Golden Pothos Naming Guide: Why is it Called Devil’s Ivy?

Golden Pothos: Name Guide

Like many plants, the golden pothos has many names, which can make it confusing for gardeners beginning their journey. So to help avoid confusion, here is a naming guide.

Botanical Name: Epipremnum aureum

Common Name: Golden Pothos

Other Name(s): Devil’s Ivy, Money Plant, Hunter’s Rove, Ceylon Creeper, Ivy Arum

Why is Pothos Called the Money Plant?

Apart from Devil’s Ivy, the other name that the golden pothos is also commonly referred to as is the money plant.

Again, the reasons behind this name association are based on the golden potho’s appearance.

In some cultures, it is common to favor natural objects that symbolize the virtues that we seek. It is their belief that if they cultivate and nurture these symbols, they will achieve the desired virtues in their life.

In the case of the golden pothos, it isn’t hard to see why people who adopt these beliefs may refer to it as a money plant. Many believe the leaves represent golden coins, which symbolize wealth. And by simply growing golden pothos in their homes, they will attract wealth into their lives. It can also be argued that they assimilate the speedy growth of the pothos with fast growth in their wealth.

Golden Pothos (Devil’s Ivy) Plant – Why We Love It!

Golden pothos are one of those plants you can easily walk past in your local nursery without a second glance. It is hard to fully appreciate them until you see thriving pothos plants elegantly displayed in a friend’s home.

Here are a few reasons why we love growing these beautiful plants in our homes.

Tough As Nails

We touched on this point briefly earlier, but it is worth exploring further – golden pothos are extremely hardy and versatile plants.

In fact, golden pothos deserve their own difficulty classification, because Easy-to-Care just doesn’t do it justice. Golden pothos is extremely easy-to-care for, and actually do better with a bit of neglect, like one of our other favorite indoor plants, the snake plant.

When novice indoor plant enthusiasts ask us what plants to begin with, golden pothos is always one of the plants that inevitably comes up in conversation.

They are low maintenance plants that can handle periods of dry between each watering – making them a drought-tolerant plant. They also tolerate a wide range of conditions and environments, so finding a good position for them is easy (as long as it is not in direct sunlight).

Fast Growth

Unlike some other indoor plants, when provided with the ideal growing conditions, the golden pothos plant can experience rapid growth.

At the peak of their growing season, you can expect Golden Pothos to grow at a rate of 10-16 inches (25-40 centimeters) a month. This means, with the right growing conditions, you can achieve that indoor jungle feel inside a year!

Easy to Propagate

If you have ever tried your hand at propagating, you will know that it can be a bit hit-and-miss. Sometimes it works, and other times it just didn’t take – even though you did everything exactly the same as last time!

But, with golden pothos, every time is a winner. It’s almost harder not to get it to grow! It really is as simple as chop-and-prop – which is probably why they refer to it as the Devil’s Ivy – almost impossible to kill!

To water propagate your pothos:

1. Identify a healthy vine to propagate. Find a vine on your current plant that looks healthy, strong and has vibrant leaves. This will give it the best chance of producing a strong root system. Avoid any vines that look withered, limp and have yellow or brown leaves.
2. Use a sterilized knife to cut the vine. From the tip of the vine, count 3 – 4 leaf nodes down the vine and cut the vine off using a sterilized knife. e. Repeat this process with two to three other vines, so you have a collection of healthy young vines.
3. Place your cuttings in a jar with water. Best practice dictates you should use filtered water at room temperature water to propagate plants. This is entirely your choice. If filtered water isn’t readily available, you can still achieve a successful propagation using tap water. Filtered water simply has fewer chemicals (such as chlorine and fluoride), that may inhibit your plant from growing roots. When placing the vines into the water, ensure some nodes are below the water’s surface. This is where the roots will develop. Where possible, place your jars in similar indirect light conditions as the mother plant. If in doubt, simply place it next to the mother plant.
4. Maintenance while Rooting. It is important that while you are waiting for your Golden Pothos cuttings to grow roots, you regularly change the water. If the water becomes too stale, it will encourage the growth of bacteria and begin to rot your vines. We recommend changing the water every second day to prevent bacteria growth. You can expect to see roots forming after 10 – 14 days.
5. Potting time. Once you can see some nice long (2 inches or 5 centimeters) healthy roots from several nodes on the vines, it is now time to pot them. Prepare your pots with fresh, well-draining potting soil. This is soil that has good water retention properties, but also drains well and expels any excess water. Carefully remove your cuttings, ensuring not to damage the newly formed roots. And place them an inch and a half (3 – 5 centimeters) deep into the soil. Make sure the roots are covered with soil.
6. Ongoing Maintenance. Once the cuttings are settled, maintain a regular watering schedule to make sure the soil is continually moist (but not water logged). This is because you have essentially rooted the cuttings using a hydroponic method, and the roots will be used to water.

Because they propagate so easily, it makes them extremely affordable plants commercially. Meaning you can create a green wall filled with this amazing plant.