Why Are My Pothos Leaves Turning Yellow? (10 Causes + Fixes)

Pothos are famously forgiving houseplants, but yellow leaves are their primary way of signalling distress. The frustrating part is that yellowing can mean half a dozen different things — and treating the wrong cause makes the problem worse, not better.

After 25 years of diagnosing plant problems, I have found that a methodical approach beats guesswork every time. This guide walks you through every significant cause of yellowing in pothos, starting with the most common and working down to the more obscure. You will also find a quick-reference diagnosis table and step-by-step fixes for each cause so you can take action immediately.

What Yellowing Leaves Are Actually Telling You

A yellow leaf is not a disease — it is a symptom. The leaf is losing chlorophyll, the pigment responsible for photosynthesis and that characteristic green colour. When chlorophyll breaks down faster than the plant can produce it, yellowing occurs.

The pattern of yellowing is your best diagnostic clue. Whole leaves turning uniform yellow point to water or light issues. Patchy, mottled yellowing suggests pests. Yellowing that starts at leaf edges and moves inward often indicates temperature stress or salt build-up. Yellowing on new leaves with green veins is almost always a nutrient issue. Paying attention to where and how the yellow appears will save you a lot of time.

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Quick Diagnosis Table

Cause 1: Overwatering — The Number One Culprit

If there is one thing I have seen cause yellow pothos leaves more than anything else in my career, it is overwatering. Most houseplant owners water on a schedule rather than based on what the soil is actually doing — and that is a problem, because pothos need their soil to partially dry out between waterings.

When roots sit in soggy soil for too long, they cannot absorb oxygen. The plant slowly suffocates at the roots, and the leaves begin to yellow and drop. Overwatering yellowing often starts with multiple leaves simultaneously rather than isolated ones, and the leaves feel soft and slightly limp rather than crisp.

How to tell if overwatering is the issue:

• Soil feels wet or damp even a week after your last watering
• Leaves are soft, mushy, or have soggy stems at the base
• Yellowing starts with multiple leaves at once, not just one or two
• The pot feels heavy compared to when it was dry
• A sour or musty smell coming from the soil

How to Fix Overwatering

1. Stop watering immediately and allow the soil to dry out thoroughly.
2. If the pot has no drainage holes, repot into one that does. A cache pot with standing water is just as harmful as overwatering directly.
3. Going forward, water only when the top 2–3 inches of soil feel dry to the touch. Stick your finger in — if there is any coolness or moisture, wait another day or two.
4. In winter, pothos slow their growth considerably. Most indoor pothos in winter need watering no more than once every 2–3 weeks.

For serious cases where leaves are drooping and the base of the plant feels mushy, see our step-by-step overwatered plant rescue guide.

Cause 2: Root Rot — When Overwatering Goes Too Far

Root rot is the serious end of the overwatering spectrum. It occurs when pathogens, most commonly Pythium or Phytophthora species, colonise roots that have been sitting in waterlogged conditions. The roots themselves begin to die, and the plant loses its ability to absorb water and nutrients — even if you immediately correct your watering habits.

This is why yellow leaves combined with blackened, mushy stems near the soil line are such a serious warning sign. The leaves will feel limp and wilted despite the soil being wet, because the root system can no longer function properly.

How to Check for Root Rot

1. Remove the plant from its pot.
2. Inspect the roots — healthy roots are firm and white to light tan. Rotted roots are brown to black, soft, and will fall apart when touched. They may smell musty or sour.
3. Note how much of the root system is affected. If it is less than a third, you can likely save the plant. If more than two thirds are rotted, propagation from healthy stem cuttings may be the better path.

How to Fix Root Rot

1. Trim all rotted roots with sterilised scissors or secateurs. Cut back to healthy, firm tissue.
2. Allow the trimmed roots to air-dry for 30–60 minutes.
3. Repot into fresh, well-draining potting mix in a clean pot with drainage holes. A mix of standard potting compost with added perlite (20–30%) works well for pothos.
4. Water lightly and hold off on further watering until the top 2–3 inches of soil dry out.
5. If the stem base is mushy and black, the main plant may not recover. Take healthy stem cuttings from growth above the affected area and propagate them in water or fresh soil.

Cause 3: Underwatering

Underwatering can also cause yellowing, though the symptoms look quite different from overwatering. An underwatered pothos typically droops and wilts first, then the leaves begin to yellow — often with crispy brown tips or edges rather than the soft, saturated yellowing of an overwatered plant.

The soil will be bone dry, often pulling away from the sides of the pot, and the pot will feel noticeably light. If you lift the plant, you may see the root ball has shrunk away from the pot walls.

