Fairly new to keeping plants alive, not at killing them! p1

Hi! In my family I have a reputation of being a murderer...of plants! My brother passed away almost a year ago and the funeral home gave us (the family) a basket of plants. To my shock my mom and older brother entrusted me with the plants. As soon as I got back into town I took them out of the moss looking stuff and wicker basket and put them into dirt and kept them at work (warehouse, dirty environment) with me until I lost my job, in June. Since bringing them home I have repotted all of them twice. An English Ivy (I believe that is what it was) died within the week of being home. I have pictures to share, and lots of questions. Obviously I don't want to kill these plants but I fear that I am. This is the one that is doing the best. Some of its vines are 15 feet long, but the leaves are so spread out. At work it had lots of room to spread out. However at home this is the only place it seems to do well in. The vines obvioulsy go up from the pot (with the help of some rubber coated poles stuck into the dirt. At the ceiling is another rubber coated pole hanging from a plant hook for the vines to go through. Questions for this plant:

Any ideas for letting it spread out? Keeping in mind I have two dogs that think dirt is a grand thing and this is the only area it hasn't turned yellow and brown in.

What would happen if I put it outside in summer? Here in Northeast I think it would freeze in winter. am I wrong?

More pics and questions to come, sorry for being new and annoying at the same time!

Amy

It appears to be Pothos. A very easy plant to grow. If you don't like it so long, you can cut it back. It won't mind. Wait until it gets dry about 2 inches down, then water. Overwatering is the biggest killer of houseplants. Feed it with a water soluable 10-10-10 food every 3 six months or so and it'll be fine. Planting it outside where you are might very well kill it. Keeping it out of direct sun is best, I've found.

Good luck and don't worry about being a nuisance. We're hear to help.

This appears to be pothos, Devil's ivy. It will freeze at 32 degrees.

When you prune it back, the cuttings are easy to root. Just put them in potting mix and keep the mix moist but not wet.

Woot i appear to be doing something right! I will trim it back (and pot the cuttings) in a week or so. Don't want to overwhelm the poor thing after repotting and rehanging! Thanks!!!

I agree that your lovely plant is Golden Pothos: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/51451/ which does well in bright light as well as fairly low light situations. Just make sure it gets no direct sun which will burn the foliage. I grow my pothos on the dry side which seems to work for me. I just took some cuttings from one a few days ago, stuck the cut end down into the soil and wound the remainder of the stem around the top of the soil ... it will produce roots at each little node. More info for growing this plant: http://www.denverplants.com/foliage/html/PothosGold.htm

as for how to let it spread....this is going to sound silly.....heavy weight fishing line across the ceilings....just not too close to ceiling fans or light fixtures...works great plant gets to spread and the dogs can't get it.

this also works for the following if you grow them in the house:
passiflora x belotii
Passionflower; Blue Eyed Susan
Jackmanii Clematis
jasminum polyanthum
Night blooming jasmine
Philodendron..all types
Varigated Vinca vine
Honeysuckle
Wisteria
wandering Jew
and english Ivy

I'm not sure what you mean by "spread out". The Potho's is a vine and is usually kept in a hanging basket or on a moss pole to climb. As trinawitch stated above, you can use fishing line or such to have it attach to and trail on. Another idea is to pot it in a larger pot with a fat tree branch in the center of the pot and let it climb the branch ... it will probably put out tendrils and attach to the branch. The Potho's grow in the ground down here and climb trees. As the plants get older and higher in the tree the leaves are huge: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/4681/

Many years ago when my youngest sister was in her first apartment she had the heart leaf philodendron in a container sitting on a shelf and she put little tacks in the wall and had the vines draping from one wall to another and up by the ceiling.

I like to grow vining things in the house...especially if they flower and I like the scent..or have unusual foliage

I am running to Home Depot to look at the decorative pots and trellis set ups that they have. I know it will freeze at 32 degrees but if it where to freeze over the winter would it come back? Just powerwashed my deck and i think this will look good out there!

NO it will not come back if you leave it outside...the minimum temps of all the plants I have seen you post is about 55 to 66 below that they die
here is a pic of one of my monster Philodendrons