If you’re new to the world of houseplants, the Jade Pothos is, inarguably, a perfect choice for your home. This resilient beauty is the best of both worlds, growing wild, long, and large while requiring surprisingly little maintenance. Pothos enthusiasts love them, and beginners will delight in how easy they are to grow.
Like most members of this family, the Jade Pothos is a vining perennial evergreen. But what sets it apart is its foliage, as it has thick, dark green leaves without variegation, unlike many other common varieties that have papery, multicolored leaves. In fact, it’s the Jade’s sturdy stems system that makes it so tolerant of varying conditions and, by default, the perfect indoor plant.
In this article, I’ll take you through everything there is to know about the Jade Pothos, from how to identify them to how to care for and propagate your own. I’ll also include a note on their toxicity risks and what you need to be aware of before settling a Jade in your home. Ready? Let’s jump right in.
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How do I identify jade pothos?
The easiest way to identify a Jade Pothos is by its foliage color, texture, and size. The Jade has solid-colored dark green leaves with a shiny veneer and leathery texture. Compared to other pothos in the genus, their heart-shaped leaves are also longer and narrower than most, and their stems are thick and robust.
Once you’re familiar with the aesthetic of the Jade Pothos, you’ll suddenly spot them everywhere. As one of the more common pothos varieties, they’re a firm favorite for brightening up offices and homes the world over. And for good reason – they’re stunning and grow very quickly.
To identify a Jade Pothos with confidence, start by looking out for their lack of variegation. This plant has no speckles or splatters but instead is a rich, emerald green all over. The veins of their leaves are one shade darker, making them noticeable but not prominent.
Another distinguishing characteristic of the Jade Pothos is its size. At maturity, their vines can reach lengths of 20 to 40 feet (6 to 12 meters), with a spread of up to 3 to 6 feet (1 to 2 meters). This is huge for a vining houseplant, and most owners prefer to keep them more contained. That said, they can grow even larger in the wild.
Though the Jade’s color generally gives it away, they are still sometimes confused with other varieties, like the Golden Pothos and Emerald Pothos. In the following sections, we’ll briefly examine the differences between the Jade and its closest cousins.
Are emerald and jade pothos the same?
The main difference between the Emerald and Jade Pothos is their coloring. While they look similar at first glance, where the Jade is solid dark green all over, the leaves of the Emerald Pothos are lighter green with darker shades of variegation towards their centers.
Other noticeable differences between these two plants are their size and growth patterns. The Emerald Pothos is a smaller variety, reaching lengths of only 6 to 10 feet (2 to 3 meters). Its leaves are also a little rounder than those of the Jade Pothos and grow in a more clustered fashion overall.
Finally, the Emerald Pothos is a rare variety, but the Jade can be found for purchase quite easily.
Are jade and golden pothos the same?
In size and stature, a Jade Pothos vs Golden Pothos are very similar. However, their crucial difference lies in their leaf coloring. Where the Jade is solid green, the Golden Pothos is variegated with yellow-cream flecks and stripes – hence its name.
Furthermore, while their growth habits are comparable in terms of stem and leaf size, the foliage of the Golden Pothos tends to be more heart-shaped than the narrower lance-tip leaves of the Jade.
Given its lack of variegation, the Jade Pothos is also slightly more tolerant of lower light conditions, whereas the Golden Pothos can lose some of its signature color without enough access to sunlight.
Jade pothos vs manjula pothos
Although the size and shape of their leaves are similar, the Manjula Pothos has an entirely different aesthetic to the Jade because of its prevalent variegation. The beautiful Manjula’s dark green leaves are covered with large patches of white and cream, making it easy to tell these two apart.
Looks aside, the Manjula is also much smaller than the Jade Pothos. It was initially bred for resale from naturally occurring branch mutations, making it a much newer addition to the market. The Jade, on the other hand, grows naturally in the wild regions of French Polynesia, owing its solid green foliage to its tendency to grow in the shade of larger trees and bushes.
Related: Manjula Pothos Care: The Ultimate Guide
How do you care for a pothos jade plant?
The Jade Pothos has simple care requirements and is considered hardy and low maintenance. With a consistent regime of regular hydration, access to sunlight, quality potting soil, medium to high humidity, and occasional pruning and feeding, a Jade Pothos will have no problem thriving.
We don’t all have green thumbs, and that’s okay. Plants like pothos (in the genus Epipremnum aureum) make it easy for even the most neglectful parent to have a thriving houseplant community. And this is entirely due to their ease of care, as you’ll see in the following sections.
Whenever I talk about caring for plants, I like to break up the steps into what I consider the key fundamentals of water, light, soil, and temperature.
If you get these aspects right and implement them consistently, you’ll find your Jade Pothos to be hardy and disease resistant. Or, in other words, you’ll have a challenging time killing it off.
