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Is my Neon Pothos dying? Common Causes and Solutions

Is your neon pothos dying? Learn the reasons and tips for reviving and nurturing this vibrant houseplant back to health!

The pothos is considered an incredibly easy plant to grow.

It can thrive under almost any condition, and it brightens up the room so much when it is in its best shape!

But, even though Neon Pothos care is simple, even the most experienced gardeners sometimes have difficulty with it.

Some may even cling to the last bits of hope they have, doing everything they can to give the optimal care to a neon pothos that’s dying.

Does your pothos look like it is wilting? Do you need to revive it? There are many reasons why that may happen, and today, we are including all of them.

Saving a neon pothos that’s wilting means looking into the symptoms first.

We know this seems like a scary thing to do, but if you want to get to the bottom of it all, then you need to thoroughly inspect your plant.

Here are some of the main reasons why your neon pothos is dying:

  • Root rot
  • Pest infestation
  • Overwatering
  • Light issues
  • Temperature

Before getting into it, here are a few indicators that show your plant is wilting.

  • Brown, yellow, and wilted leaves.
  • Funky-smelling soil.
  • Stunted growth.

Let’s begin!

Why is Neon Pothos dying?

5 Reasons why Neon pothos dying

Root rot

Root rot is a severe issue, and that is why we are placing it at the top of our list.

It will not only give your plant a hard time, but if you don’t react in time, you may end up with a dying neon pothos!

Some of the signs include leaf discoloration, droopy leaves (or they will start to fall off), stunted growth, and mushy roots (yes, you need to get your hands dirty and check the roots yourself).

First things first, get a pair of sanitized pruning scissors and cut away all the damaged leaves.

But, if there are too many of them, don’t cut all of them at once – remove about half of them during your first pruning.

Then, go underground and check the roots.

  • Take the wilting neon pothos out of the pot and remove the soil between the tangled roots.
  • If you need, wash away the rest of the soil between the roots with some running water.
  • Let the roots dry out for a day if needed. Check which ones are healthy and which ones aren’t.

Finally, prune all the unhealthy ones.

neon pothos - leaf reverting back to emerald green

Pest infestation

We have all been there – whether you are a keen gardener or a beginner, this one has barely anything to do with you.

Pests can happen anywhere, anytime, and they can wreak havoc on your neon pothos.

The wide range of pests includes anything from scales, mealybugs, spider mites, aphids, etc.

The leaves will become speckled and unattractive and start falling off.

  • Start by immediately cutting off the affected areas of the drooping neon pothos.
  • Isolate the plant from your other plants so the pests don’t spread.
  • Spray neem oil and water solution all over the plant, especially under the leaves, the base of the stem, and right where the leaves begin.
  • Rub your plant with alcohol on a cotton ball, and thoroughly wash it with water every day.
watering plants neon pothos

Overwatering

When you give your neon pothos plant extra water, it doesn’t mean it is a good thing.

For you, it may seem like you are doing the right thing, taking extra care of your plant, but it may not like it so much.

If you have done this, then you have probably suffocated the roots by making it difficult for the soil to breathe.

To put it simply, overwatering may be the cause of a dying neon pothos.

Have you thought about skipping watering your plant for a few days or a week, maybe?

Check the top of the soil – if it is still moist, then you don’t need to add water to the plant. Alternatively, if it is dry, then add some water.

Make sure it completely drains out of the drainage holes, and remember there is no need to stick to a watering schedule – but rather add water when needed.

Also, don’t forget to check on the leaves – if there are some damaged ones, prune them.

neon pothos with yellow leaves

Light issues

The neon pothos plant loves indirect sunlight and usually thrives in low light.

But they should still get their regular light requirements met. If that doesn’t happen, the plant will suffer.

If you have placed it in direct sunlight, it will eventually burn off the leaves and kill your plant. You will notice neon pothos with drooping leaves or brown ones, burnt to a crisp.

To prevent this from happening, try removing your plant from direct sunlight.

This may have been killing it all this time, so simply place it in a warm spot with a lot of bright, indirect sunlight.

Contrary to that, if the plant has been in a very dark place, allow it to see the light of day!

Give your dying neon pothos plant at least 6 hours of indirect light a day to thrive.

dying neon pothos plant

Temperatures

Neon pothos plants grow mostly in areas where the temperature is consistently warm, and there is a lot of humidity.

If one of these conditions is absent from your home, then the plant will have stunted growth, shrunken leaves, and brown spots all over.

The ideal balance of sun, water, and temperature is needed for this plant to thrive. That can be easily achieved!

  • Cut off all the affected areas and provide the plant with a warm temperature.
  • Always keep it under a bright spot.
  • It doesn’t have to be near a window, but it has to be properly warmed up – at least 55 degrees Fahrenheit or 13 degrees Celsius.

Before you go…

So there you have it! It is incredibly easy to take care of a dying neon pothos plant!

You don’t have to be an experienced gardener to know how to get it back into optimal shape.

If you want to learn more about plants, keep reading our blogs!

Thanks for reading!

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