All about the gorgeous Scindapsus treubii moonlight!
Let’s talk about one of my favorites! If you’re looking to add an interesting new plant to your collection, then the scindapsus treubii ‘moonlight’ might be a good choice. The moonlight’s leaves are milky green with a silver sheen, making them stand out among your other green-leaf plants.
Scindapsus treubii are part of the Araceae family and the Scindapsus genus. It originated from the rainforests of Southeast Asia, but they are also native to the Pacific Islands and Queensland. But it has quickly gained popularity as a houseplant over the last several years, so let’s dive in to caring for it!
Care overview
- Thrives in bright, indirect light; direct sunlight can burn the foliage; low light leads to leggy growth.
- Plant in a well-draining houseplant potting mix.
- Water when the top half of the soil has dried out; avoid overwatering, which can lead to root rot.
- Ideal temperature is 65-75°F; tolerates cooler temperatures but not freezing conditions.
- Tolerates normal household humidity but appreciates extra humidity.
- Slow grower, requiring repotting only once every few years.
- Propagate stem cuttings in a mixture of sphagnum moss and perlite.
- Toxic; causes swelling in oral tissues and gastrointestinal issues if ingested.
Light
Like most other tropical plants, the scindapsus treubii moonlight prefers bright, indirect light. It’ll thrive in a room with lots of filtered light, or in an east-facing window. Although it will survive some direct light, extended periods of time in direct sun or in darkness will cause the leaves to fade and stunt its growth.
If you notice that the leaves on your plant are emerging farther apart from one another on the stem and are smaller, you likely need to increase light levels. This is called “leggy” growth, and it occurs when the plant’s lighting conditions are too low.
For the past year, I have kept my scindapsus plant in my sunroom on the bottom of some plant shelving. This is a southwest facing window and gets a ton of light—probably the sunniest spot in my house (see below, first photo).
If you choose to grow your plant outdoors, make sure you provide some sort of top cover like a gazebo, deck, patio, or tree. Direct sun will scorch the leaves, which you cannot reverse. I successfully grew mine on my covered patio at my old house—it got only dappled direct sunlight through the deck slats above (see below, second photo).
Water
I generally water my scindapsus plants once the top half of soil has dried out. Depending on the time of year, this is generally once a week in the summer and once every 10-14 days in the winter. In the spring and fall as temperatures are changing, it can be somewhere in between.
When I water my plants, I like to rinse them off in the shower or sink and water them deeply. This allows me to clean off the foliage and stems while also completely soaking the soil. Make sure its pot has a drainage hole and the soil allows for water to flow freely so you can avoid overwatering issues.
Yellowing leaves
If the soil is consistently wet and some of your plant’s leaves are beginning to fade, wilt, and yellow, it is likely due to overwatering and rot. To fix this, trim the unsightly leaves off and let the soil dry out before watering the plant again. If the roots have severe rot on them, you may need to take the plant out of the pot, trim the mushy roots off, and repot it in fresh dry soil.
If the soil is consistently dry and the leaves are also curling a bit, the yellowing leaves are likely a result of underwatering. Another sign is that the leaves closest to the soil line will begin yellowing and falling off. The plant is going into survival mode and killing off its foliage.
I have experienced this, especially as the seasons are changing and I am adjusting my watering frequency. I tend to err on the side of underwatering instead of overwatering because it does less damage.
Fixing this is easier—simply pick off the affected leaves and give your plant a deep drink. Thoroughly soak the soil and let all of the excess water drain out. Your plant should rebound, and the leaves should stop yellowing.
Soil
Any well-draining houseplant potting mix will work. I generally use the Fox Farm Ocean Forest mix because it is super lightweight and packed with goodies. But really, any well-draining soil mix marked as designed for indoor plants or houseplants works.
If your soil is too heavy, you can add additional perlite or orchid bark to facilitate better drainage. If the soil is too heavy, it will retain too much moisture and prevent the flow of oxygen to the plant’s roots—a critical need for good growth!
Temperature
You might think because the scindapsus treubii comes from the tropical rainforests of Asia that it would only prefer warm weather, but that isn’t the case. Its ideal temperature range is 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. If it gets too hot for too long, it’ll start to wilt.
And it actually tolerates cooler temperatures very well! During winter it’ll do just fine by a window. I keep my large moonlight on plant shelving right up against a large window, and it is happy as can be. The only temperatures it can’t handle is below freezing. My first big moonlight I ordered online was shipped without a heat pack during extreme cold and ended up suffering a lot of cold damage (see below).