And in good news, if your Jade Pothos does start to show signs of ill health, they’re relatively easy to diagnose. Nine out of ten times, drooping pothos or yellowing is a consequence of too much water or too little light. Early detection of ailments means that the damage is usually reversible with a little TLC and some changes to your care practices.
On that note, let’s look at how to care for your Jade Pothos in detail.
1. Water your jade pothos when needed
Many factors can impact how often you should water your pothos, including environmental aspects like the time of year and the size and age of your plant. Personally, I only water my Jade once the top inch of its soil is dry. Generally speaking, this is around every 7 to 9 days, but it can extend to 10 to 12 days in the colder months of the year.
Why I prefer to let my pothos tell me when it’s thirsty is because they can be vulnerable to root rot. This pesky disease is a consequence of fungi or bacteria that live and thrive in soggy soil or pooled water, infecting the root systems of plants and making it difficult for them to function correctly.
In simple terms, overwatering your Jade is equivalent to quite literally loving it to death. These beauties do better with lightly moist soil than with soaked, sodden ground that presses down on their roots. That said, the opposite is also true – and they will suffer over time if they get too dry. So, if you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place, invest in a moisture meter.
You may also be interested in: 15 Signs of an Overwatered Pothos (and How to Fix It)
2. Place it somewhere with bright, indirect light
Part of the reason the Jade makes such a great indoor plant is that it’s not that fussy over light. With its deep green leaves, this variety of pothos does well in lower or dappled light conditions, although it does prefer the sun if available.
An optimal environment for a Jade will see it receive 6 to 8 hours of medium, indirect light per day. It’s advisable to set it close to a window facing East or South, where it can benefit from the morning sun. However, if this is not possible, just a bright, well-lit room will suffice.
The amount of sun your Jade receives can impact the speed at which it grows, so this is something to consider when situating it in your home. A usually fast-growing Jade may slow its pace in a darker environment, whereas in full sun, it has a better chance of thriving.
You may also be interested in: What Are Your Pothos’ Light Needs (So Your Plant Can Thrive)?
3. Place your plant in well-draining soil
Selecting the best soil for your Jade Pothos is an essential part of setting it up for success. Many of the vital vitamins and minerals it needs to produce new growth are embedded in its soil. And it is also here that it receives most of its hydration and oxygen from water.
Fortunately, when you buy a Jade, most breeders will know to house it in nutrient-rich ground from the get-go. But if you are growing a Jade from a stem cutting or transplanting yours into a new pot, I advise buying a pre blended pothos mix or making your own.
I use the same recipe for all my pothos (and monstera, for that matter). Quality potting soil combined with a handful of perlite and some chunky bits of orchid moss hits all the notes of moisture retention, air circulation, and nutrients. Pothos prefer neutral ground, so you can balance it out with a small dose of activated charcoal if necessary.
4. Provide the right humidity levels
When determining how much humidity your pothos need, it’s always helpful to understand their natural environments. The Jade Pothos is a tropical plant, and in nature, it grows in the dense under-canopies of the French Polynesian jungles. As you can imagine, it’s humid down there.
Obviously, no indoor environment can emulate this, but it’s good to know that your Jade will do best in spaces where there are many other photosynthesizing plants to draw moisture from. If this is not the case, you can install a small humidifier close by or provide it with a damp pebble tray that evaporates water over time.
Part of the reason the Jade likes humidity so much is that it has both terrestrial and pothos aerial roots, the latter of which get most of their hydration from the air around them. That said, a typical home environment without supplementary humidity is fine – your pothos may just not grow as quickly.
5. Fertilize your jade pothos regularly
The Jade Pothos is pretty robust, and fertilization is not strictly necessary. However, it can be beneficial for an extra boost of nutrients every now and then. I like to feed my Pothos Jade once in the early spring and again at the height of summer when it’s growing at its fastest.
A slow-release liquid fertilizer is best for this, with a 1-1-1 balance. To start, I always test the reaction of my pothos plants by giving them a three-quarter dose. If they seem fine, you’re in the clear. But any signs of yellowing or wilting could imply chemical burn, which means you’re probably better off letting nature do its thing.
Related: Best Pothos Fertilizer for Your Plant to Thrive
6. Provide ongoing jade pothos care with pruning and other maintenance
Once you’ve got your care principles down to an art, it’s simply a case of maintaining your Jade Pothos to keep it looking and feeling its best. Part of this is occasional pruning to remove dead growth and help it keep its shape.
Pruning may initially feel intimidating, but it’s really healthy for your plant and stops it from wasting energy trying to revive dead or dying leaves. It will also make it possible for you to keep your pothos contained, especially as the Jade can be an unruly grower if left to trail freely.
That said, restrict pruning pothos to spring and summer rather than during the Jade’s more dormant months in winter and fall. And where you can, turn your pruned pieces into juveniles by rooting any stem cuttings that have visible nodes and leaves.
