How to divide pothos plants

Wondering how to divide pothos plants? Discover why and when to divide, what supplies you’ll need, and how to care for your newly divided pothos plants.

Pothos plants (Epipremnum aureum) are one of the easiest, beginner-friendly houseplants.

Not only are they easy to keep alive, but they are also easy to propagate.

While propagation is an easy way to turn one pothos plant into several plants, dividing an existing pothos plant will give you even more instant results.

Let’s talk about how to divide and replant pothos plants!

Why divide pothos plants?

There are a few reasons to divide a pothos plant. The most common one would be that your plant has outgrown the pot.

It might be root bound – meaning the roots are coming out the surface of the soil, drainage holes, or just very very tightly wound in a too small pot.

Or, the plant might just be super full in the pot from extra propagations.

Finally, you can just re-pot your pothos just if you’d rather have multiple plants to share or put in a few places around your home.

Dividing pothos plants can help to promote growth by preventing overcrowding. Plus, it’s always fun to make more plants!

When to divide pothos plants

It is always best to do any major work on your plant during growing season. This is during warmer months – typically spring or summer.

The earlier in the growing season, the better, giving the plant time to adjust and grow in it’s new situation.

You can divide pothos anytime you want to, but here are some signs that it might need to be divided or moved into a larger pot:

• Stunted growth – lack of new growth
• Plant is root bound with roots poking out of the top or bottom of the plant
• Yellowing and dropping leaves with no other explanation
• Soil depletion – soil can get depleted of nutrients over time. Even when you don’t need to move the plant to a larger pot, giving it new fresh potting soil can be beneficial.

How to divide pothos plants

It’s super easy to divide a potted pothos plant.

Supplies needed for dividing pothos plants

• clean, sharp knife or pruning shears
• clean pots
• fresh potting soil
• water
• hand shovel
• pothos plant

Steps for dividing pothos plants

Step 1: Remove the plant from its pot and inspect the root system

Gently tip your pot over and shake the plant out. You might need to pull gently on the plant, especially if the pothos roots have really grown into the pot.

Shake off excess dirt and check out the root ball. Is there an easy way to divide the roots with your fingers?

Step 2: Separate the plant into sections

Separate the plant into how ever many sections/pots you want to repot the plant into.

Try to use your fingers to separate the roots as much as possible. As a last ditch effort, you can use a knife to cut the roots apart, but try to do this as little as possible.

Step 3: Repot the divided sections

Repot the plants with fresh potting mix into the new pots. Be sure to add enough soil that the smaller root balls are supported in the new pots.

Be sure that your new pots have drainage holes so there will not be pooling water, which can lead to root rot.

Step 4: Water the newly divided plants

Water your pothos plant and then let it dry out before watering again. Do not fertilize the plant until it has settled for a month and seems to be doing ok!

If it’s going to go into shock, fertilizing usually makes the shock worse so it’s best to wait it out a bit.

Aftercare for divided pothos plants

Caring for newly divide pothos plants is not much different than caring for any other pothos plant.

Place them in bright, indirect light and water as normal.

You might want to keep the humidity up on your plant to keep it from going into shock. I suggest clustering it with other plants or using a pebble tray to increase humidity.

It is not abnormal for a plant to go into shock after being repotted. This could mean limp leaves or even yellowing, dropping leaves. It should not get brown and crispy – that’s a sign of lack of water or too much sun/heat.

If you keep your plant in good light and well watered, it should bounce back in 1-2 weeks!

Dividing pothos is super easy and a great way to keep your plant happy and to expand your houseplant collection!

Any more questions about repotting pothos plants?

Thanks for reading!

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