If you’re looking for the most comprehensive beginner’s guide to Cebu Blue pothos care, then you’ve come to the right place.
Cebu blue is one of the most trendy houseplants only second to the Pink Princess philodendron and Polka Dot begonia. It has this really beautiful silvery-blue foliage and it's not your typical heart-shaped leaf.
Botanically referred to as Epipremnum pinnatum 'Cebu Blue' is commonly known by the names Cebu Blue Philodendron, Pothos 'Cebu Blue' and Devils Ivy 'Cebu Blue'.
You can plant the Cebu Blue in hanging baskets, use it as an underplanting for large potted plants or trees, or grow indoors as a pot plant. However, what I like most about this plant is that it’s very efficient at removing indoor pollutants such as formaldehyde, xylene, and benzene.
Besides, Cebu blue pothos is very easy to grow plant making it an excellent choice for beginners.
In today’s post, I’m going to discuss what makes this plant special, how to propagate, common problems to look out for, and care tips including watering, light requirements, temperature, potting mix, and pruning.
After reading through the article, your experience with these plants will never be the same again - I promise.
Sounds exciting?
Let’s begin:
Introduction to Cebu Blue Pothos
Plant Description
Epipremnum pinnatum 'Cebu Blue' is an attractive foliage houseplant, grown for the blue-green leaves over the flowers, which rarely occur in cultivation.
Young leaves are usually entire (no indentations or holes, changing shape and later developing characteristic splits along the midrib with age.
The plant has a slender twining and branching stem that grows up to 40 feet long and 6 feet wide. Plants also produce adhesive aerial roots as they climb into the canopy, with clasping roots arising from nodes and internodes, and prolific feeding roots.
Cebu Blue Plant profile
Common name: Pothos ‘Cebu Blue’
Scientific/Botanical name: Epipremnum pinnatum 'Cebu Blue'
Hardiness zones: 9B to 11 (There’s a bit of flexibility when growing them indoors).
Mature Height: 15 – 35 feet.
Mature Spread: 3 – 6 feet.
Growing habit: Vining and trailing (one of the best indoor vine plants).
Blooming: The plant doesn’t flower under cultivation but is believed to flower in the wild
Native Area: Cebu Blue Island (Philippines).
Toxicity: Toxic to humans, cats, dogs, and horses (see below).
What Makes Cebu Blue Pothos Special?
There are a few things that make this plant special.
First and foremost, the blue tint that covers the entire leaves. These blue-green leaves that give the plant its unique characteristics split as the plant age which is quite remarkable.
The simple plant traits have attracted plant enthusiasts and collectors pushing the demand for Cebu blue plants sky-high. This is probably the reason why they’re sold expensive and rarely found in plant nurseries or garden centers.
That’s why growing your own plants is so much better!
Toxicity
You need to take care and ensure your pets don’t ingest the Cebu blue pothos plant.
This is because this plant contains crystals of calcium oxalate and toxic proteins which can irritate the skin and mucous membrane.
Other poison symptoms include oral irritation, pain and swelling of mouth, tongue, and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting (not horses), difficulty swallowing, skin irritation, and diarrhea.
It is the exact reason, ASPCA lists pothos as poisonous to both cats and dogs if ingested.
For a complete list of poisonous plants for dogs, check this article - Poisonous Plants for Dogs: 51+ Toxic Plants to Watch Out
How to Propagate, Plant, and Care for Cebu Blue Pothos
Propagating Cebu Blue Pothos
You can easily propagate a large number of Cebu blue pothos simply by taking stem cuttings and rooting them in water or potting soil.
All you need is a mother plant that you can purchase at your nearest garden center or request vines from your friends and family. Just make sure you’ve acquired clean planting materials free from pests and diseases.
Secondly, you need to ensure that you sterilize all the equipment and propagation surfaces.
Once you have the vines, cut each one centimeter below and above the leaf. Repeat, until you have several cuttings. It is advisable to only use medium-aged leaves. Leave out the older and younger shoot.
Root the cuttings in a glass full of clean water or directly into the potting soil. If you choose to root your pothos in water, make sure to change the water frequently and transfer the seedlings into a pot after the roots emerge.
In essence, propagating Cebu blue plants is the same as other types of pothos. I’ve written a complete guide on how to propagate pothos without a rooting hormone. Be sure to check it out.
Potting mix
Pothos ‘Cebu Blue’ plants thrive in ordinary, well-draining potting soil. They’re quite tolerant of soil pH and can thrive in a range of conditions, from neutral to acidic.
For the best results, however, the Cebu blue enjoys airy, well-draining soil that is high in organic matter. A mixture of one-part standard potting soil, one-part perlite, and one-part orchid bark is ideal for these plants.
Light Requirement for Cebu Blue Pothos
Light is essential for plant photosynthesis.
However, not all plants are created equal. Some require more light than others. Cebu blue pothos for instance can tolerate extremely low light levels. This trait makes it one of the best low-light houseplants to accessorize your interior.
But if you want your pothos to thrive and maintain their bluish tint, you have to provide them with sufficient indirect light.
As a general rule, grow pothos outdoor in shade to the partial shade while indoors they prefer bright but indirect light.
Temperature and humidity
You need to keep Cebu blues under a temperature of between 17 to 26 degrees Celsius. Which lucky for you is the common room temperature.
By all means, avoid any temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius. Because temperatures lower than 10⁰C will force pothos leaves to turn yellow and develop spots.
Besides, pothos Cebu blue are humid-loving plants.
But don’t fret if you’re unable to provide them with adequate humidity. They can tolerate low humidity just as well.