How to tell:

• Soil is bone dry and pulling away from the sides of the pot
• Leaves are limp, dry, or slightly curled at the edges
• Brown, crispy patches on leaf edges alongside the yellow
• Pot feels unusually light when lifted

How to Fix Underwatering

1. Water thoroughly — pour until water runs freely from the drainage holes. This ensures the entire root zone is moistened, not just the top layer.
2. If the soil has pulled away from the pot edges, water may run straight down the gap and out without moistening the root ball. In that case, bottom-water the pot: place it in a tray of water for 30 minutes to allow the soil to absorb moisture from below, then let it drain.
3. Going forward, check the soil every 5–7 days and water when the top 1–2 inches feel dry. In bright light or warm temperatures, pothos may need watering more frequently.

Cause 4: Too Much Direct Sun

Pothos are understory plants that evolved on the forest floor beneath a dense canopy. They can handle bright indirect light well, but direct sun — particularly from a south- or west-facing window at midday — will scorch them. The chlorophyll bleaches out, and you end up with washed-out, pale yellow or white patches, typically on the leaf surfaces most directly exposed to the sun.

Sun scorch can happen quickly. A plant that is fine in winter near a window may develop yellowing in summer as the sun angle changes and intensifies. Variegated pothos varieties tend to be slightly more susceptible because the pale, white, or golden sections of their leaves already contain less chlorophyll.

How to tell:

• Yellowing is patchy or bleached-looking, concentrated on sun-facing parts of the leaf
• Affected leaves may also develop dry, papery brown patches
• The plant is sitting in a window that receives direct sun for more than 1–2 hours a day
• Symptoms worsen in summer or after a plant has been moved to a sunnier spot

How to Fix Sun Scorch

1. Move the plant back from the window by a few feet, or shift it to a spot where the light is bright but filtered.
2. A sheer curtain across a sunny window is an easy solution that diffuses direct rays without dramatically reducing overall light levels.
3. Scorched leaves will not recover, but new growth should come in healthy once the plant is in a better position.
4. Bright indirect light — a few feet from a bright east- or west-facing window — is the sweet spot for most pothos varieties.

Cause 5: Low Light

Pothos are often sold as low-light plants, and while they will tolerate dim conditions better than most houseplants, “tolerate” is the key word. A pothos stuck in a genuinely dark corner will slow its growth considerably, and over time the leaves fade and yellow as chlorophyll production drops. The plant simply cannot generate enough energy to keep foliage looking vibrant.

Low-light yellowing is gradual and tends to affect older leaves first. Unlike overwatering yellowing, the leaves will remain relatively firm with no sogginess. New growth will often come in smaller and lighter in colour than established leaves.

How to tell:

• Plant is more than 8–10 feet from a window, or in a room without natural light
• Yellowing is gradual, affecting older leaves first
• New leaves are smaller and lighter green than established growth
• Very slow or no new growth for months at a time

How to Fix Low Light Issues

1. Move the plant to a brighter spot — closer to a window or into a room with more natural light.
2. If moving is not possible, a full-spectrum grow light placed 12–18 inches above the plant for 10–12 hours a day will keep it thriving. LED grow lights are inexpensive and energy-efficient.
3. Clean dusty leaves with a damp cloth — a thick layer of dust can block a surprising amount of light from reaching the leaf surface.

Cause 6: Nutrient Deficiency

Pothos are not heavy feeders, but plants that have been in the same pot for a year or more — or that have never been fertilised — can deplete the nutrients available in their potting mix. Nitrogen is the most commonly deficient, but iron and other micronutrients also cause distinctive yellowing patterns.

The pattern of yellowing is your most reliable clue when diagnosing a deficiency:

• Nitrogen deficiency: Older, lower leaves yellow first while new growth stays green. Nitrogen is a mobile nutrient — the plant strips it from old leaves to supply new ones, so yellowing progresses from the bottom up.
• Iron deficiency (chlorosis): Yellowing appears on new growth, with the veins staying green while the tissue between them fades. This interveinal pattern is quite distinctive and is often triggered by high soil pH rather than a true lack of iron in the growing medium.
• Magnesium deficiency: Interveinal yellowing on older leaves, often starting in the centre of the leaf and spreading outward toward the margins.
• General depletion: Pale, washed-out colour across the whole plant, slow growth, and small new leaves.

