Pothos problems: why leaves get brown spots, black tips or droop
Short answer
Most pothos problems come from overwatering or too much fertilizer. Brown or black leaf tips and edges usually mean the soil is too wet, too dry or salty from fertilizer. Brown patches in the middle of leaves usually follow cold or a sudden temperature drop. Drooping usually means the plant needs water, but if the soil is wet and the roots are brown or missing, it is root rot. Dry, scorched tips point to low humidity or harsh light.[3, 2, 1]
What do you see?
Find the row that matches your pothos, then jump to it for how to tell the causes apart and fix each one.
| What you see | Likely causes |
|---|---|
| Brown or black leaf tips and edges | Overwatering, underwatering, fertilizer salts, or dry air and harsh light |
| Brown spots or patches on the leaves | Cold or a sudden temperature change, direct sun, or a fungal leaf spot |
| Black spots or a black coating | Bacterial leaf spot, sooty mold from pests, or blackened edges from watering |
| Drooping or wilting | Too little water; if the soil is wet, root rot |
| Yellow leaves | Usually overwatering; also low fertility or direct sun |
| Sticky leaves, white fluff or bumps | Mealybugs, scale or spider mites |
| Leaves losing their color pattern | Too little light |
Compare the symptoms
Illustrations, not photos: drawn to show the typical pattern of each symptom. Free to reuse.
- Brown or black leaf tips and edges
- Brown spots or patches on the leaves
- Black spots or a black coating
- Drooping or wilting
- Yellow leaves
- Sticky leaves, white fluff or bumps
- Leaves losing their color pattern
Each symptom, its causes and fixes
Brown or black leaf tips and edges
Likely: overwatering, underwatering, fertilizer salts, or dry air and harsh light.
Overwatering
How to tell: The soil stays wet for days, and the blackened tips come with yellowing leaves.
- Let the soil dry before you water again. Pothos does better kept too dry than too wet.
- Empty the saucer after watering.
- If the plant also droops, check the roots for rot (see drooping below).
Based on: University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension [3], Penn State Extension [2]
Underwatering
How to tell: The soil is bone dry and the leaves droop before you water.
- Water thoroughly when the soil is dry, until water runs out of the bottom of the pot.
Based on: University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension [3], Penn State Extension [2]
Too much fertilizer (salt buildup)
How to tell: You feed often, or there is a white to gray crust on the soil or the pot rim.
- Water heavily so water runs through the pot and rinses out the salts. Empty the saucer.
- Scrape off any crust and top up with fresh potting mix.
- Feed less. UW–Madison and Clemson suggest about every other month in spring and summer, and UW–Madison says not to feed in winter. Penn State’s schedule is more frequent, so if the tips are burning, use the lighter one.
Based on: University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension [3], Clemson Cooperative Extension [1], Penn State Extension [2], Clemson Cooperative Extension [4]
Low humidity or harsh light
How to tell: The tips are dry and scorched, the room air is dry, or the plant sits in strong light or near a heater or air conditioner.
- Give it bright, indirect light instead of strong sun.
- Move it away from heating and air-conditioning vents and, in winter, off cold windowsills.
- Raise the humidity with a humidifier if your air is very dry.
Based on: Clemson Cooperative Extension [1]
Brown spots or patches on the leaves
Likely: cold or a sudden temperature change, direct sun, or a fungal leaf spot.
Cold or a sudden temperature change
How to tell: Scattered brown patches, usually in the middle of the leaf, after the plant sat somewhere cold or went quickly from very warm to cooler air.
- Keep it at about 70–85 °F by day and 60–70 °F at night.
- Keep it away from air-conditioning vents in summer, and from cold windowsills and heating vents in winter.
Based on: University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension [3], Clemson Cooperative Extension [1]
Direct sun
How to tell: The plant gets direct sun, and the leaves facing it are yellowing or scorched.
- Move it to bright, indirect or filtered light.
- Turn the pot every week so all sides get even light.
Based on: Penn State Extension [2], University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension [3], Clemson Cooperative Extension [1]
Fungal leaf spot
How to tell: Small brown spots with yellowish edges, sometimes with rings and tiny black dots in the dead tissue. Spots can join up and kill the leaf. Clemson describes this for houseplants in general.
- Pick off and throw away the spotted leaves.
- Keep water off the leaves, and leave space around the plant for air to move.
- If it keeps spreading, Clemson lists copper soap and other fungicides for houseplants. Follow the label and spray outdoors in the shade.
Based on: Clemson Cooperative Extension [4]
Black spots or a black coating
Likely: bacterial leaf spot, sooty mold from pests, or blackened edges from watering.
Bacterial leaf spot
How to tell: Dark, water-soaked spots of similar size, often with a yellow halo and sometimes sticky ooze. They grow and merge in wet conditions and dry to reddish brown. Clemson describes this for houseplants in general.
- Remove every spotted leaf and throw it away.
- Stop misting and splashing the leaves, keep the plant warm, and don’t crowd it.
- Clemson lists copper soap products for bacterial leaf spot. Follow the label.
Based on: Clemson Cooperative Extension [4]
Sooty mold from mealybugs or scale
How to tell: A black, sooty film on top of sticky leaves. Look for white cottony clumps (mealybugs) or small bark-colored bumps (scale) on the stems and leaf undersides.
- Deal with the insects first (see pests below). The sooty mold grows on their sticky honeydew.
