How to Plant, Grow, and Care For Global Green Pothos

You can find pothos plants vining through practically every coffee shop and business lobby, but have you ever noticed the ‘Global Green’ variety? This uniquely patterned vibrant cultivar has recently gained a lot of hype online and as a result, it can be a lot more difficult to find in regular garden stores.

Because of the popularity and rarity, they can also hit your pocketbook a little harder than other more common varieties. But once you get your hands on this verdant, lime, and emerald-colored tropical plant, you’ll want to nurture it as much as possible.

Once you’ve finally brought one of these plants into your home, it’s essential to make sure its needs are met, so it can grow and live a long life. Let’s dig into the details of how to care for a thriving Global Green Pothos that will brighten and purify your indoor space. 

All About Global Green Pothos 

Pothos is a tropical vine native to Southeast Asia. While there are dozens of cultivated varieties of this heart-shaped trailing plant, they all belong to the Epipremnum genus. These timeless houseplants are members of the Araceae family (sometimes called Aroids) and are especially popular for their laid-back, easy-to-care-for demeanor. This beginner-friendly, “hard to kill” growth habit has earned them names like “devil’s ivy” and “devil’s vine”, in addition to classic names like golden pothos, marble queen, and money plant.   

What Are Global Green Pothos? 

Epipremnum aureum ‘Global Green’ is a new variety of the popular tropical houseplant pothos. It is known for its mottled light and dark green colored leaves and tolerance for a range of growing conditions. Like all pothos types, This plant requires bright, indirect light to maintain its eye-catching marbled appearance. It prefers semi-regular waterings with a bit of time for its soil to dry out in between. These plants can be grown in pots, hanging baskets, or larger containers.  

Where Does it Originate?  

When it comes to the Global Green Pothos, it is equally as resilient as its cousins but newer to the houseplant world. Its Latin name is Epipremnum aureum ‘Global Green’ and its origins trace back to Costa Farms, who began selling the variety in 2020.  

It has garnered plenty of attention with its marbled chartreuse and rich dark green variegation. Companies and plant breeders are creating new cultivars of plants all the time, so it comes as no surprise that this unique rare cultivar is patented by Costa Farms and is difficult to get your hands on. 

Tropical Natives 

However, like all pothos, this variety can still be traced back to the wild tropical ancestors of E. aureum. These wild pothos can be found with leaves up to 1 foot long and vines up to 40 feet long weaving their way through the rainforests of French Polynesia, the Pacific Islands, Southeast Asia, and Australia. These tropical origins are the perfect clue to Global Green Pothos’ growing preferences: warm, humid, and slightly shaded.  

Mimicking Native Conditions 

The sunlight piece of this puzzle is often the most important and overlooked aspect of caring for pothos plants indoors. As you can imagine, the wild pothos ancestors have a lot of fellow plants in the lush tropics, therefore they are used to the indirect sunlight filtered through the forest canopy. But that doesn’t mean no sunlight at all! As I’ll describe later, this plant prefers a happy medium of light that won’t scorch its leaves but also provides plenty of photosynthetic energy. 

Is Global Green Pothos Rare? 

Thanks to Costa Farm’s patent on this plant variety, they are the only company that can propagate and mass-produce this plant. These clever marketing techniques have definitely made it harder to come by. Compared to the super common ‘Golden’ pothos and ‘Jade’ pothos, Global Green Pothos is definitely a unique, rare variety. If you see one in stores, you’ll want to snatch it up! 

If you are interested in rare varieties of pothos, I’d also recommend checking out our post about cultivating the stunning Cebu Blue Pothos. Growing ‘Global Green’ and ‘Cebu Blue’ alongside each other would certainly yield a stunning display of indoor vines.  

Identification Compared to Other Pothos Plants

The abnormal lime green splotches of color are the biggest giveaway of a Global Green Pothos. I imagine that it originally got its name because of the resemblance to the shapes of continents on a globe, except these shapes are contrasted against a deep green leaf rather than the Earth’s blue ocean.

The marbling variegation of this cultivar makes it super unique and sometimes unpredictable. Some leaves may begin a bright lime green and age with more unique colorations. Other leaves may stay deep green throughout their lifespan. 

Is it the Same as Emerald Pothos? 