How to Fix Nutrient Deficiencies

1. During the growing season (spring through early autumn), feed your pothos with a balanced water-soluble houseplant fertiliser (such as a 20-20-20 or similar NPK ratio) once a month.
2. If iron or magnesium deficiency is suspected, a micronutrient supplement or iron chelate foliar spray can correct the issue more quickly than soil feeding alone.
3. Do not fertilise in winter — the plant is not actively growing, and excess fertiliser will accumulate as salt deposits in the soil.
4. If the plant has been in its pot for two or more years, repotting into fresh potting mix will refresh the nutrient base even without additional feeding.

Cause 7: Pests

Pest infestations cause yellowing in a distinctly different way from water and light issues. Because sap-sucking insects drain chlorophyll from specific areas rather than the whole leaf, the yellowing tends to be mottled, patchy, or stippled — irregular rather than uniform.

Catching pests early is much easier than dealing with a full infestation. Get into the habit of flipping a few leaves over when you water — the undersides of leaves are where most pests shelter and feed.

Common pests and their signs:

• Spider mites: Fine, silk-like webbing under leaves and in the junctions where petioles meet stems. Leaves develop a dusty, stippled yellow appearance as mites pierce individual cells to feed.
• Mealybugs: White, waxy, cotton-like deposits in leaf axils and along stems. Leaves yellow and may become sticky with honeydew secreted by the insects.
• Scale insects: Brown or tan, shell-like bumps along stems and the undersides of leaves. Leaves above the infestation yellow and eventually drop.
• Thrips: Tiny, fast-moving insects that leave silvery-bronze streaks on leaves alongside yellow patches. Look closely with a magnifying glass to spot them.

How to Fix a Pest Problem

1. Isolate the affected plant immediately to prevent spread to nearby plants.
2. For light infestations, wipe down all leaf surfaces and stems with a damp cloth or cotton pads dipped in rubbing alcohol (70% isopropyl).
3. For moderate to heavy infestations, treat with insecticidal soap or neem oil spray, covering all leaf surfaces thoroughly — including the undersides. Repeat every 7–10 days for at least three treatments.
4. After treatment, inspect all nearby plants carefully and treat them as a precaution even if they show no visible symptoms.
5. For scale, the waxy shell protects them from sprays — physically remove them with a cotton bud dipped in rubbing alcohol before applying insecticidal soap.

Cause 8: Fertiliser Salt Build-Up

This one is often overlooked, but it is more common than many growers realise — especially in plants that have been regularly fertilised or watered with hard tap water. Excess salts accumulate in the potting mix over time and can burn the roots, leading to yellowing that often starts at leaf tips and margins before spreading inward.

You may notice a white or yellowish crusty deposit on the soil surface or around the drainage holes of the pot. This is the visible evidence of salt accumulation, and if you see it, the soil has almost certainly been affected for some time.

How to Fix Salt Build-Up

1. Flush the soil thoroughly by running water through the pot for several minutes, allowing it to drain completely. Repeat two or three times.
2. Remove any crusty salt deposits from the soil surface before flushing.
3. If the build-up is severe, repot into fresh potting mix.
4. Going forward, flush the soil every few months and avoid over-fertilising — once a month during the growing season is sufficient for most pothos.

Cause 9: Temperature Stress and Cold Draughts

Pothos are tropical plants that prefer temperatures between 15–29°C (60–85°F). Exposure to cold draughts from open windows, air conditioning vents, or being placed on a cold windowsill in winter can cause leaf yellowing and blackening at the edges.

Temperature stress yellowing typically appears on leaves closest to the cold source, and may be accompanied by brown or black patches at leaf margins rather than a clean, uniform yellow. The damage can look alarming but usually does not kill the plant if the cold source is removed promptly.

How to Fix Temperature Stress

1. Move the plant away from draughty windows, air vents, and exterior doors.
2. Avoid placing pothos directly against a cold window pane in winter — the glass surface can be several degrees colder than the room air.
3. Do not allow temperatures to drop below 10°C (50°F) — chilling damage at this level can be permanent and affect large sections of the plant.

Cause 10: Root Bound Plants

A root bound pothos — one that has outgrown its pot and has roots circling the inside of the container or escaping through the drainage holes — can develop yellowing leaves as the compressed root system becomes less efficient at absorbing water and nutrients.

Root bound yellowing is typically gradual and accompanied by other signs: roots visibly escaping the drainage holes, the soil drying out very quickly after watering (the dense root mass leaves little room for soil to hold moisture), and stunted or very slow new growth despite good care.