Based on: University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension [3]
Black edges from watering or fertilizer
How to tell: The black is along the tips and edges rather than in spots.
- See brown or black leaf tips above.
Based on: University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension [3]
Drooping or wilting
Likely: too little water; if the soil is wet, root rot.
Too little water
How to tell: The soil is dry. Drooping from thirst is temporary.
- Water thoroughly whenever the soil is dry.
Based on: Penn State Extension [2]
Root rot
How to tell: The plant droops even though the soil is wet. Slide it out of the pot: the roots are brown, soft or missing. Rot comes from overwatering or soil that drains poorly.
- If only a few roots are rotten, cut them off and repot in fresh, well-drained potting mix in a clean pot.
- If most roots are dark, soft and dead, the plant is unlikely to recover. Clemson advises throwing it away.
- Water only when the soil is dry from now on.
Based on: University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension [3], Clemson Cooperative Extension [1], Penn State Extension [2], Clemson Cooperative Extension [4]
Yellow leaves
Likely: usually overwatering; also low fertility or direct sun.
Overwatering or low fertility
How to tell: Several leaves yellow at once, not just one or two old ones at the base of the vine.
- Let the soil dry before watering again.
- If watering is right, feed with a houseplant fertilizer every other month in spring and summer.
Based on: Clemson Cooperative Extension [1], University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension [3]
Direct sun
How to tell: The yellowing is on leaves in direct sun.
- Move the plant to bright, indirect light.
Based on: Penn State Extension [2]
Sticky leaves, white fluff or bumps
Likely: mealybugs, scale or spider mites.
Mealybugs or scale
How to tell: Mealybugs look like white, cottony masses where leaves meet the stem, on leaf undersides and even on the roots. Scale looks like small bark-colored bumps. Both leave sticky honeydew that can grow black sooty mold.
- Move the plant away from your other houseplants.
- Treat with a houseplant insecticide labeled for these pests, following the label.
- For a heavy infestation, UW–Madison says it is often better to throw the plant away and start again from clean cuttings.
Based on: University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension [3], Clemson Cooperative Extension [1]
Spider mites
How to tell: Fine pale speckles on the leaves and, in bad cases, thin webbing.
- Clean the leaves thoroughly, top and bottom.
- Spray with insecticidal soap, and repeat often until they are gone.
Based on: University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension [3], Clemson Cooperative Extension [1], Clemson Cooperative Extension [5]
Leaves losing their color pattern
Likely: too little light.
Too little light
How to tell: New leaves come in greener, with less yellow or white. Marble Queen, Snow Queen and Pearls and Jade need the most light; Neon and Jessenia cope with less.
- Move the plant closer to a bright window, out of direct sun.
- Turn the pot weekly so all sides get light.
Based on: Clemson Cooperative Extension [1], University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension [3], Penn State Extension [2]
Normal changes that aren't problems
Old leaves yellowing at the base of the vine
Pothos naturally drops its oldest leaves, so most leaves end up near the tips of the vines. One or two old leaves turning yellow is normal. [3]
White speckles on Pearls and Jade or Snow Queen
Pearls and Jade has large white spots and Snow Queen is mostly white with green speckles. That pattern is the plant’s variegation, not a disease. [1]
How to prevent problems
- Water only when the soil is dry, and empty the saucer afterward.
- Use a well-draining potting mix.
- Feed lightly in spring and summer, and not at all in winter.
- Give it bright, indirect or filtered light, not direct sun.
- Keep it at 70–85 °F by day and 60–70 °F at night, away from vents and cold windows.
- Check leaf undersides and leaf joints for pests now and then.
Questions people ask
Why does my pothos have brown spots?
Scattered brown patches in the middle of the leaf usually come from cold or a sudden temperature change. Direct sun can scorch leaves too. Small brown spots with yellow edges can be a fungal leaf spot: remove those leaves and keep water off the foliage. [3, 2, 1, 4]
Why does my Neon pothos have brown spots?
Neon is a variety of the same plant, so the causes are the same: cold or a sudden temperature change, direct sun, or leaf spot. Neon tolerates lower light, so it doesn’t need a spot in direct sun. [3, 1]
What causes black spots on pothos?
Dark, water-soaked spots with a yellow halo point to bacterial leaf spot. A black film on sticky leaves is sooty mold, which grows on the honeydew from mealybugs or scale. Black edges and tips come from overwatering, underwatering or too much fertilizer. [4, 3]
Why are my pothos leaf tips turning brown?
Usually watering (too much or too little) or salt buildup from fertilizer. Dry, scorched tips can also come from low humidity or harsh light. Check the soil first, then how often you feed. [3, 1]
Why are my pothos leaves turning brown and dying?
Overwatering and too much fertilizer cause most pothos problems. If the leaves brown and the plant droops while the soil is wet, check the roots: brown or missing roots mean root rot. [3]
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against these sources on November 10, 2026. The wording and illustrations are our own.
- How to Grow Pothos Indoors (Epipremnum spp.): Care, Cultivars, and Common Problems (HGIC 1568). Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center. Published Jan 30, 2026.
- Pothos as a Houseplant. Penn State Extension. Updated Sep 29, 2025.
- Pothos, Epipremnum aureum. University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension, Wisconsin Horticulture.
- Houseplant Diseases & Disorders (HGIC 2251). Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center. Updated Feb 28, 2025.
- Common Houseplant Insects & Related Pests (HGIC 2252). Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center. Updated Sep 10, 2021.
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