The closest cousin to Global Green is the Emerald Pothos. Sometimes they are confused with each other, but this plant is most recognizable by its splotchy, sort of pixelated coloring of light green on a dark green border surface. Emerald Pothos is the opposite, with dark green marbling and variegation on top of a light green background. They are almost a mirrored image of each other and make for a gorgeous combo. 

Propagation and Planting 

All Global Green Pothos plants are patented, therefore you cannot propagate it to sell. However, if you want to promote a bushier plant and propagate a few extra vines for your household, that is perfectly fine. Pruning and propagation go hand-in-hand for growing healthy, happy pothos. The methods I use for Global Green are the same as any other pothos plant. 

How to Propagate by Cutting  

Pothos plants typically never reach maturity in indoor conditions, therefore they are multiplied vegetatively (with cuttings) rather than sexually (with seeds). Propagation is a simple way to add to your pothos collection while encouraging fuller growth in your existing plants. 

How to Take Cuttings 

Begin with a healthy, vigorous vine from a mother plant. Sanitize a sharp knife or pruners in a diluted alcohol solution to prevent any disease or pathogens from entering the plant.  

Count back 2-4 leaves from the tip of the vine and make a cut at a 45° angle just behind the back node. Nodes are those brownish-colored nubs that emerge where the leaves meet the stem. This is where new roots will emerge, so it’s important that you have at least 2 nodes to submerge underwater.  

Where to Root Cuttings 

Place the cutting in a jar of fresh room-temperature water and change it every couple of weeks. The cutting can be rooted in the same conditions as the mother plant: room temperature and indirect sunlight such as a north-facing window.  

It usually takes a few weeks to 2 months for the pothos cutting to begin growing roots. When it has robust roots that are 2-4” long, you can transplant it into a well-drained potting mix just like your other pothos. 

Cuttings can also be rooted in sphagnum peat moss and perlite, coco coir, or fluffy potting mix. I just find that water is the easiest way. Regardless of your method, it helps to keep the baby cuttings nicely humidified with a misting of water and consistently warm conditions.  

How to Transplant Global Green Pothos 

If you’ve recently rooted a pothos cutting or purchased a new Global Green plant from the store, you may find that it needs to be up-potted to give it more space to grow. I usually transplant my house plants at least once a year, depending on the size of the container and the speed of growth.  

Signs You Should Transplant Pothos 

Like all pothos, Global Green plants like to get a little bit root-bound (but not crazy tangled) before you transplant them. You may start to notice roots trailing around the bottom of the container or poking out of the pot’s drainage hole. This is a sure sign that it is time to transplant!

If you’ve accidentally waited too long to up-pot the pothos, don’t worry! They are quite forgiving, but it will definitely help to use a stick or your fingers to loosen up those tangled swirling roots so they can easily dive into the soil of their new container. 

How to Up-Pot 

Start by preparing a new container that is about twice the size of the existing pot. Fill it with a quality well-drained potting mix as we describe below. Scoop out a large hole in the center that matches the size of your pothos’ root ball. 

Grasp your Global Green plant at the base and slowly shimmy it out of the pot. Be careful not to disturb the roots too much in the process. Place it into the new container and backfill the soil. Do not tamp down or compact the potting mix! Pothos prefer plenty of aeration in their root zone or they are prone to rotting. 

Give the recently transplanted pothos a generous watering with a diluted kelp solution to help it take off in its new container home! If it was doing well, the plant can be placed in the same area as it was before. Just like with cuttings, a light misting on the leaves every few days will keep it happy and humidified as it adjusts to the new pot.  

Global Green Pothos Care

Taking care of this variety is really straightforward and nearly the same as all other pothos plants. The only thing to keep in mind with these marbled varieties is that they have less chlorophyll in their leaves due to the lighter coloration. This means it will be more sensitive to the light conditions that you provide.  

Water 

Remembering those tropical rainforest conditions of wild pothos is useful for creating its watering schedule. As you can imagine, a rainforest tends to have loose well-drained soils that dry out in the hot months and flow water through very quickly during the monsoon rainy season. Potted indoor pothos plants prefer something similar. 

If there’s anything a pothos plant hates, it’s “wet feet” (also known as soggy roots). Overwatering is the biggest mistake made by beginner pothos owners. Let the Global Green plant dry out a bit between watering. You can check that the top inch or two of soil has dried out by sticking your finger in. If your skin comes out without any soil, that usually means it is ready for some water. However, if the soil sticks to your finger, it probably isn’t thirsty yet. 

