Have you heard of global green pothos plants? Pothos plants are common, but global green is a newer and harder-to-find variety. This post has everything you need to know about global green pothos care, including where to find it and how to propagate it!
Global green pothos care & propagation
Have you ever heard of global green pothos plants? Earlier this year, people were going NUTS trying to find them at Walmarts, Home Depots, and Lowes. Apparently there was the occasional hanging basket popping up for cheap.
I never found one myself, but I did get my hands on one! (More on how to find global green pothos in a bit.) I love pothos plants—even the most common jade and golden varieties. I’m a sucker for anything trailing, and pothos plants fit that bill. Plus it’s EASY!
Background
Pothos plants, as they are collectively known, are from the Epipremnum genus, aureum species. They are a timeless and still wildly popular houseplant, and they go by a lot of names. Golden pothos, ivy arum, marble queen, devil’s ivy, devil’s vine, and more.
Fun fact—pothos plants rarely flower without hormone supplementation. In fact, the last known spontaneous flowering on a photos plant was in 1964. Kind of wild.
Where does global green pothos come from?
Pothos plants come from Mo’orea, a volcanic island in French Polynesia. It has also been naturalized throughout tropical and subtropical climates in SOuth Africa, Australia, Southeast and South Asia, the Pacific Islands, and the West Indies.
Epipremnum aureum “global green” pothos is a pretty new variety of this common plant. I have tried to find its origin, and all I can find is that in 2020, Costa Farms started selling it and announced it as an “exciting new member of the pothos family” with “rich dark and light green marbling.”
As of September 2021, Costa Farms also said on their website that they had been granted exclusive rights (the patent) to propagate this plant in North America. So, where did the variegation come from originally? I’m not sure. If you know, hit me up.
Is global green pothos rare?
Yes! Which is why I was so thankful to get my hands on one! They really are gorgeous, and collecting pothos varieties is really fun. I expect that if Costa Farms mass-produces them and continues rolling them out more, they will become less rare.
For another harder-to-find pothos variety, check out my cebu blue pothos care post and the companion cebu blue propagation guide!
Where can I buy a global green pothos?
As of September 2021, I have never seen a global green pothos in a nursery or store. As I mentioned, some folks have found them in big box stores, but I’ve never been so lucky. There are also a lot of cuttings on Etsy, but it doesn’t seem like many full plants.
To get mine, I set up an alert on Facebook Marketplace. The person selling them almost certainly scored a big basket at a big box store, split it up, and sold it. But I got mine for only $24, so although it was probably split and the price hiked, I wasn’t too sad about it.
Is Emerald pothos the same as global green?
Nope. They are very similar looking, though. Global green pothos plants generally have a darker green border and a lighter green on the leaf’s interior. The variegation is also more “pixelated” looking, in my opinion.
Emerald pothos, however, are pretty much the opposite. The leaves are light green with darker green variegation on the interior. I can’t find much information on this variety.
How do you take care of global green pothos?
Taking care of a global green pothos plant is pretty much the same as most other pothos plants. To ensure its gorgeous marbled green tones stay variegated, make sure it gets plenty of bright, indirect light.
While pothos plants can do quite well in lower light, it won’t thrive. Also, variegated plants typically need a bit more light to keep a strong and beautiful variegation, so keep that in mind. It will burn in too much direct sun, though.
If you notice that the plant’s variegation is fading but the leaves aren’t burning, it might just be getting too much light. Too much light can dull the variegated on the plant and fade the colors. I had this one in a south-facing window that got way too much light.
I water all of my pothos plants when their soil dries out. But, anecdotally, I have noticed that my global green pothos tends to be a bit thirstier. This could be because of the particular soil mixture I have it in, or its location.
But, it’s just something I’ve noticed on my own personal plant. I find that the leaves can get a bit crinkly sooner than my other pothos plants. (Kind of reminds me of a manjula variety, too.)
I also use any high-quality well-draining houseplant soil for my pothos plants. I generally throw in another handful of coco coir or perlite to help enhance drainage as well.
Because pothos plants in general hail from high-humidity, warm climates, try to get as close to that as possible for your plant. However, they do just fine in all normal household temperatures and humidity levels.
My hoya plants—also humidity lovers—did quite well outdoors this summer, so I’ll probably put my global green outside next spring to see if it really takes off! It has grown just a bit since I’ve had it, but I know more humidity would help.
Are pothos plants toxic to pets?
Yes. The calcium oxalate crystals in the plant can cause oral irritation, vomiting, and throat swelling in pets that ingest it. It can also be toxic to humans, so it’s best to keep it away from kids who might get into it.
Global green pothos propagation
As a reminder, global green pothos plants are patented. But, if you want to propagate them for yourself to make your plant super full, you can do it just like any other pothos plant.
That means in water, moss, or LECA. I don’t propagate pothos cuttings directly in soil. Whatever method you use, make sure the cutting has a couple leaves and a few nodes (the little brown nubs, also the areas where leaves meet the stem).
To propagate in water, just put it in water and refresh the water every week or so. Once it grows roots, plant it. To propagate in LECA, nestle the cutting in LECA and add water just up to the bottom of where the cutting is.
I have personally rooted global green pothos cuttings in sphagnum moss and perlite. To do this, I dampened the moss and mixed it with coarse perlite. Then I added the cutting and popped it in my DIY plant propagation box to keep humidity levels high.
If you don’t want to use a plant propagation box, you can pop a clear plastic bag over the cutting and moss mixture. Make sure the moss stays damp but not wet. When you’ve got some nice roots, plant it in soil!
See my full guides for LECA plant propagation and sphagnum moss propagation for more!
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