Pearls and Jade Pothos (scientific name: Epipremnum aureum Pearls and Jade) is an easy to care for pothos variety with gorgeous green leaves covered in cream, grey, and white streaks and speckles.
Pearls and jade leaves have blotchy variegation with some smatterings of green speckles, which is unique to this plant.
Developed at the University of Florida, pearls and jade pothos is a slow-growing plant that is low maintenance and great for beginners.
So, how do you care for Pearls and Jade Pothos?
Pearls and Jade Pothos Plant Care
Here are the basics of caring for a Pearls and Jade Pothos plant, which we will detail in this article.
- Soil: Well draining potting mix
- Pot: Adequate drainage holes are a must
- Light: Bright indirect light
- Water: Moderate, even moisture. Do not overwater.
- Humidity: Between 50 and 70%
- Pruning: As needed to maintain the desired appearance
Soil
The best soil for Pearls and Jade Pothos is a regular, good-quality potting soil that you find at any gardening center. An African violet mix is also a good option for a ready-made potting mix.
Of course, you can also mix up your own soil to make it more custom for your plant. We recommend a DIY potting mix of 2 parts peat moss and 1 part perlite.
Another option is to buy bagged soil and add in a few handfuls of perlite, coco coir, or orchid bark to increase the drainage of your bagged potting mix. Pothos plants do not like to sit in soggy soil, so drainage is essential.
Pearls and Jade will do well in just about any potting mix that is rich in nutrients, drains well, and has good aeration.
This article provides a very detailed overview of making your own potting soil.
Fertilizer
If you’re using a good-quality potting mixture that already includes nutrients, there’s no need to add fertilizer.
In fact, according to the American Society for Horticultural Science, the Pearls and Jade Pothos plants do not require fertilizer to thrive. “Pothos ‘Pearls and Jade’ performed well at all fertilizer levels, showing no significant differences.”
If you feel like your plant needs some extra nutrients, add them in the spring or summer. Your plant enters a semi-dormant phase in the winter and will grow at an even slower pace. Overfeeding during these dormant months could easily kill your plant.
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Pearls and Jade Pothos plants look great in hanging baskets, pots on the floor with a moss pole or other support, or displayed on a shelf in a small pot.
Pearls and Jade is a tropical plant that naturally wants to climb up. Adding a moss pole or totem will allow it to climb and grow beautifully.
When Pearls and Jade plants are not given something to climb, their vines will trail, making it perfect for hanging baskets.
Read our detailed guide: Moss Pole for Plants | What They Are and Why You Need One
How to Repot Pearls and Jade Pothos
Pearls and Jade will give you signs that it needs something, including that it’s time to repot your plant. If your soil is moist and you feel confident you’ve been watering your plant correctly, drooping leaves signify that your plant is pot-bound and ready for a bigger pot.
Another way to tell if your plant needs a larger pot is to look at the drainage holes. If you can see roots coming through, it’s time to go up a size.
When it is time to repot, follow these steps:
- Find a cute new pot that’s about 2 inches larger than your current one.
- Get some fresh potting mix that is well-draining. Add some perlite if desired for extra drainage.
- Carefully remove your plant from the current pot.
- Check the root ball for any signs of poor health. Be sure it is not mushy or soft. If you do see anything wrong, carefully trim away the damaged roots.
- Add your potting mix to the pot, about ⅓ to ½ full, so that the plant stands out of the pot at roughly the same height it did in the old pot.
- Once your plant is in, fill the rest of the pot with soil. Keep the soil loose and not too compact.
Sun/Light Requirements
A Pearls and Jade Pothos can survive in almost any light situation. However, your plant will start to lose variegation in the leaves if they stay in light that’s too dim for too long.
Proper lighting is essential for pothos pearls and jade care, at least if you want to encourage the prettiest variegation. Like most pothos plants, Pearls and Jade can handle various lighting conditions, from low to very bright indirect light.
How much light does P&J pothos need? Very bright indirect light is ideal. This kind of light will help increase variegation and encourage better growth. The plant will stay alive in lower light, but it won’t grow quickly. The variegation might also decrease.
Pro tip: Bright indirect light means finding a spot where the plant gets plenty of light, but without direct sun rays. You can tell if a spot you choose has indirect light when you can’t see any harsh (well-defined) shadows on the walls.
If you notice too much sun coming through your window, consider adding a sheer curtain to diffuse the light.
Pearls and Jade plants do well with a grow lamp or fluorescent lighting. This adaptability to lighting makes it an excellent choice for low-light homes or offices lit with fluorescent lights.
Watch for changes in your plant’s leaf variegations. Watching for changes will tell you if there are any lighting issues. If its white, vibrant variegations beings to fade, it is a sign it is not getting enough light, and you’ll want to try a different location.