However, if you really want massive lush growth, humidity is very important just like they receive in their native wild environment.
You can increase humidity around your pothos by placing them close to other plants, putting off the fan in case of an indoor environment, or misting the leaves with water.
Caution: Ensure that you only shower your pothos on the leaves in the morning to allow them enough time to dry. Preferably, do this when the weather is hot and not gloomy.
Alternatively, you should consider using an indoor plant humidifier to improve the environment for your plants.
Watering Your Cebu Blue
Most people think watering potted plants is such a simple thing. But it’s not. In fact, of all the care given to houseplants, watering brings the most problems.
Water too much and you risk getting root rots.
Water too little and you risk your plant wilting to death.
Just like most houseplants, pothos like to have their soil dry out completely between watering.
If you’re totally new to growing houseplants, you can begin by poking your finger about an inch into the potting soil to determine its dryness.
Alternatively, there are inexpensive watering gauges you can find at most online stores or hardware which you can use to learn when your Cebu blue is thirsty.
When watering, apply enough water until it comes out of the drain hole at the bottom of the pot.
This flushes out salts that can lead to root injury and ensures you are not merely watering the surface of the soil.
Do not let plants sit in excess water, though. It will be reabsorbed and, thus, the salts dissolved in the water will be reabsorbed.
Plus, the plants will stay too wet, leading to root rots.
Pruning Your Cebu Blue Pothos
Just like other types of pothos, the Cebu blue can and do tolerate heavy pruning. This is good news for us since we can always cut them back any time of the year. Besides, pruning also serves another purpose – making the plants fuller!
If your vines don’t receive enough light they become bare and leggy. Pruning them back encourages more lateral shoots that will give your vine a fuller and lush appearance. Take the opportunity to train the vines to grow as you desire.
How to prune a pothos plant?
Step #1: Examine the vines of the pothos and locate the leaf node. If the plant has a leaf, the area where the leaves attach to the main stem is the node. Look for a horizontal line, caused by the leaf node, on the stem of plants.
Step #2: Cut through the stem 1/4 inch above a leaf node using a clean knife or scissors. The pothos sends out new stems at scars beneath a cutting point, resulting in a fuller, shorter plant. You can cut back the stems as far as necessary to maintain the desired size.
Step #3: Remove all pruned plant material from the pot after cutting back the pothos. Water the pothos until the soil feels moist after pruning to avoid drought stress as the plant recovers.
Step #4: Propagate the pruned-off pothos stems or vines for more plants.
Pests and Diseases Control
Epipremnum pinnatum 'Cebu Blue' generally has few pest problems but is occasionally affected by some insects or diseases. Root rots, with symptoms of brown or nonexistent roots, are commonly promoted by overwatering.
Let’s take a look at some of the common pests infesting Cebu blue pothos are scales and mealybugs.
Mealybugs appear as white, cottony masses, frequently in the leaf axils, on the lower surfaces of leaves, and even on the roots.
Scales look like bark-colored bumps on the stems and leaves and are sometimes are difficult to distinguish from the plant material on which they are feeding.
These pests may produce copious amounts of honeydew (many, but not all scales do), so the leaves and nearby surfaces may be sticky and sooty mold may develop.
Infested plants become stunted and with severe infestations, plant parts begin to die. Here’s a great article on how to get rid of mealybugs and scales.
Spider mites occasionally infest pothos and you can easily control them with a thorough cleaning and frequent applications of insecticidal soap. We also have an article dedicated to controlling spider mites on common houseplants.
Diseases
Apart from root rot caused by overwatering, there are two more diseases which although rare, can affect your Cebu blue pothos. These are bacterial leaf spots and cutting soft rot.
Bacterial leaf spot:
Bacterial leaf spot diseases are characterized by rapidly spreading water-soaked lesions formed anywhere on the leaves. Under wet conditions, the centers of these spots may fall out. Sometimes leaf spots have a yellow border.
Control
You can easily control the bacterial leaf spot by eliminating standing water on the leaves. When you mist the leaves to increase humidity, make sure to do it on a sunny day and possibly in the morning. T
During rooting of the cuttings when spraying of the leaves with water is almost always unavoidable, applying a preventative application of streptomycin sulfate may help.
Keep in mind that the choice of clean cuttings and strict sanitation is probably the most important control measures of bacterial leaf spots in Cebu blue plants.
Cutting soft rot:
This is characterized by a mushy soft rot of the lower end of a cutting. Sometimes the plants have a fishy, rotten odor, characteristic of Erwinia infections.
To control this disease, take the management measures discussed in controlling the bacterial leaf spot above.
Common Problems with Cebu Blue Pothos
The Cebu Blue Leaves Losing their blue tint
This mainly happens when the plant isn’t getting sufficient light. Ensure that you provide bright indirect sunlight.
Blackening and or Yellowing of the Leaves
Blackening of the leaf margins or tips can be caused by overwatering, inadequate watering, or excess fertilizer (because of the buildup of salts in the soil).
The discoloration is often accompanied by leaves becoming yellow.
Leaves Turning Brown with Scattered Patches
Low temperatures or abrupt changes from very high temperatures to moderate temperatures can cause scattered brown patches, usually located in the center of the leaf, especially if the plants are growing vigorously.
Conclusion
You’ve just read how to propagate, plant, and care for Cebu blue pothos.
You’ve also learned about what makes this plant so special, how to propagate, common problems to look out for, and care tips including watering, light requirements, temperature, potting mix, and pruning.
I hope you’ve found this article helpful in which case, I’d appreciate it if you could share it with your friends.
But above all enjoy growing these trendy plants and have lots of fun while at it.