Why are my pothos leaves turning yellow after repotting?

What's likely going on

From the photo, this looks like a pothos (money plant) with long vines and several leaves turning yellow, especially the older ones further from the pot.

When yellowing starts right after “resoiling” or repotting, the usual reasons are:

1. Transplant shock – Roots were disturbed, broken, or kept too bare while re‑potting. The plant can’t pull up water efficiently, so it drops older leaves.
2. Soil staying too wet – If the new mix is heavy, or the pot doesn’t drain freely, roots sit in soggy soil and start to suffocate and rot. Pothos likes moisture but also a lot of air around its roots.
3. Watering change – After repotting, many people either water much more (because there’s more soil) or much less (afraid of overwatering). Either extreme can trigger yellow leaves.

Less commonly, a sudden change in light (moving the plant away from a bright window) will also cause some yellowing, but the timing with the new soil points more to root/soil issues.

What to do

1. Check drainage right away
   Make sure the hanging pot has drainage holes and that water can freely run out the bottom. If water pools, fix this first or change to a draining pot.

2. Test the soil moisture
   Push a finger into the mix 3–4 cm deep. If it feels wet or cold days after watering, the mix is too heavy or you’re watering too often. Let it dry until the top 2–3 cm are dry before watering again.

3. Improve the potting mix if needed
   If the soil is dense like garden mud, gently unpot and mix in perlite, chunky coco husk, or coarse sand so it’s light and drains fast. Work gently to avoid breaking more roots.

4. Trim damaged parts
   Cut off fully yellow or brown leaves and any crispy, bare stem sections. This tidies the plant and lets it focus on healthy growth.

5. Give steady, bright light
   Place it in bright, indirect light (near a window but not hot midday sun). Good light helps it recover faster.

How to prevent it

• Use a loose, well‑draining mix for pothos (regular potting soil plus some perlite or coco chips).
• Always choose pots with drainage holes.
• When repotting, move up only one pot size and keep the root ball as intact as possible.
• Water thoroughly, then wait until the top layer dries before watering again, rather than on a fixed schedule.

When to worry

• If new leaves (near the pot) start yellowing rapidly.
• If stems near the soil turn black or mushy (sign of root rot).
• If the soil smells sour or rotten.

If any of these happen, unpot the plant, trim off black/brown mushy roots, repot into fresh, airy mix, and reduce watering. Otherwise, with small adjustments, a pothos usually bounces back and pushes out fresh green growth along the vines.