Pothos is one of the easiest plants to look after— even when kept in the dark, it remains green and healthy. It tolerates neglect pretty well and doesn’t wilt or die quickly.
However, it can be pretty alarming when you see the leaves of your pothos plant dripping water. It looks as if it is sweating, and some even say it is crying.
Should you worry about this situation, and what are the solutions?
Keep reading.
Why Do Plants Drip Water?
Pothos plants are known for sweating a lot. When we say sweating, we don’t mean it the way humans do. These plants are not releasing fats or salts; they are just dripping water.
It is kind of wrong to say they are sweating or crying. Instead, we say they are going through guttation.
Guttation happens when the plant’s roots have too much water that it wants to get rid of. This process occurs through a group of cells called hydathodes located at the tip of the leaf.
Guttation is more likely to occur during the night when the plant’s stomata are shut or when transpiration has stopped.
Moisture can be another reason why guttation is occurring in your pothos plant. High moisture levels in the soil cause the roots to absorb more water than necessary.
This excess water goes through the stem and evaporates through the leaves.
Other Reasons Why Your Pothos Leaves Are Dripping Water
Some of the other reasons could be due to external factors.
1. Stress
One way pothos plants show stress is by dripping water from their leaves. Stress could be from too much exposure to the sun or when their initial position changes.
For example, if a pothos plant placed indoors for a long time is suddenly moved outdoors, leaves are likely to sweat.
Pothos plants will also be stressed when they aren’t receiving enough nutrients, watering, or lighting.
It is crucial to determine the stressor before going ahead with a solution.
To solve this problem, only make changes when necessary and do it quickly to give your plant enough time to adjust.
2. Overwatering
Watering the potting soil too often can overload it with water putting pressure on the plant’s roots.
Water dripping from the leaves is how the plant gets rid of the excess water.
An excellent way to stop overwatering and reduce pressure on the roots when watering is to wet the soil and then allow the water to drain.
This will prevent the soil from being soaked with water.
Too much watering of your plants can also cause other problems such as root rot.
Watering Intervals For Pothos
Pothos doesn’t need a lot of water. You should water it every two or three weeks.
Use your finger to feel the top inch of the soil. If it is dry, you can go ahead with the watering.
Even with the rationing method, plants use less than 5% of the water provided by humans.
So even when you stop overwatering, your plants will still drip.
You should only water the plant more when you notice the leaves are beginning to droop.
3. Weather And Season
More often than not, the present weather conditions could be a factor that causes your pothos plant to drip.
For instance, hot and humid weather conditions cause the plant to release sap, nutrients, and water. This is quite natural and not harmful; all you need is to move the plant to a less humid area with shade.
Pothos is a tropical plant, so it thrives in humid weather and hot temperatures of about 70-90°F. Anything above this can be detrimental.
Use a hygrometer and a thermometer to determine the current humidity and temperature parameters.
If you find the conditions too humid and hot, bring the plant indoors and place it by the window side.
Also, place a mat or anything under the plant to prevent the dripping water from ruining your furniture or floors.
Precautions To Take While Bringing Pothos Indoor
A typical problem with air-conditioned homes is the leaves of the indoor plants turning brown. This happens because the air is too dry, and there’s not enough natural humidity.
Try misting your plant from time to time (do not overdo it; remember, this plant doesn’t need much water).
You can also place them in your bathroom or anywhere in the house that’s humid or buy a humidifier.
4. Condensation Or Dew
If you have kept your pothos plant outdoors, this may be causing your plant to drip.
A way to determine if it is condensation is to pay attention to when it occurs.
Condensation typically happens in the morning when water from the atmosphere settles on the leaf. It would look clear and only be composed of water.
Another way to determine is to see how long it stays. Typically, the water will dry up as soon as the sun rises.
Lastly, condensed water appears on the leaf’s surface rather than at the edge, like when guttation occurs.
Condensation or dew formation is no cause for alarm and doesn’t require any solution. The best you could do is to bring the plants again indoors.
Is Dripping Harmful For My Plants?
This depends on what is causing your pothos to drip. If it is due to stress or overwatering, then it can be pretty harmful, but if it is from guttation, it is not.
When plants go through guttation, the plants will drop tiny droplets.
You can relax if this is the case and bother more about your floors— these droplets will leave white stains on wherever the plant is sitting.
You can get rid of this with soapy water
How to Stop Pothos Leaves From Dripping?
There’s not much that can be done if your pothos is dripping from guttation. It is an entirely normal and natural process that removes excess water and nutrients from the plant’s system.
You can place them indoors and keep them around humid areas.
What Not To Do To Your Dripping Pothos?
You should avoid taking the steps below in the hopes of making things right.
1. Place Them Under The Sun
You may think this is a viable solution to get rid of excess moisture in the soil, but you’re mistaken.
Even if your pothos isn’t dripping water, it is very risky to put them directly under the sun with no shade for protection.
This is because the sun’s rays can be very harmful to the plant’s leaves.
It may take a while for your plant to show damage from direct sunlight but when it does, look out for the following signs:
● The leaves appear dull
● Yellow leaves which will eventually turn brown
● Drooping leaves that will later wilt
In the early stage, this problem can easily be fixed by placing the pothos indoors or under a shade.
If you still want them outdoors, place them 10-15 feet away from direct sunlight.
2. Using Leaf Shines
Water from guttation can lead to whitish marks staining the leaves. To get rid of this, you might want to use a leaf cleaner or shine.
This is a big no. The way plants breathe is through the pores on their leaves called the stomata.
These leaf shine products may block their pores which could lead to suffocation.
The hydathodes can also be clogged, which can lead to the tips of the leaves getting brown.
You can get rid of the white stains using soapy water and a rag or just by using a clean wet cloth.
3. Repotting
Repotting is often unnecessary and highly overrated. If your plants aren’t dying, there is no need to repot them.
For instance, when there is a lot of moisture in the soil, stop watering your plant for about a week or until it gets dry.
Similarly, if you’ve placed your pothos under direct sunlight, you can cover them with a shading cloth.
Repotting should be the last resort if all else fails.
Conclusion
Pothos is an incredible houseplant to keep and is not high on maintenance.
When their leaves begin dripping water, it could be natural (guttation) or due to external stress factors. Start by determining the cause.
There is no reason to worry if it is natural. However, if external conditions and factors are causing it, apply the corresponding solutions.
