Last updated on September 26th, 2022 at 12:42 pm
It is rather unusual for a plant to drip water. Water is an essential need for the growth of any plant, so it is interesting to know why a plant would be dripping water. Is it an acceptable condition, and what causes this anomaly?
The pothos plant drips water majorly due to overwatering. Other reasons are: weather conditions, high humidity, low air supply, excess moisture content, poor evaporation, and moist soil type. Dripping in pothos is not a symptom of a disease, but a means to release excess water in the plant.
Why Pothos Plant Drips Water?
Many conditions can influence the dripping of your pothos. The dominant factor which I mentioned above was overwatering. Overwatering forms the basis on which the other factors are built. Any natural condition that supports water might cause your pothos plant to drip.
I will now outline seven reasons why your pothos plant may rip water.
1. Overwatering
Water is the basis for the growth of any plant. So, there is absolutely nothing wrong with watering your pothos plant.
But when you give the plant more water than it requires, it becomes problematic. The plant would no longer contain the quantity of water, which paves the way for the dripping of your plant.
2. Weather Condition
Not all weather conditions are favorable to your pothos plant. Whenever the weather is cold, the plant might get fed up with the level of water it receives and drip. Frequent rainfall will only facilitate dripping in your pothos plant.
3. High Humidity
The amount of water vapor your plant absorbs would make your pothos drip. When the humidity of your environment rises, your pothos plant absorbs the water that condenses on the plant’s leaves.
The more your water vapor rises, the more water is formed. High humidity also makes your pothos plant accumulate too much water.
4. Low Air Supply
Whenever air supply becomes low and puffy, it causes the leaf of your pothos plant to drip water. Air helps in the drying of your plants.
So shortage in the supply of air will affect your pothos plant. When the air is wet, it increases the water intake of your plant and causes it to drip water.
5. High Moisture Content
Water absorbed by your plant moves from the root through the xylem tissues to the leaf. So, when the moisture content of your pothos plant is high, the moisture that moves up to the leaf will also be high. Thus, causing the plant to drip.
6. Poor Evaporation
Evaporation helps in controlling the water level of plants. During the process of evaporation, liquids are converted to gas and escape into the atmosphere.
If you do not subject your pothos plant to conditions that favor evaporation, there is no way you can regulate the water content of your plant, and water will drip off it.
7. Moist Soil Type
The type of soil used in cultivating your pothos plant will also cause it to drip water. Moist soil retains a large quantity of water, making the root of your plant turgid.
The root of your plant will then send too much water to the stem. A non-draining soil causes your pothos plant to drip as it will be getting more water than necessary.
These are the conditions that cause your pothos plant to drip. Dripping is not an ideal condition in a plant. Therefore, you should get rid of it.
How Can I Stop my Pothos Plant from Dripping Water?
You can stop your pothos plant from dripping water by regulating the amount of water taken in by the plant. You can do this by watering sparsely, cultivating indoors, reducing humidity, improving drainage etc.
Let us now consider these suggestions more in detail.
1. Watering Sparsely
The first thing you should check is your watering. Re-adjust the rate at which you water your plant to only when it goes dry. And ensure to monitor it after watering to remove any water stagnated on it.
Never sprinkle water on the leaf of your pothos plant, and endeavor to wipe off any water that might be on the plant.
2. Cultivating Indoors
In winter, your plant should completely go dry before you water it. When rainfall becomes too much, it is always advisable you transfer your pothos plant indoors.
When your plant is indoors, you might only face how your plant will get sunlight. But opening the windows and putting your plant in an area where it will get enough light from the sun will solve this problem.
3. Keeping Humidity Low
It would be best if you also looked into the humidity of your environment. The normal humidity of your home is alright for your pothos plant.
But when winter creeps in and raises the humidity, you will need to supplement to keep your pothos plant thriving.
It tends to do well even in supplemental air moisture such as misting or a room humidifier where indoor air is drier.
4. Artificial Aeration
When the air gets wet, your pothos plant also absorbs the water from the air, making it receive more moisture than necessary.
If you live in a wet environment, you should always grow your pothos plant indoors. But it is not right to completely shield your plant from the air.
So, you will have to devise an artificial way to aerate your potted plant.
5. Keeping Potted Pothos on the Window
Evaporation will help dry the excess water on your plant. So, if you are growing your pothos plant outside, you need not care much about this factor.
But when you are growing it indoors, ensure you place your plant where it will receive the light of day. Preferably, on the window.
6. Ensuring Your Soil is Well Drained
Some soils are water-friendly; they can retain a lot of water. So, ensure you do not grow your pothos plant on such soil. It prefers well-draining soil that does not waterlog.
It would help if you grew your pothos in a well-drained potting mix of high quality with a pH range of 6.1 to 6.5.
In summary, your pothos plant prefers a relatively dry environment but will also grow and thrive in a wet environment provided you take better care of it.
So, any condition that will support or encourage excessive water is a threat to the proper growth of your pothos plant. So, always check the water condition of your environment and keep it moderate.
Conclusion
Your body gets rid of excess water from the body via sweat or urine. This process occurs because you cannot store the waste in the body, so it needs to go out for the body to perform better.
This trend is the same for your pothos plant. When the water it receives becomes more than it can handle, it will be forced to release the liquid resulting in guttation.
So, you should always water your pothos plant moderately. And ensure you cultivate it in an environment that supports its growth. Areas of warm weather conditions are the most suitable for pothos plants.