How Pure Water Can Affect the Golden Pothos Plant

Flushes Salt Buildup

• Watering the golden pothos plant with pure water can be beneficial, because it flushes salt from the roots of the plant. Salt in the soil tends to build on the pothos plant's roots over time. If the salt is allowed to remain on the roots, it can eat away at them, making it more difficult for the plant to absorb nutrients from the soil. Thus, regular treatments with pure water can help prolong the plant's life.

Growth

• Pure water can aid plant growth. If water is applied to the upper first inch of dried soil, the plant's roots will absorb it. This strengthens the roots and helps them to gain nutrients from the soil; the plant will grow faster and be more healthy than a plant that does not get any pure water treatments. However, pure water treatments must be combined with micro-nutrient fertilizer, because pure water can destroy some of the micro-nutrients in the soil that the pothos plant needs.

Wilting

• Be careful not to overwater this plant. Water it only when the soil is dry and only water the upper first inch of the plant. If the golden pathos plant gets too much water, the roots will rot. This stops the plant from being able to gather nutrients from the soil, and the leaves will wilt, even though you are watering the plant on a regular basis.

Distinction

• You can tell if the plant is getting too much or too little water by the color of the leaves. If the golden pothos is not getting enough water, its leaves turn bright yellow before wilting. If it is getting too much water, the leaves turn dull or pale. Thus, if the plant doesn't seem to be doing well, examine the leaves and adjust how much water you are giving it.