Train Pothos to Climb a Wall in 9 Steps

To train pothos to climb, give it light, put the pot up high, and guide the vine through small clips along a path you've mapped with painter's tape. Do that and a trailing plant becomes a green line that draws the eye up and softens a plain wall.

It's a good fix for rentals and boxy rooms, because you don't need to paint or hang anything heavy. Below you'll find where to start, what hardware works, nine steps, and what to do around pets.

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Why train a pothos upward?

Floor space is tight in most homes. A vine that climbs uses wall height instead, and a vertical line of leaves makes a ceiling read a little taller. A trailing pothos on a high shelf does something similar, but a trained path lets you decide the shape.

Pothos is a tropical vine that scrambles up trees in the wild, so climbing suits it. Give it something to hold and it will usually keep growing along it.

Check light and wall before you start

Light decides whether this works. Iowa State Extension notes that most houseplants grow and look their best in bright, indirect light, and that light levels drop quickly as you move away from a window. Areas more than a few feet from even a bright window are often too dim. So plan the climbing path near or across the light, not into a dark corner. In low light the stems stretch and leave long bare gaps between leaves.

A north window gives gentle, steady light and you can frame it directly. At a south or west window, pull the plant back a couple of feet or add a sheer curtain so the leaves don't scorch. If you're also dressing that window, our curtain styling steps pair well with a climbing vine.

Then look at the wall. Adhesive clips usually hold on smooth, sealed drywall paint and can lift paint if you pull them off carelessly. Old plaster often rejects adhesive, so you may need a small masonry fastener. If you're unsure what's behind a wall, ask a licensed professional before drilling.

Which support works best?

Clear clips and small hooks

These nearly disappear and suit renters. Buy clips a bit wider than the stems, since stems thicken as they age.

A trellis or grid

A wall-mounted metal trellis makes the support part of the design. It works well in mid-century or industrial rooms where the metal echoes other finishes.

A tension rod and fishing line

For framing a window, a thin tension rod at the top of the jamb with fishing line running down to the pot lets the vines twirl upward without touching paint.

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How to train pothos to climb in 9 steps

Plan on an afternoon. Take your time with the layout, because moving clips later can mark the paint.

1. Water the plant a day before. Hydrated stems bend more easily and snap less. Wipe the leaves with a damp cloth while you're at it.
2. Lay the vines out on a clean floor, untangle them gently and sort them by length. Decide which side has the most leaves facing out, and put that side toward the room.
3. Mock up the path with painter's tape. A gentle S-curve or an uneven arch looks more natural than a ruler-straight line.
4. Set the pot in its final spot and place the first anchor about 6-8 inches above the soil. It carries the most weight.
5. Add clips every 12-15 inches along the tape. Much wider than that and the vine sags, much tighter and it looks stiff.
6. Secure each vine just below a leaf node, the bump where leaf meets stem. That keeps it from sliding through the clip.
7. Hide thin spots near the pot by looping a long vine back down and pinning it across the soil surface.
8. Trim the tips of the longest vines. Cutting a tip usually pushes the plant to branch lower down, which gives fuller growth.
9. Step back across the room, squint, and check the balance against the furniture below. Adjust the curves before the adhesive fully sets.

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Where should the pot sit?

Avoid the floor. A pot on the floor leaves the lower wall bare and puts the plant within reach of pets. As an architect, I'd set the base on a console, mantel or high shelf so the leafy volume starts at eye level.

Pothos is toxic if chewed by dogs and cats, so for pets, height and distance matter. Keep the pot and any trailing ends well out of reach, and for cats leave no jumping path from nearby furniture. If you have a determined chewer, check with your vet about which plants are safe, or pick a different plant.

Watering a plant you can't easily reach

High shelves dry differently than a windowsill, and it's hard to judge soil you can't see. The Wisconsin Horticulture houseplant guide says improper watering is a primary cause of plant death. Use a step stool and check the soil with your finger rather than watering on a schedule. When you do water, soak it until water runs from the drainage holes, as West Virginia University Extension advises, and empty the saucer afterward.

If the plant has outgrown its pot, our guide on repotting a pothos covers the move. The broader pothos climbing guide goes deeper on growth habits.

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Common problems and fixes

Clips that let go

Dust and grease are the usual cause, or the plant simply got heavier. Wipe the spot with isopropyl alcohol before sticking a clip. As the vine grows, add extra clips at the curves, where the load is highest, instead of relying on the first few.

Aerial roots gripping the wall

Little brown roots can dig into drywall paper. Check monthly, and nip them off with clean shears or ease them away and secure the stem in a clip.

Long bare stems

Stretched stems mean too little light. You can't make a bare stem leaf out again, but you can coil it in the pot and move the plant closer to the window.

Styling checks

Match the pot finish to nearby hardware, keep the vine's mass in proportion to the window or furniture it frames, and pick a variety whose green suits your rug and walls. A small uplight under the leaves throws pleasant shadows on the ceiling at night.

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Frequently asked questions