How to Fix a Root Bound Pothos

1. Repot into a container one size larger (approximately 5cm / 2 inches wider in diameter). Going too large too fast creates overwatering problems, as excess soil holds moisture the roots cannot utilise.
2. Gently loosen the root ball before placing it in the new container. If roots are tightly circling the base, carefully untangle the outer layer to encourage outward growth.
3. Use fresh, well-draining potting mix. Water in well after repotting and place in a sheltered, bright spot for one to two weeks while the plant adjusts.

Natural Leaf Ageing: When Yellow Is Completely Normal

Not every yellow leaf signals a problem. Pothos, like all plants, shed their oldest leaves as part of normal growth. The plant redirects energy from mature lower leaves toward new foliage, causing the older leaves to yellow and eventually drop.

You can confidently classify yellowing as natural shedding if it meets all of the following criteria:

• Only one or two leaves at a time are affected
• The affected leaves are at the lowest or innermost part of the plant
• The rest of the plant looks healthy, with firm green leaves and active new growth
• There are no accompanying symptoms such as soggy soil, visible pests, or stunted growth

If all of those boxes are ticked, you are simply watching your pothos do what it has always done. No intervention required.

Step-by-Step Diagnosis: Where to Start

When you spot yellow leaves and are not sure of the cause, work through this checklist in order:

1. Check the soil moisture. Push your finger 3 inches into the soil. Wet and staying wet for days? Overwatering. Bone dry and the pot feels light? Underwatering.
2. Lift the plant out of its pot. Check the roots. White and firm means healthy. Brown, soft, mushy, and foul-smelling means root rot.
3. Look at the yellowing pattern. Uniform and soft across multiple leaves points to water issues. Bleached and patchy on sun-facing surfaces suggests sun scorch. Mottled and stippled means suspect pests.
4. Check which leaves are affected. Oldest lower leaves first suggests nitrogen deficiency or natural shedding. New leaves with green veins points to iron deficiency or chlorosis.
5. Inspect the undersides of leaves. Look for webbing, tiny insects, white fluff, or sticky residue — signs of pest activity.
6. Check the plant location. Is it in direct sun? In a dark room? Near an air vent or cold window? Any of these can cause yellowing.
7. Review your fertilising history. Not fed in over a year? A balanced monthly feed during the growing season may be all that is needed.
8. Check for salt crust. White deposits on the soil surface or around drainage holes indicate salt build-up — flush the soil thoroughly.

FAQs

Is it normal for a few pothos leaves to turn yellow?

Yes — one or two of the oldest, lowest leaves turning uniformly yellow is natural leaf shedding. Pothos regularly retire older leaves to redirect energy into new growth. It only becomes a problem when multiple leaves are yellowing simultaneously, or the yellowing is starting in the middle or upper parts of the plant.

Should I cut off yellow pothos leaves?

You can, but there is no urgency. Yellow leaves will not turn green again, but they are not actively harming the plant. Removing them keeps things looking tidy and makes it easier to spot new yellowing as it develops. Use clean scissors and cut close to the stem.

How quickly should a pothos recover after I fix the problem?

Existing yellow leaves will not recover. But once you address the underlying issue, new growth should come in healthy and green within two to four weeks. If no new healthy leaves appear after a month, reassess whether the root cause has truly been resolved. Sometimes a second issue is masking recovery from the first.

Why does my pothos only have yellow leaves on one side?

One-sided yellowing almost always points to a localised cause — direct sunlight hitting one side of the plant, a cold draught from a nearby vent or window on one side, or pests that have established on one part of the plant. Rotate the pot and check that side carefully.

Can overwatering and underwatering cause the same yellowing?

Yes, which is why checking the soil is the first step. Both cause yellowing because the roots are unable to function properly, but the soil moisture level is the key differentiator. Overwatered soil is consistently wet; underwatered soil is bone dry. The texture and softness of the yellowed leaves also differ: overwatered leaves tend to be soft and limp, while underwatered leaves are dry and sometimes papery at the edges.

Does misting help pothos with yellow leaves?

Misting does not significantly raise humidity for long enough to benefit pothos, and it does nothing to address the underlying cause of yellowing. If low humidity is contributing to stress (unusual for pothos, which adapt well to typical indoor humidity), a pebble tray with water or a small humidifier nearby is far more effective than misting.

Sources

1. Ask Extension (University Extension Network). Pothos Yellowing. Ask Extension.
2. Ask Extension (University Extension Network). Signs of Overwatering vs. Underwatering. Ask Extension.
3. Gardeningknowhow.com. Yellow Leaves on Pothos Plants: Causes and Fixes. Gardening Know How.
4. Fleet Farming. Deficiencies in Your House Plants You Might Be Missing. Fleet Farming.
5. University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension. Pothos (Epipremnum aureum). UW Extension Horticulture.