Humidity
This tropical plant is very hardy, and can grow in humidity levels as low as 40%, which should be just fine in most homes. Its ideal humidity is around 60% or higher. Check out how happy and healthy my big moonlight was after being outside for months in the super humid Maryland summer!
But if you can’t get your home or climate that humid, don’t worry. You can add a humidifier. And even if you don’t want to do that, my home gets very dry in the winter. Humidity levels in my sunroom can drop down to about 20-30%. without a humidifier. The moonlight still handles this like a champ, showing only minor brown crispy tips on the leaves—a tell-tale sign of low moisture in the air.
Growth & repotting
Scindapsus treubii moonlight grows pretty slowly. I propagated a little stem cutting before I ever got a full plant. It had two leaves, it took it about 6 months before it completely unfurled a third leaf. That took some serious patience!
Since this plant grows pretty slowly, it doesn’t need to be repotted that often. Maybe once every few years depending on how optimal the growing conditions are. Check the drainage holes to see if the roots are growing out of them. If they are—it’s time to repot!
I had a few different smaller moonlights back in 2021, and when it was time to pot them up, I decided to streamline things and just pot them up together into a large hanging basket. That is the plant I still have today—in the same planter. It remains happy—see the pic on the right below!
Propagation
Scindapsus treubii can be easily propagated using stem cuttings. I have a detailed guide about how to root scindapsus treubii moonlight, but here’s an overview.
- Choose a stem that has at least one node and cut it right below the node. Remove the bottom leaves if there are any, but leave one or two at the top.
- Fill a cup with a mixture of moist sphagnum moss and perlite. Place the cutting nodes-side down a few inches deep. (Read more about rooting plants in sphagnum moss.)
- Cover the cutting and moss with a plastic bag to increase the humidity. Put it in a bright, warm area. Make sure the moss remains damp but not wet, and take the baggie off every few days to allow for some air circulation.
- After a few weeks, check to see if roots have begun emerging. Once the roots are several inches long, you can transfer the cutting to fresh well-draining soil.
When I transplanted my cutting to soil, I watered it and put it in my Ikea greenhouse cabinet. The leaves curled a bit from the repotting shock, but it rebounded after a few weeks.
Here are a few more things to keep in mind when rooting scindapsus treubii moonlight based on my experience propagating many, many cuttings:
- Spring is the best time to propagate most plants, and it’s definitely the best time to propagate treubii. But you can do it all year long—just make sure the cutting gets plenty of warmth, light, and humidity.
- I don’t recommend water propagation for this plant because the roots won’t grow as strong, and it will suffer shock when you transplant it to soil—but it is possible.
- When propagating many cuttings, I like to use a DIY plastic propagation box method to create a warm, humid environment. It’s like a mini greenhouse.
Toxicity
According to the ASPCA, Scindapsus is toxic, and this includes Scindapsus treubii moonlight. They contain insoluble calcium oxalates that, if ingested, can cause swelling of the oral tissues and other parts of the gastrointestinal tract.
Luckily these look lovely hanging from the ceiling or up high on shelves, so it’s easy to keep them away from pets and kids. A glass-enclosed greenhouse cabinet is also a great option.
Scindapsus vs. pothos
Technically scindapsus treubii moonlight is not a pothos. “Pothos” is generally used to refer to a member of the epipremnum genus, which is part of the Araceae family. Usually epipremnum aurem or epipremnum pinnatum.
Scindapsus is its own genus in the Araceae family. So they are related, but Araceae is a big family. They are often confused with one another because they both climb/trail and have similarly shaped leaves.
Their key superficial differences are that the leaves on scindapsus plants tend to be thicker and often have a silver sheen of some sort. I’ve also found that their stems are thicker and they are slower growers. On the other hand, pothos plants have thinner leaves and sometimes stems. And they grow like weeds!
You will find people who swear up and down that scindapsus plants are also pothos plants like epipremnum plants are. But I do think it’s important to distinguish between scindapsus and epipremnum due to their slightly different care needs. Ultimately, I don’t like to bicker over naming conventions…plants are supposed to relax you, not make you fight 🙂
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Brittany is a seasoned DIY home and garden expert, running a creative brand since 2014 that inspires others with approachable plant care guides, woodworking tutorials, and decor projects. She is a certified project manager and has completed extensive coursework in the art and science of growing your own plants. Her work has been recognized by major publications, and she routinely collaborates with fellow DIY industry leaders—but her favorite thing to do is inspire you! Learn more about her here.
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