How to Water Pearls and Jade Pothos
Pearls and Jade pothos prefer its potting mixture to remain slightly moist. Water your Pearls and Jade plant when the soil feels dry to the touch.
Allow the top 1 to 2 inches of soil to dry between waterings. Stick your finger into the soil to see how far down you feel the dampness. If the top couple inches are dry, it’s time to water your plant. If it is still moist, wait for 1 to 2 more days and test again.
You can generally expect to water your Pearls and Jade plant every 1 to 2 weeks in the summer and every 2 to 3 weeks in the winter.
When it’s time to water, give the plant a good soak until you see water run through the drainage holes.
Overwatering will quickly kill your pothos plant, but underwatering won’t necessarily kill it. Pearls and jade pothos does fine with some watering neglect.
Your plant may look dull, dry, and limp if it is underwatered. Once you water your plant, it should bounce back quickly in a couple of days.
Humidity
Do Pearls and Jade Pothos like humidity? Pearls and jade plants do quite well in normal household humidity levels. However, this tropical plant will thrive if given some moisture in the air.
To see your tropical plants take off, you’ll want to keep your humidity levels between 50 and 70%.
If the white or ivory parts of the leaves are turning brown and crispy, you most likely have a humidity issue – your plant is begging for more.
Pro Tip: An inexpensive hygrometer is a wise investment in testing the humidity level in your home and adjusting it accordingly for your plants.
If you’re struggling with air that is too dry, too dry air, you may want to consider an indoor plant humidifier that will instantly increase the humidity in the room where you keep your plants.
Grouping your plants is also another way of increasing humidity.
The best way to add humidity to your houseplants is a plant humidifier.
We have two fantastic articles detailing humidifiers for plants:
Best Humidifier for Plants
How to Use a Humidifier for Plants
Temperature
Pothos plants grow pretty well in a variety of average household temperatures. They are absolutely not cold hardy, or frost tolerant, though.
If you live in USDA zones 10 or 11, you can keep your Pearls and Jade outdoors all year round. Bring your pothos indoors when the temperature is consistently under 50 degrees Fahrenheit in any other zone.
If you want your pothos plants to be as healthy as possible, they need a consistent temperature of between 60 and 85°F year-round.
Pruning
Pruning back the stems will help keep your Pearls and Jade Pothos looking nice and full.
If you notice that your plant is getting overgrown and leggy, snip off the long stems with a clean, sharp hand pruner.
How often you prune your Pearls and Jade depends on the look you’re going for and what size you want it to be.
If you want your Pearls and Jade plant to look bulkier or bushier, you can pinch it back or prune it lightly. You will need to do this regularly and while the vines are still young.
However, if you would like vines to trail down from your plant’s container, you can prune less.
You will also want to prune off any old or diseased leaves consistently.
How do you prune Pearls and Jade Pothos?
- Decide how far back you want to prune your plant. This choice can be anything from just a few long stems to all the way down – 2 inches from the soil line.
- Once you’ve decided that, take each vine and determine where you want to prune it.
- Cut each vine is about ¼ of an inch above the leaf where you’ve decided to cut.
- At this distance above the leaf, you will be cutting “above the node.” The point where the leaf intersects with the vine is called a node. From this area, a new vine will start growing after pruning.
- Do not leave any of the vines entirely without leaves. They will not grow back as quickly as the vines where you did keep some leaves. This difference in growth speed will make for a wonky-looking plant as it regrows.
Size and Growth of Pearls and Jade Pothos
Generally speaking, Pearls and Jade plants are a smaller variety of pothos with leaves growing to only about 3 inches long and 2 inches wide at maturity. Pearls and Jade leaves are much smaller than the leaves on a Marble Queen Pothos, with which they can be easily confused.
Pearls and Jade is bushier than many pothos varieties. This bushy look comes from its short internodes (stem length between two leaves).
Does Pearls and Jade Grow Fast or Is It Slow Growing?
This particular variety grows slower than most pothos. While you may prefer a faster-growing plant, this one makes up for slow growth with wonderful variegation and relatively long life. We prefer the cute and compact look of Pearls and Jade.
Pearls and Jade is not only beautiful, it’s also an avid climber. They can grow many, many feet long or tall, but this takes time.
Without any pruning whatsoever (which we do not recommend), your Pearls and Jade Pothos could grow 6′ to 10’ feet long and even up to 30’ feet in the right conditions.
Help Your Pearls and Jade Pothos Grow Faster
There are two things to look at if you want to see your Pearls and Jade Pothos grow more quickly:
- Proper lighting conditions. If your plant isn’t getting bright enough, indirect light, you will see stunted and slower growth. Add light to your plant. If necessary, purchase a grow light.