7. Repot your jade pothos occasionally
Because of their speedy growth rate, Jade Pothos tend to outgrow their planters every 18 to 24 months, meaning they’ll need to be repotted. If they don’t have enough space to grow, they can become rootbound, which will eventually cause them health issues as they struggle to take in nutrients.
A secondary benefit of rehoming your Jade is that it will thoroughly enjoy refreshed ground with a renewed nutrient supply for it to feed from.
To repot a Jade Pothos, select a planter one size up and get it ready with prepared soil. You need to be incredibly careful when moving your pothos, as its roots can be more delicate than its hardy façade belies.
Related: 7 Simple Steps to Repot Pothos Plants
How big do jade pothos get?
The Jade is one of the bigger varieties of pothos and can grow astoundingly long vines up to 40 feet (6 meters) in length. At full maturity, a single leaf can be between 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) long and the whole plant can grow to 3 to 6 feet (1 to 2 meters) wide.
If you’re looking for a sizeable plant, the Jade is the way to go. Second only to the Golden Pothos, this beauty will get huge in ideal conditions, especially if you’re upsizing its planter every two or so years. Indeed, much of its growth habit also depends on whether you let it trail or train it to climb your pothos.
For the former, nothing much is restricting it from growing freely. Climbing Jades, on the other hand, are more inclined to keep to a specific shape, winding around and through their support structure and upward toward their source of light.
In either regard, their size is also directly related to their age and maturity. The older your plant gets, the longer its stems and larger its leaves will become. With proper care, a Jade can put on 12 inches per year.
Is jade pothos an indoor plant?
The Jade is absolutely an indoor plant, precisely because it’s easy to maintain and not very fussy in terms of what it needs to thrive. You’d be amazed at how big these beauties can get indoors. And unlike many pothos, they don’t stop growing in the winter, as they’re used to lower light conditions.
Where to find jade pothos for sale
The Jade Pothos is a common variety of houseplant and can therefore be found for purchase at most nurseries and garden centers. Failing this, a quick online search should lead you to a local supplier. Or alternatively, you can try online marketplaces like Etsy and eBay.
In a hurry to get your hands on a Jade? Well, you’re in luck. This beautiful pothos is freely available from most places that sell plants, or if you know someone who has one, you can ask them for a stem cutting and propagate your own.
If you cannot find a Jade Pothos locally, I recommend trying an online marketplace, provided you research how they package and transport their plants to prevent any damage or disappointment.
How to propagate jade pothos
The Jade Pothos is excellent for propagating from cuttings. All you need is a strong stem around 10 inches (25 centimeters) in length, with visible nodes and a few leaves. You can propagate your cutting by allowing it to root in water, and once new growth appears, you can transplant it into nutrient-rich soil.
I love propagating my pothos plants because they’re such gratifying growers. Pothos like the Jade can actually be rooted directly into soil, too. However, I prefer to let mine grow a bit in water first before popping them into their planters.
The entire process, from cutting to planting, shouldn’t take more than 6 weeks. Once you have your cutting at the ready, place it in a glass container with water, changing it out every week for renewed oxygenation. Importantly, make sure it has access to plenty of light and humidity. Once new roots are 2 inches long (4 centimeters), your juvenile Jade is ready to be planted.
Do jade pothos have variegation?
Unlike many types of pothos, the Jade does not have any variegation. Instead, it is a rich emerald green all over. While the Jade is closely related to the Golden Pothos, which has creamy yellow speckles and splatters, the former retains its one-tone appearance throughout its life.
It is this trait that also makes it great for low-light living conditions, unlike varieties of variegated pothos that need more light in order to thrive.
Generally, variegated cultivars of plants in the same family are rare – but this is not the case with pothos. In fact, the Jade is one of the few solid-colored pothos available freely on the market, making it a must-have for the houseplant enthusiast.
Related: Variegated Pothos Care: The Ultimate Guide (+ 13 Varieties)
Are jade pothos toxic to cats?
The stems and leaves of the Jade Pothos contain marginal levels of toxins that are poisonous to cats, as well as other animals and humans. Minor ingestion shouldn’t cause more than temporary gastrointestinal distress. However, keeping your cat away from your Jade Pothos altogether is better, as repeated exposure can become problematic over time.
If you have curious kitties like mine that like to chomp down on your plants, it’s better to position your pothos somewhere they can’t reach. The stems and leaves of these common houseplants are toxic to cats and cause vomiting, diarrhea, skin irritation, or, in severe cases, difficulty breathing.
If you suspect your cat has ingested a hefty dose of your Jade Pothos, seek medical treatment as a matter of urgency. While rarely fatal, pothos poisoning can be very uncomfortable for your furry friends, so place your Jade well out of reach, or implement other deterrents like citrus peels in its soil.