How to Care for Jade Pothos?
Grown indoors for its excellent foliage and air purifying properties, the Jade pothos plant is displayed most beautifully in hanging baskets. Because of their low maintenance, the Jade pothos is also a beginner-friendly plant.
If it’s your first time growing a Jade pothos plant, you may want to go over a few of the basics requirements for this plant. Although an easy and forgiving plant, there are a few things that you should still pay attention to.
In this article, I’ll cover all you need to know about growing a healthy and thriving pothos plant.
Size & Growth
Pothos plants can reach an average length of 30 feet at maturity and an average width of 5 feet, however, they look their best when kept trimmed at around 10 feet.
Jade pothos have a trailing growth pattern, which is why they’re mostly grown in hanging baskets, so that the stems can cascade down at the sides of the pot.
That said, you can teach the plant to climb on walls if you set up a support structure.
In terms of growth rate, pothos plants are relatively fast growers with an average growth rate of 12 inches per month during the growing season.
Lack of enough light or other changes like a hectic watering schedule can slow the growth rate of your pothos plant.
Light Requirements
Pothos are often lauded for their ability to adapt to a wide range of light conditions, especially dimmer light conditions.
And that is true, to some extent. You can keep a pothos plant in dimmer light and it will survive, but it’s not going to thrive as well as it would if kept in bright, indirect light.
The ideal light conditions for pothos plants are bright, indirect light. You should avoid strong, direct light exposure that will discolor the leaves and cause sunburn.
If indoor light conditions aren’t optimal, you should know that pothos plants take well to fluorescent light and LED grow lights.
Watering
The Jade pothos plant doesn’t seem to mind a sporadic watering schedule, but it does mind being overwatered. When watered too often with too much water, the plant’s roots will start to rot.
To prevent overwatering, make sure to only water the plant when the top inch of soil dries out after watering.
If you see water pooling in the saucer below the pot, stop pouring the water and empty the saucer, so that the roots of the plant don’t sit in water.
Besides learning how to correctly water a pothos plant, there’s one more thing you should know — choosing the correct soil type for a pothos plant.
Soil Type
For tropical plants, it’s generally a good idea to choose a well-draining potting mix. That’s because these plants don’t like soil that retains too much moisture or soil that’s prone to compaction.
Peat-based soil mixes work best for this plant that enjoys loose, well-aerated soil.
Temperature & Humidity
The Jade pothos is happy to grow in average room temperature, between 65 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
Because it’s a cold-sensitive plant, you should protect it from cold drafts. The plant will start showing tissue damage and exhibit signs of temperature shock, if kept in temperatures below 50 F.
Although accustomed to high levels of humidity such as that available in their natural habitat, the Jade Pothos plant adjusts surprisingly well to average indoor humidity.
If the air gets too dry indoors, it’s best to increase humidity levels around the plant. Using a humidity tray or a humidifier can make up for the lack of humidity indoors.
Misting the plant can help a bit, but having moisture on the leaves, especially if the leaves are dusty, isn’t a good idea as it can cause fungal diseases.
Fertilizing
A very light feeder, the pothos plant doesn’t need regular fertilizing. You can use a balanced liquid fertilizer monthly or a slow-release fertilizer every 3 months. Fertilize only during the growing stage and withhold the fertilizer during fall and winter.
Make sure to dilute the fertilizer to avoid causing fertilizer burn that would cause discolored leaves or root burn.
Potting & Repotting
I prefer growing tropical plants in terracotta pots over plastic ones, just because unglazed terracotta helps withdrawing in moisture from the soil.
Regardless, you can grow pothos plants in any type of pot or even in glass vases if you want to grow them in water.
Just make sure to use dark-colored vases to avoid algae growth in the vase. And also, make sure that the leaves of the pothos plant are above the water level.
Repotting isn’t usually needed that often for the Jade pothos, especially once the plant matures. It doesn’t mind being a bit pot bound, but once the pot is visibly small for the plant, it’s time to transplant it.
Choose a pot that’s only one or two times bigger than the current pot.
How to Propagate Jade Pothos?
The easiest way to propagate a pothos plant is through stem cuttings. Simply choose a healthy stem with healthy leaves on it and cut sections of about 4-6 inches in length.
Make sure the cuttings have a couple of leaves on. Cut the stems just below a leaf node, so that the leaf node is left intact on the cutting.
Once the cuttings are harvested, you can dip the cut end in root hormone (this is optional) and you have two options:
- Place in a glass jar with water in it
- Root in moist potting mix
The pothos plant will root both in water and potting mix, but it does tend to root a bit faster in water. Roots usually form within 2 weeks, after which you can move the cutting to a pot.
Wrapping Up
The Jade pothos is an easy plant to look after and grow, even if it’s a tropical plant that would otherwise have no business thriving indoors.
That said, you can help the pothos plant by picking the right potting mix, adhering to a correct watering schedule, and placing it in a bright spot, but protected from direct light.