- Place the glass in a location with bright, indirect sunlight.
You’ll notice new roots emerging from the nodes. Once they are about an inch long, transplant the cutting to a well-growing medium and ensure optimal growing conditions for the plant to grow.
Shangri La Pothos Growing Requirements
Light
The Sleeping Pothos grows best in bright, indirect light, and to give it the same, place your plant near a window that receives a few hours of mild morning sunlight while avoiding the scorching afternoon sun.
These plants can grow in lower lights too, but it will result in slow growth and smaller, paler leaves which will flatten their charm.
Soil
A good-quality, all-purpose potting soil can do well for this indoor plant. All you need to ensure is that the soil is well drained and does not waterlog. In order to improve drainage, you can add perlite, vermiculite, or peat moss to any houseplant mix, which helps prevent water from accumulating and causing root rot.
Water
Shangri La Pothos loves evenly moist soil that is not waterlogged, so the trick is to water the medium when the soil dries out. These plants somewhat tolerate drought, but an extended water scarcity can kill them.
Follow a deep watering method every week, i.e., water the medium until it seeps out of the drainage holes. Keep an eye on the top two inches of the medium and do the needful.
Temperature and Humidity
Shangri La Pothos loves temperatures and humidity on the higher side, so some warmth and little humidity will do just fine for the plant. These plants will grow well in temperatures between 60-85°F (15-29°C). They can tolerate temperatures as low as 50°F (10°C) but not lower than that.
Being a houseplant, the Sleeping Pothos loves humidity; you can increase the moisture around your Pothos plant by placing a pebble tray nearby or misting the leaves with water.
Shangri La Pothos Plant Care
Fertilizer
This beautiful pothos can perform well without fertilization if grown in a nutrient-rich medium. However, a balance water-soluble fertilizer every 4-6 weeks during the growing season will result in better plant health. Ensure to dilute the feed to 1/4th its strength to keep the gorgeous foliage from nutrient burn.
Pests and Diseases
Shangri La Pothos can have pest infestations which can even cause problems like yellowing of leaves and stunted growth. Spider mites, scale insects, and mealybugs are some of the common culprits.
On spotting any nasty pest infestation, quickly isolate it from other plants to prevent the spread of pests. You can also spray the plant with a mixture of neem oil and a mild soap solution. Keep from overwatering the medium and provide good air circulation to keep potential issues at bay.
