This article has everything you need to know about global green pothos care, including how to propagate it.
Global green pothos care & propagation
Have you ever heard of global green pothos plants? I few year ago, people were going NUTS trying to find them at Walmart, Home Depot, and Lowes. Apparently there was the occasional big hanging basket popping up.
I never found one myself, but I did get my hands on a smaller plant! 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!
- Global green pothos care overview
- Pothos background
- Where is global green pothos from?
- Is global green pothos rare?
- Is Emerald pothos the same as global green?
- How much light does a global green pothos need?
- How often should I water it?
- Soil, temperature, and humidity needs
- Are pothos plants toxic to pets?
- Global green pothos propagation
Global green pothos care overview
- Unique variety of the common pothos plant; pothos is native to Mo’orea in French Polynesia and has been naturalized in various tropical and subtropical regions.
- Costa Farms began selling global green in 2020 and holds the patent to propagate it in North America.
- Requires bright, indirect light to maintain variegation; can tolerant lower light but will not thrive.
- Water when about the top half of the pot’s soil dries out.
- Plant in high-quality, well-draining soil with coco coir or perlite for better drainage.
- Pothos are toxic and can cause oral irritation and vomiting if ingested.
- Pothos plants can be propagated easily through stem cuttings in water, moss, or soil.
Pothos 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 is global green pothos 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.
Is global green pothos rare?
It is more common than it was several years ago, but it still remains somewhat harder to find than more common pothos varieties (e.g., marble queen, jade).
In early 2022, I started seeing global green pothos plants popping up in nurseries around me. And even in some big box garden centers. There are also a lot of cuttings on Etsy (affiliate link), 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 $20, so although it was probably split and the price hiked, I wasn’t too sad about it.
For another harder-to-find pothos variety, check out my cebu blue pothos care post and the companion cebu blue propagation guide!
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 much light does a global green pothos need?
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.
How often should I water it?
I water all of my pothos plants when their soil is almost dry. 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.)
Soil, temperature, and humidity needs
I 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!
In conclusion…
I hope you find this care guide to be useful as you are coming up with a care plan for your global green pothos. It’s a great variety of pothos that I definitely recommend adding to you collection. Enjoy!
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