When watering, give the pothos a generous dose of water until it runs out the bottom drainage hole of the pot. The water should easily penetrate the soil and never “pool up” or become soggy and waterlogged. If your pothos is a little wilted, don’t worry, it will bounce back as soon as you give it a nice thorough drink. Keep in mind that this plant, like Manjula, is generally a bit thirstier than other pothos plants. 

Soil 

E. aureum prefers a well-drained, high-quality potting mix. The ideal pH is between 6.0 and 6.5. Most standard mixes will do, but I find that my plants especially thrive with a blend of 2 parts potting soil and 1 part perlite or vermiculite for extra drainage.  

You could also make your own mix with 2 parts peat moss, 1 part perlite, and 1 part shredded pine bark. There are even special organic mixes made specifically for Aroid plants like pothos. I like to add a scoop of quality organic compost once a year to keep the soil microbially active and well-drained.  

As I mentioned above, this plant is super easy to care for except when it is planted in soil that is too dense. If the water doesn’t run through, you may end up with a pretty unhappy ugly pothos plant.   

Fertility 

Pothos are really light feeders that can survive without any fertilizer at all. However, I like to give mine an extra boost during the main growing season with a little bit of compost or liquid fish to rev up leaf production. Be sure to never over-fertilize or burn your pothos plants, which may result in yellowed leaves with dark brown splotches.  

Temperature 

Global Green Pothos likes cozy temperatures between 60° and 80°F. It can tolerate a bit hotter as long as it isn’t in direct sunlight. The most important thing is to place this plant away from doors or windows that are subject to cold winter drafts. These tropical plants really hate the cold and will die if temps go below 50°F. 

Sunlight 

Back to that tropical rainforest scenario, Global Green Pothos wants bright indirect sunlight that isn’t too shady but isn’t too harsh either. I find that the middle of the room, top of shelves, or north and east-facing windows tend to be great for this plant.  

Unlike Jade Pothos and Golden Pothos, Global Green can’t handle super low-light conditions. Part of the reason for this is the leaf mottling, which results in less chlorophyll on the lighter green parts. Less chlorophyll means less photosynthesis, which is how the plant gets its energy from the sun. Keep this plant happy with plenty of light that won’t directly scorch or burn its leaves.  

Humidity 

Last but not least, humidity is the name of the game for tropical houseplants of any kind. If you live in an exceptionally dry climate, misting the leaves with a spray bottle of water will help your pothos to feel a little more at home. Mist once or twice a week at most, be sure that the leaves are never too drenched, as this could promote fungal diseases. If you have a lot of house plants, you may also want to look into a humidifier that will have them breathing a little easier.  

Troubleshooting 

This beginner-friendly plant is really only subject to a few issues that can be easily remedied by changing the conditions or using organic control methods. Let’s take a look at some of the most common problems you’ll likely face with this plant. 

Yellowing Leaves 

If your pothos plants begin to yellow, it is probably a sign of overwatering or root rot. Check the soil moisture and cut back on watering if needed. If the leaves have a bit more brown alongside the yellow, they may not be getting enough light. Move the Global Green closer to the window. 

Scorched, Brown Leaves 

On the flip side, pothos plants can get sunburnt from bright direct sunlight. If leaves begin to look brown or crunchy, move the plant away from the window toward more diluted sunlight. Scorched leaves can be removed.   

Pests

Sometimes houseplants are subject to mealybugs, thrips, or gnats. The easiest fix for these pests is a diluted neem solution wiped or sprayed directly on the leaves. Pests usually attack sick or struggling plants, so they can also be a sign of a deeper issue. Fungus gnats in particular may be a sign of overwatering or waterlogged soil. Try repotting your pothos into a mix that is more well-drained.   

Dust

Because of its light coloration, it is really important to keep it as dust-free as possible. No matter how much airflow my plants get, they still seem to accumulate dust that prevents them from maximum photosynthesis. I wipe them down with a soft moist cloth once a month or take them outside to spray down with the hose. This will keep the leaves shiny and happy.  

Frequently Asked Questions 

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, after reading this article, you now know everything you need to know when it comes to planting, growing, and caring for your Global Green Pothos plant. This amazing little plant can be a fun addition to any indoor garden. If you are having trouble tracking one down, check out some other pothos plants that may be a little more common.