Your plant parent story might have started with some humble pothos. It’s forgiving, fast-growing, and honestly, it’s probably the most underrated plant in most of our collections. But there is so much more to the pothos that you might be missing out on. So in this episode, we’re going to talk about pothos way beyond the basics with the help of my plant friend Justin Hancock of Costa Farms.

Justin started in horticultural publishing before joining Costa Farms to assist with their marketing. His role at Costa Farms now involves testing how new plant varieties hold up with different light/watering/environment conditions, and making sure the average person can be successful with them. Let’s dive in!

In this episode, we learn:

• [00:00] Why Pothos might be the most underrated plant in your collection
• [02:14] Meet Justin Hancock from Costa Farms!
• [03:09] Justin’s lifelong plant passion and career path
• [04:37] What Justin does at Costa Farms
• [05:20] Why Pothos is having a comeback moment
• [07:45] Where do pothos come from?
• [08:16] Pothos or Epipremnum or... something else? What makes a pothos a pothos?
• [09:17] Why pothos is called "Devil's Ivy"
• [09:46] Pothos vs philodendron vs scindapsus
• [11:50] How do we care for pothos?
• [13:05] Indirect light and what plants actually want
• [15:24] Moss poles vs. fence planks
• [16:03] How to make Pothos look so lush and full
• [17:35] What’s the #1 problem with pothos care?
• [18:19] What are the different pothos varieties?
• [20:19] How do you specifically care for variegated pothos?
• [22:26] How Costa Farms discovers new varieties around the world
• [24:24] How Shangri-La and Champs-Élysées came to be
• [27:18] The trend of fenestrated Pothos is here
• [27:49] Rapid-fire matchmaking: which Pothos fits your personality?
• [29:57] What is Costa Farms and where to find their plants
• [31:04] Where to follow Justin and Costa Farms online

Mentioned in our conversation:

• Trending Tropicals® Collection – Costa Farms
• Exotic Angel – Costa Farms
• Blog: A Plethora of Pothos Varieties
• Golden Pothos
• Albo Pothos
• Lemon Top Pothos
• Global Green Pothos
• Pothos Manjula
• Pothos Neon Joy
• Jessenia Pothos

For pothos recommendations based on your plant parent personality,

check out the full show notes and blog here!

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