I looked at mine and while it has hard bumps towards the bottom of the stems,it seems to be a place where new stems may branch out. It's nothing noticeable though.

If you want to keep the plant it wouldn't hurt to repot it and give the bottom stems and roots a good inspection and throw anything away that may look diseased.

Mine is a VERY slow grower. It sits by a window but doesn't get any sun except for late afternoon sun in the summer. But it fills a space in front of the window for me. lol

Pathos are often called mother-in-law plants as they are so hard to get rid of. They grow easily and need very little care and are good in low light. That's why you see them in offices so often.

I have had mine for years and haven't repotted it in years. I feed it (liquid fertilizer mixed in water) once a month and water it weekly. It is in the middle of my FR where it receives some light from the windows and the lamps, but not a lot. I also trim it regularly...cut back the longest stems....every few months.... to keep it in size and shape. If the stems get too long, the plant struggles to feed them and it will start to look stringy.

The hard bumps along the stem are actually roots that are trying to come out. If you picture it growing along a jungle floor, as the stem gets longer and hits the ground, it puts down more roots so it can continue to feed itself. If you cut the stem with leaves on it and stick it in water, the roots will sprout and you can get more stems. In fact, I've made mine fuller simply by sticking a pencil in the soil to make a hole, sticking the end of the stem in it (making sure there is a bump or 2 at the bottom of the stem and some leaves on top) and closing the hole in. Most of them take and keep growing.

I've never heard them called MIL plants. They are a green or variegated trailing plant. They like natural bright, but indirect, light.

The bumps are where roots may/may appear.

The MIL and FIL tongues I know about are the succulent. Snake plants (MIL) and a much shorter version (FIL).

I have the snake plants, which are all green and not the MIL version. One of the shoots is almost 4 feet tall! I prefer the MIL version but my green one will do.

Don't Pothos need direct sunlight to get the variegated leaves? Mine has a few cream spots but that's it.

Go look at the flower/plant topic I did today, I really need help ASAP.

The bumps are like the elbows of the plant. :)

I thought the MIL plants were the tall ones?

So this is normal? I thought they used to be green and I don't remember seeing the bumps in the middle.

Now don't laugh.
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Should I repot in the same pot? You can see the soil is low. I suppose I should prune a little.

I haven't given this plant any food for probably a year (maybe even two) and at the time I was concerned I gave it chemical burn from the miracle grow sticks so I tried to flush it out. Can I use Miracle Grow's indoor houseplant liquid?

I have this plant, an african violet that, so far, is blooming and looks fine, and a potted gerbera daisy.

Snake plant, sansevieria, I believe is called MIL's tongue.

Pothos:
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The elbows are perfectly fine. The brown hard nubs would become roots if they hit water or damp soil.

It looks fine. You might want to repot and add more soil and it looks like you can use the same pot. I've added potting soil just to the top of mine where it sinks in with watering.

I use miracle grow food that you mix a few drops into the water and then water the plant with it. Just to help me remember, I feed my plants around the first of every month and just water once a week for the rest of the month.

I was not happy with the food sticks and don't use them.

Do you want the vines to grow longer? They will do tat more quickly when the plant is somewhat root-bound. If you repot, your plant will put more energy into expanding its roots. Either is fine- it just depends on what you want. Your plant looks nice and healthy.

Annie - Oh yeah, MIL tongue.
Thanks for the suggestions!

Cyn - I'd like for the top/middle to get full like the photo Annie posted. I read about snipping to encourage new growth but didn't want it to look bare at the time.
"If you repot, your plant will put more energy into expanding its roots. "
Even if I use the same pot?

The Pothos Annie showed probably has more plants potted with it, which is why it's fuller.

What you can do is snip off a few limbs under one of the "bumps" and put them in water. The bumps will grow roots. Then repot (in the same pot is fine) your Pothos with the new cuttings and it will get bushy.

Your Pothos is extremely healthy and nice looking! And I agree, for now just add a bit of soil to the top as long as the plant looks healthy at the base.

Repot in the same pot, but fill it with more soil up to about 1/2" below the rim. Trim the long stem and cut it off just below a brown knob and stick it in the soil too.

Then feed once a month.

As it grows and the pieces start to get long, cut the stem with a brown knob on the bottom, pierce the soil with a pencil, stick the stem in and pat the soil closed around it. It will get full before you know it. After some time, the jar would get yucky and too full of roots, so I'd take it out, toss it out and start all over again.

At the old house, I had a mason jar hanging in the kitchen window and I would put my pothos cuttings in there in water. I would change the water with new food every two weeks, and just keep the jar full of water the rest of the time....it would really fill in and hang nicely.

You can see my pothos in this pic. It's an old one...I've had it for more than 20 yrs now, but I keep it trimmed.

Yes, that's what I said in my post - MIL and FIL tongues, and that I've never heard Pothos referred to as MIL plant.

Do you have a bathroom with a window? If you want it out of sight while it gets fuller, put it there. They love the moisture. I'd clip it back, stick it in a north or east light window (bathroom preferably) and leave it to grow back full.

Shee your plant looks nice and healthy. Like Annie said, when it starts to get long and skinny, snip those off, put in a jar or glass of water for a few days to start some root growth, then stick them back in the soil to add fullness.

I'm confused about Mother-in-Law plants - am attaching a link to what I have always known as Mother-in-Law plants. I know how they got their name - you can't get rid of the things :).

Here is a link that might be useful: Mother in Law plants

Tuesday, the pictures in your link are the only MIL plants I've ever known. Even doing a web search on them brings the same type of plant up. Mine doesn't have the stripe on each side. I wish it did.

Annie, what type of fertilizer do you give your plant? I'm very lax on fertilizing as you can see in this picture.

What a poor, pathetic Pothos. LOL. But now I'm going to take some cutting, get them started and add in the middle of the plant.

Oh, I also need to put it back in the rectangle planter I had it in earlier because I like it in this plant stand.

Hmm.. since it's been in the same soil for a long time I'll try repotting in the same pot and start attempting to make it fuller.

Wow. Annie your pothos looks so full and lush I wouldn't of guessed it was real from just looking at the picture! I'd love mine to end up looking like that.

Daisy - Sadly the window sill in the bathroom isn't deep enough.

Oakley - I think yours looks good! Where did you get your white and blue planter? That's one of those things I've been searching for and hoping one will eventually show up at a yard sale or thrift store. I eventually always stumble across what I'm hunting for and think it's so cool when it happens. I have mine on a tray in a wicker planter along with a few other things.

Thanks everyone!

I got two of the pots at TLC Nursery in OKC about ten years ago. The only blue is on the rim, the rest of it is white with some pale colored flowers on one side..some of them may be light blue.

If you were here I'd give them to you. :)

I've bought a few ceramic planters on ebay. Mostly vintage and they didn't cost much at all.

When my ivy starts to trail down, I'll take the vines and stick them in the dirt, add more dirt, then the plants gets very full. I am afraid to have these out where my cats are. I notice Oak and Shesh have cats and have these out. I assume your cats don't try to eat the leaves???

No, our cats are, thankfully, extremely well behaved for cats. There was a short phase where the one clawed the back corner of the couch, but he didn't like the new scratching post. He stopped once we made adjustments.