Pothos 'Shangri La' (Sleeping Pothos) care

Light

The Goldilocks zone. Not the south-facing windowsill (too hot, too direct), not the back of the room (too dim, growth stalls). Bright to medium indirect light keeps the leaves tightly curled and well coloured; it survives low light but grows slowly and the curl loosens. Avoid harsh direct sun, which scorches the folded foliage. If you can't decide, a free phone lux-meter app aimed at the leaf at noon should read between 800 and 1,500 lux.

Watering

Watering pothos 'shangri la': when the top 2-3 cm of soil is dry, roughly every 7-12 days. The number that matters isn't the day of the week — it's how dry the top 2-3 cm of the pot feels. A finger in the soil tells you more than a watering app. After every watering, tip the saucer. Water thoroughly until it drains, then let the top third of the mix dry out. The curled leaves hide early thirst, so check the soil rather than the foliage. Overwatering and soggy roots are the main killer.

Soil and pot

Pothos 'Shangri La' grows best in well-draining aroid mix. Use a chunky, airy blend of potting soil with orchid bark, perlite and a little coco coir. Good drainage and a pot with holes prevent the root rot this plant is prone to in dense, water-retentive mixes. A pot with a working drainage hole is non-negotiable for this species — even free-draining mix will turn soggy in a closed planter. If you love the look of a decorative pot without a hole, use it as a cachepot around an inner nursery pot you can lift out to water.

Humidity and temperature

Pothos 'Shangri La' sits happiest at around 40-60% humidity and 18-29°C (65-85°F). Average household humidity is fine. Higher humidity encourages faster growth and tighter leaf curl, but this cultivar tolerates dry indoor air better than most tropicals. If you keep the room above 18 year-round and avoid placing the plant near a cold draught, a hot radiator, or an air-conditioning vent, you have already handled the two biggest indoor stressors.

Fertilising

Feed pothos 'shangri la' sparingly. Feed monthly through spring and summer with a balanced houseplant fertiliser at half strength; stop in autumn and winter when growth slows. Skip fertiliser entirely on a stressed, recently-repotted, or actively wilting plant — fertiliser salts make damage worse, not better. Wait for a round of healthy new growth before resuming a feeding rhythm.

Common problems

Below are the issues we see most often on pothos 'shangri la' in the Growli community. Each is annotated with the most common cause so you know where to start.

• Yellowing leaves — Usually overwatering or soggy roots; let the top third of the mix dry between waterings and ensure the pot drains freely.
• Loss of leaf curl — Leaves flatten and revert toward plain pothos in low light; move to brighter indirect light to restore the ruffled, curled form.
• Brown crispy edges — Caused by very dry air, underwatering or salt build-up; water more consistently and flush the soil occasionally to leach fertiliser salts.
• Root rot — Mushy stems and a sour smell signal rot from a dense, wet mix; repot into a chunky aroid blend and trim away blackened roots.

Propagation

Very easy from stem cuttings: cut just below a node, root in water or moist mix, and pot up once roots reach 3-5 cm. Each cutting needs at least one node to root. Propagation is the cheapest, most satisfying way to expand a collection — and it doubles as insurance against losing a mature plant to an accident. Take a backup cutting once the parent is established and healthy.

Toxicity to pets

Pothos 'Shangri La' is toxic to pets. Toxic to cats and dogs. The ASPCA lists golden pothos (Epipremnum aureum) as toxic; the toxic principle is insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, which cause oral irritation, intense burning of the mouth, tongue and lips, drooling, vomiting and difficulty swallowing. Keep out of reach of pets. If you keep cats, dogs, or curious children in the house, weigh placement carefully — a high shelf or a hanging planter is enough for casual safety. For severe ingestion incidents, call your local vet and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (in the US, 888-426-4435).

Pet-safety status is sourced from the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List, which catalogues the most-asked-about plants for cats, dogs, and horses.

Pothos 'Shangri La' deep-dive guides

Every aspect of pothos 'shangri la' care, each with its own calibrated guide:

• Pothos 'Shangri La' watering schedule
• Pothos 'Shangri La' light requirements
• Best soil mix for pothos 'shangri la'
• Pothos 'Shangri La' fertilizing guide
• When to repot pothos 'shangri la'
• How to propagate pothos 'shangri la'
• Pothos 'Shangri La' growth rate & size
• Pothos 'Shangri La' cold hardiness
• Pothos 'Shangri La' temperature & humidity
• Is pothos 'shangri la' toxic to cats & dogs?
• Is pothos 'shangri la' toxic to cats?
• Is pothos 'shangri la' toxic to dogs?

Featured in these plant shortlists

Pothos 'Shangri La' qualifies for 5 curated Growli shortlists — each one filtered objectively from our structured plant-care library, so the selection is consistent and checkable:

• Best low-light houseplants — Houseplants that need no direct sun and cope with a north-facing room or a spot well back from a window.
• Best plants for a north-facing window — Houseplants for a north-facing window: bright, even, indirect light and no scorching direct sun. Each pick verified against its documented light needs.
• Best trailing & climbing houseplants — Vining and trailing houseplants for shelves, hanging pots, and moss poles — selected by growth habit.
• Houseplants toxic to cats & dogs — The common houseplants the ASPCA lists as toxic to cats and dogs — the ones to keep out of reach, each with its symptoms and a safe alternative.
• Best houseplants to propagate in water — Houseplants that root from a cutting in a glass of water — the easiest, cheapest way to turn one plant into many.
• Browse all 29 plant shortlists — pet-safe, low-light, drought-tolerant and more

Related guides

Pothos 'Shangri La' is also commonly called Sleeping Pothos or Curly Leaf Pothos.

• Types of pothos — varieties identified, with care and pet-safety
• Snake plant care — light, water and common problems
• Dracaena care — light, water and common problems
• Peperomia care — light, water and common problems
• All 2464 plant care guides in the Growli library