- A larger pot. If you want to encourage faster growth, choose a pot about 2 inches wider in diameter than the current pot.
Common Issues With Pearls and Jade Pothos
Root rot is the primary killer of Pearls and Jade Pothos. Look for black spots on the leaves and excessive drooping. Avoid root rot by not overwatering your plant.
Like other pothos, this one is generally hardy. Even so, this plant is susceptible to infestations of common pests, like fungus gnats and spider mites.
Yellow Leaves
Why is my Pearls and Jade plant turning yellow? Yellow leaves in plants can mean a few different things. It can be a sign of overwatering, nutrient deficiency, presence of pests, or an indication of disease.
The most common cause of yellow leaves is overwatering. There is less oxygen when there is too much water in the soil. When your plant lacks oxygen, its roots will start to die. Eventually, the damaged roots will rot and won’t carry water and nutrients to the rest of the plant.
Once you notice the leaves turning yellow due to overwatering, you must check the roots right away. Cut away the mushy parts and repot your plant if they are mushy.
If there is not much damage to the root system, withhold water for a while and let your plant recover. Give your pothos abundant light during this time, so the soil dries out quickly.
FAQ’s: Pearls and Jade Pothos
Are Pearls and Jade Pothos Toxic to Cats?
Unfortunately, the answer to that question is that yes, pothos plants are toxic to cats. Contact your vet immediately if you suspect that your cat has ingested any part of a pothos plant.
Symptoms of pothos toxicity include skin irritation, oral irritation, vomiting, and difficulty swallowing. If you notice any of those symptoms in your cat or other pet, and it is possible they have had contact with a pothos plant, contact your vet right away.
Other Pothos Varieties to Love
Pearls and Jade Pothos plants are easy to identify among other pothos varieties if you know what you’re looking for.
Several pothos varieties – Pearls and Jade, Njoy and Glacier – all have green, cream, and white variegation. They each have beautiful blotched variegation patterns and sometimes flecked variegation too.
However, what makes Pearls and Jade Pothos plants stand out from the rest is green on green variegation.
Pothos Pearls and Jade is also a small plant compared with other pothos cultivars.
Pearls and Jade Pothos vs. Marble Queen
As previously mentioned, Pearls and Jade is much smaller than the Marble Queen Pothos.
When trying to tell the two plants apart, the first thing to notice is leaf size. If the leaves are smaller than you have come to expect on a pothos plant, it is probably Pearls and Jade.
The variegation on a Pearls and Jade is more splotchy with accents of green speckles.
Marble Queens have highly variegated leaves with striking splashes of green and ivory. Sometimes the leaves can be large and relatively light with green stripes, smaller patches, and splashes.
Read our detailed Marble Queen Pothos Care Guide.
Pothos N’Joy vs. Pearls and Jade
These two pothos varieties are probably the hardest to tell apart. Pothos N’Joy and Pearls and Jade are not the same plant.
What’s the difference between NJOY and pearls and jade pothos? N’Joy has the same blotchy variegation but fewer speckles than the Pearls and Jade. With the N’Joy, you might notice a cleaner transition from white/ivory to green.
With the Pearls and Jade, you will see an extreme speckled variegation pattern on top of the blotches – both green on green and green on white. The N’joy may have some green on white speckles but doesn’t have any green on green.
Also, N’joy Pothos leaves are slightly wider than Pearls and Jade leaves.
Pearls and Jade Pothos vs. Manjula Pothos
The Pearls and Jade and the Manjula Pothos are pretty easy to tell apart when you know what to look out for. The Manjula Pothos plants have larger, distinctly broader leaves and more oval-shaped ones.
While both have blotches of green variegation, the Manjulas blotches tend to appear on the leaf edges, where blotches on Pearls and Jade are in the middle.
Read our detailed Manjula Pothos Care Guide here.
Where to Buy Pearls and Jade Pothos
Pearls and Jade is an inexpensive variety of pothos, and it’s pretty easy to find – it is not one of the rare pothos varieties.
Check the label. Pothos varieties such as ‘Pearls and Jade’ have many similarities to shape and coloration to philodendron. Because of this, Pearls and Jade is often labeled as philodendron in some nurseries.
Pearls and Jade can be found on Amazon and Etsy to ship to your home conveniently. Just be sure to always buy from a reputable seller with good reviews.
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Final Thoughts on Pearls and Jade Pothos
If you’re looking for an indoor plant that is impressive looking but easy to care for, this is it!
Some items we discussed that will help you care for this unique plant and keep it growing strong:
Good luck growing your Pearls and Jade plant and making it part of your cozy, fresh, and green home!
Check out our detailed care guides for other Pothos Varieties:
