Pothos: curling leaves
Curling pothos leaves are usually thirst — the leaves fold along the midrib and the soil is dry. Check the undersides anyway, because pothos in dry indoor air does pick up spider mites.
Working through the causes
Start with the first one — on pothos specifically, that's the most likely explanation. Each entry below names the observable that separates it from the others.
Underwatering most common
How to tell: Leaves curl inward or fold along the midrib, feel soft and limp, and the soil is dry.
What to do: Soak thoroughly and shorten the interval.
Heat or light stress common
How to tell: Leaves cup upward or curl away from a light source, often with faded or bleached patches, during hot or very bright weather.
What to do: Move to bright indirect light, out of hot afternoon sun.
Pests — mites, thrips or aphids check for this
How to tell: New growth is distorted and curled, with fine stippling, faint webbing in leaf axils, or sticky residue. Backlight the leaf against a window to see it.
What to do: Treat on a strict schedule — see the spider mite protocol. One spray does not clear an infestation.
Root problems less common
How to tell: Curling with wet soil, or a root ball so pot-bound that water runs straight through.
What to do: Check the roots and repot if they are circling the pot or rotting.
Plantroster keeps every photo and every diagnosis for a plant, so "sun-scorched" becoming "sun-scorched and mite-infested" three days later is visible instead of lost.
Track this plantQuestions people ask
Should I cut off the affected leaves?
Damaged tissue never turns green again, so removing it is cosmetic — do it if it bothers you, using clean scissors. What matters is whether NEW growth comes in clean. That's your read on whether the fix worked, not the old leaves.
How long until I know it's working?
Give it two to three weeks. Existing damage won't reverse, so you're watching the newest leaves. If those still come in affected after three weeks, the cause you treated wasn't the cause.
More on pothos
General horticultural guidance based on visible symptoms. A photo or a description can't rule everything out — when a plant matters to you, check the roots before acting.