Satin Pothos – Scindapsus Pictus

Description

Light

What the above information on Scindapsus pictus’ natural growth habits tells us about its lighting needs, is that this species is similar to many other rainforest plants in the houseplant hobby in that it’s not used to receiving direct sun. After all, tree canopies would naturally drown out most light far before it could reach its leaves.

In the house, this means it’s not a good idea to place your Scindapsus pictus near a window that receives a lot of direct sun every day (south-facing, in the Northern Hemisphere). Instead, find a window that gets indirect light or place the plant a bit further away from the light source. You can also help protect it with a sheer curtain.

Because this species doesn’t need a lot of light in general, it will do well in most areas in your home as long as there’s some light coming in. This is also one of the reasons Scindapsus pictus is quite a popular choice for offices and public spaces. It will grow just fine under just artificial lighting as well!

Temperature

The areas Scindaptus pictus naturally grows in are characterized by their tropical temperatures. In your home, you should therefore try to keep the plant away from cold to prevent damage. It’s not frost tolerant at all: most sources actually recommend a minimum temperature of 15 °C/59 °F. Regular room temperature works well.

Be sure to keep your Scindapsus pictus away from drafty windows or cold sheds, especially if you’re in an area where it gets chilly during the winter months!

Satin Pothos soil & planting

Soil

Scindapsus pictus is not a difficult plant when it comes to soil choice. To imitate the tropical conditions it naturally grows in, choose something that holds some moisture while letting excess water drain in order to prevent rot.

A normal potting soil should work just fine in most cases. If it drains too fast, you can add some type of peat-replacement, like coco coir. If you find things draining too slow, a handful of perlite might prove helpful.

Planting

Nothing complicated here either. As long as the pot you’re using has proper drainage (in the form of a drainage hole at the bottom), your Scindapsus pictus should be just fine. Plastic nursery pots are a popular choice, as they have drainage holes to let excess water drain but do still hold moisture relatively well due to their plastic edges.

Like the popular Pothos, there are two ways to grow Scindapsus pictus: you can either let it hang, or make it grow upwards. The former results in a small-leaved plant with impressively long vines, whereas the latter results in larger leaves. You can imitate the way the species naturally grows on tree trunks by letting it climb on a plant totem.

Watering satin Pothos

Figuring out a watering schedule that works for your Scindapsus pictus isn’t too hard and the plant is quite forgiving. This is part of what makes this species such a great option for beginners. It’s not possible to tell you exactly how often you should water yours, though, as it all depends on the conditions in your home.

Just keep an eye on the plant’s soil to pinpoint when it needs water. It should be lightly dry at the top and lightly moist near the bottom. Bone dry and you’ve waited too long, still soggy and you should water less next time!

In practice. this will come down to roughly once a week in most cases. Do keep in mind that the plant will need more water during the growing months (spring and summer) than the dormant period.

Satin Pothos fertilizer

In order to optimize your satin Pothos care and keep the plant growing at its full potential, you can use a regular houseplant fertilizer about once a month.

Be sure to stop fertilizing once winter rolls around and the plant stops growing. It won’t be able to use the fertilizer during this period and feeding can actually cause root burn!

Propagating satin Pothos

Propagating Scindapsus pictus is a breeze. Any piece of stem with a few leaves will regrow just fine as long as there are root nodes included. Propagate this plant in water or just place cuttings straight into the soil. The latter will take a little longer, but prevents the possibility of the cuttings being shocked by the transfer from water to soil once you pot them up.

Not sure how to go about propagating your Scindapsus pictus? It’s pretty much identical to propagating Pothos. Scindapsus pictus cutting grown in soil.