There are several possible answers as to why your pothos’ leaves are curling. Examples of reasons include too little or too much water, too little or too much light, disease, or too high temperatures.
Generally, pothos are undemanding houseplants but if their leaves start to curl they are in need of some care. Being quite resilient plants, it is often still possible to undo the damage.
Since there could be more than one reason why your silver pothos has curling leaves, you may have to try out different solutions to see which one has the best effect. You should be able to see a change in just a few days.
These are the possible reasons why you might ask yourself why are my silver pothos leaves curling!?
What Is Silver Pothos?
Silver pothos is a variety of the pothos plant, also known as satin pothos or silver vine. It is a tropical trailing plant that does quite well as a houseplant.
This specific pothos species has broad heart-shaped leaves. A healthy silver pothos will have gray flecks and streaks on its leaves but when in low light conditions it will maintain a dark blueish green color.
Compared to other pothos varieties, the silver pothos does not trail as much which is why it often looks fuller. In terms of care, there are no significant differences between the many pothos varieties.
4 Reasons Why Your Silver Pothos Leaves are Curling
There are four different factors that could cause the leaves of a silver pothos plant to start curling. Most of these are environmental factors so simply moving your houseplant to better spot might solve the problem.
1Water
One of the advantages of pothos plants is that they can grow and survive very well in just water. However, silver pothos planted in soil can have curling leaves when there is too much or too little water.
When the soil is too wet, the plant roots start rotting, also referred to as root rot. Root rot is very bad for plants because it prevents them from absorbing all the necessary nutrients from the soil, including water.
As a result, the silver pothos will begin curling its leaves which helps it to retain water and nutrients. Black spots may also appear on the leaves.
Overwatering silver pothos can be avoided by keeping them in pots with drainage holes. This flushes out the excess water.
The opposite problem is the soil being too dry. Essentially, the same happens; the leaves start to curl to retain the little water that there is left.
This is a rather common problem because people are told that pothos don’t need much water and that the soil should dry out a little before the next watering. The problem is that the roots should always have access to moisture and some people let the soil dry out for too long.
The solution is simple; give the silver pothos a good watering. Aim for an even moisture throughout the soil and water it again when the first 1 – 2 inches of soil dries out.
2Sunlight
Every plant needs sunlight to stay healthy and every plant grows towards the direction of the sunlight. If your silver pothos is placed where the sun only comes from one direction, that is the direction the leaves will be growing towards.
Too much sunlight could cause silver pothos leaves to curl away and hang low. This is easily solved by moving the plant to a spot with less direct sunlight.
Too little sunlight could also cause silver pothos leaves to curl in the direction of the nearest sun. Simply moving the plant to a sunnier spot will stop it from curling strangely.
3Disease
Certain insects like drinking the sap from plant. If there is an insect infestation, your silver pothos leaves might start curling.
Be mindful of what goes on in the soil of your silver pothos and react quickly when you notice little critters moving around. You will have to spray it with a natural insecticide and then remove the dead bugs.
4Heat
The final factor that could cause silver pothos leaves to curl is too high temperatures. Silver pothos do not like temperatures above 85°F.
If the room temperature is consistently above 85°F or if the silver pothos sits in direct sunlight for too long, the leaves may suffer. Heat stress will cause the leaves to hang low and curl inwards.
Try keeping the room temperature in the safe range between 65°F – 85°F. If direct sunlight is the culprit then, move it to a shadier spot.
Frequently Asked Questions:
When Should I Water My Silver Pothos?
If the silver pothos is potted in soil, water it when the top 1 – 2 inches of soil are feeling dry. The ideal is having an even distribution of moisture throughout all the soil layers.
Looking at the plant itself may also give you a clue on when it is in need of water. Silver pothos leaves that require watering will start to hang lower.
Can Silver Pothos Grow in Water?
Yes, silver pothos, like most pothos varieties, can survive in a pot filled with just water. However, this is best reserved for pothos vines that you would like to propagate.
Although pothos can live in both water and soil, they don’t like a change in medium. So, if your pothos came in soil, leave it in soil and only place its clipping in water.
Do Pothos Like to Be Misted?
Pothos don’t like to be misted – contrary to the popular saying that misting pothos increases humidity. Misting pothos could cause the spread of diseases, it does not affect the humidity.
Also, despite being tropical plants, pothos do not need high humidity to survive. They do just as well in lower humidity conditions.
Summary
When silver pothos leaves are curling it is a sign that they are in less than ideal conditions. The most common reasons for why silver pothos leaves curl are overwatering to underwatering, too much direct sunlight, not enough light exposure, insect infestations and heat stress.
Fortunately, silver pothos recover fairly well if you address the problem quick enough. The way that the leaves hang and their color are good indicators of whether the plant is healthy.
With the exception of the insect infestation, saving your houseplant should not be too hard. They are low maintenance houseplants that can survive a few days of poor conditions.
