House Plants: Epipremnum Aureum Plant Care Guide

The Epipremnum Aureum is an amazing houseplant for anyone who doesn’t have a green thumb. It’s easy to care for and will thrive in almost any environment.

Even someone who knows little about plants will be able to tend to this one’s basic needs.

Its nickname “devil’s ivy” stems from the fact that it is an invasive plant and will grow even in the most adverse of conditions.

Its ability to thrive in all areas of the home and the fact that it can sustain an erratic watering schedule makes it the best choice for beginners as well.

This guide will walk you through the necessary steps of caring for the Epipremnum Aureum.

Benefits of the Devil’s Ivy

Since the early Greek days people have been bringing plants inside for their therapeutic nature.

The benefits of plants tend to transcend all potential hassle, but the Epipremnum Aureum is great because of its versatile nature. With that said, here are the top benefits:

  • The Epipremnum Aureum is an air purifying machine and it will make breathing inside of your home that much easier.
  • The very nature of the Devil’s Ivy will help deter illness. Between its aesthetically pleasing effects and air purifying qualities, it has been proven on many occasions that individuals who live with houseplants get sick less often.
  • It helps you be more efficient when working. The presence of plants boosts productivity and focus.

Watering Guide for the Epipremnum Aureum

This plant likes for the soil to be completely dry between each watering session. That’s one of the things that makes it so amazing for beginners.

The Epipremnum Aureum literally wants you to forget about watering it on occasion!

There are two methods to check whether or not the plant needs watering. The easiest is to look at it every morning and see if there is drooping in the leaves. If so, then water it.

The other method involves checking the soil for dryness. If it’s dry, then water the plant.

In most cases, you’ll find that this plant needs to be watered roughly once per week.

With that said, overwatering this plant will lead to severe problems. It can tolerate lack of watering far better than overwatering.

Proper Lighting for the Epipremnum Aureum

Lighting for the Epipremnum Aureum is extremely easy because it can survive in any lighting – including total darkness. The biggest difference will be how the plant looks.

If you want it to look its best, then place it somewhere with moderate lighting, including house lights. This is probably the best office plant on the market for that very reason!

Even though this plant can also survive in direct sunlight, it might experience slight damage to its leaves. The same is true on both extremes of the spectrum.

But, it’s not the end of the world if you mess this up. The worst that will happen is that its growth will be stunted.

However, once you find moderate lighting then that growth will quickly return to normal.

Environmental Requirements

You guessed it! Room temperature is perfect for this plant and it is even versatile enough to withstand 10 degrees in either direction from room temperature. If you can live in your home, then so can your Epipremnum Aureum.

Do try to keep it away from air conditioning and heating ducts though since they can stunt its growth.

As far as humidity goes, you can lightly mist the leaves once per week to create the required humidity. Again, it’s not a requirement but it will help your plant thrive.

Epipremnum Aureum Soil Conditions

The Devil’s Ivy is not picky when it comes to soil. The biggest problem is root rot caused from over-saturated soil. This only happens with overwatering.

As a result, the best soil for the Epipremnum Aureum is a potting soil that drains well.

Indoor plant potting soil is generally a great choice if you are looking for convenience. Try to find one that is specifically designed for tropical houseplants.

I’ll go ahead and mention fertilizer here too since it’s a simple and straightforward topic.

You can just use a light feeder during the growing season. This plant doesn’t feed a lot so you can honestly skip this if you want.

Repotting the Devil’s Ivy

Epipremnum Aureum will tell you when it wants to be repotted because its roots are so powerful that they will break through the pot.

When that happens, it’s time to upgrade the pot’s size. Also, leaves will start to fall away from the plant even though it’s healthy in every other area.

Get a container that is two sizes larger and then repot in potting soil. The plant is so resilient that anyone can repot with very little trouble. At worse, the plant will go dormant for a few days as it adjusts.


Devil’s Ivy Pruning Tips

The Epipremnum Aureum grows quite quickly under certain conditions so pruning will probably be the majority of the effort you put into its care.

It will start to look chaotic if you don’t keep it trimmed. Use a pair of sterilized scissors to cut back the overgrown stems to the tips so that the plant keeps its aesthetic appearance.

Furthermore, this plant doesn’t climb so it will hang over the sides of the pot. This gives it an amazing look as long as you keep it trimmed.

You can also choose to manually weave it around household structures like stair rails if you want it to look like a climber.

Propagating the Epipremnum Aureum

Since the Epipremnum Aureum is so easy to care for, the fact that it’s also easy to propagate should come as no surprise.

Take a cutting from a stem and then place it into new soil. Water the soil and it will then take root and make a new home.

That’s it! These cuttings will transfer easily to their new home.

Is the Epipremnum Aureum Toxic?

Yes. The Epipremnum Aureum is toxic if ingested so if you have pets, then you need to be aware of this. If this plant is ingested by a pet, take them to the vet.

Furthermore, if you have young children then it’s important that you keep this plant out of reach.

Final Thoughts

To close out this Epipremnum Aureum care guide, I want to point out a couple of potential problems that might pop up. The first is browning leaf tips.

If the tips of the plant’s leaves start to turn brown, then lightly mist it with water. This is a symptom of lower humidity levels.

On the other hand, if the edges of the leaves become brown and crispy, then the plant is not getting enough water.

It’s not in danger of dying mind you, but to maintain aesthetic appeal you should probably water it.

The Epipremnum Aureum will also let you know if it’s not getting enough light by turning the leaves from its normal variation of colors into solid green.

Again, this isn’t life-threatening but if you want the color variations then you should find a better lit location.

Overall, you’ll find that the Epipremnum Aureum is the easiest houseplant to take care of and it brings a lot of amazing benefits with it.

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