Tropical vines change the whole vibe of the home when grown as houseplants. One such vine that steals the limelight when grown among any plant collection is Jessenia Pothos. It is a tropical evergreen plant with large, green, heart-shaped leaves with beautiful striations.
It is a low-maintenance plant so you can grow it easily in your home. But to help you take proper care of this lovely aroid, we have curated an extensive guide covering its features and required care routine.
Jessenia Pothos Origin
This plant originated in Southeast Asia and French Polynesia. It grows on the shaded forest floors or climbing on tall trees in the rainforests.
What Does Jessenia Pothos Look Like?
Jessenia Pothos is a climbing plant with large heart-shaped leaves. Its fresh green-colored leaves have chartreuse variegations, giving its foliage an alluring appearance.
It is a fast-growing plant whose long, trailing foliage gets 10 feet long indoors and 30 feet high in the wild. This plant is famous not for its inconspicuous flowers but for its lovely foliage. Even though it frequently blooms in its natural habitat, we rarely see any flowers on J. Pothos indoors.
Jessenia Pothos Identification
This plant looks similar to Golden Pothos and Marble Queen due to its variegated leaves. For Jessia Pothos identification, note the degree of variegation and color of its leaves. This plant has brighter leaves with more variegations than the other two species.
Other Jessenia Pothos Features
Drought Tolerance
It is a drought-tolerant plant that can withstand periods of low water availability.
Air Purification
pothos has air purifying leaves that filter the air and remove toxins. In this era of ever-increasing pollution, growing it indoors is good for your health.
Dormancy
This plant goes dormant in winters if the temperature and light levels are not constant. To revive it from the dormancy stage, move it to your house’s well-lit, warmer room.
Jessenia Pothos Care
Because it is a hemiepiphyte, it should be grown in well-draining potting soil. Place it under bright, indirect sun indoors. You can grow it outdoors in the growth zones of 10 and 11 only.
Jessenia Pothos care involves weekly watering and monthly fertilization. You should increase or decrease its watering frequency as the weather changes. It needs 50-70% humidity and 18°C to 23°C to grow appropriately.
Quick Guide
- Soil: Standard well-draining potting soil.
- Light: Bright, indirect sunlight.
- Water: Every 3 to 7 days.
- Humidity: 50-70%.
- Temperature: 18°C to 23°C.
- USDA zones: 10 and 11.
- Fertilizer: Once a month in the growing season.
- Pruning: Spring to early summer.
Let’s explain these in detail.
Soil
Jessenia Pothos needs a well-draining potting medium to grow. Use a mixture of 10% perlite and 90% standard potting soil with some added peat moss.
The added perlite and peat moss improve soil drainage and ventilation. Good ventilation supplies oxygen to the roots. These materials also help the soil retain moisture without being soggy.
Appropriate Pot Size and Type
Plant it in a pot 2 inches deeper and broader than its root ball. This extra space around the root ball allows its roots to expand. It also prevents the plant from getting root-bound.
Choose a pot that has a drainage hole at the bottom. It will allow the soil to drain excess water, thus preventing waterlogged soil.
Light
This tropical plant with variegated leaves is tolerant of various light conditions. It can grow in medium to bright sunlight. But never place it under the direct sun because intense light causes its leaves to burn.
You should place this plant 2-3 feet away from the south or east-facing window for optimum growth. Move it a bit further from the window during summer.
Water
Water your Pothos Jessenia every 3 to 7 days in spring and summer. Decrease its watering frequency in winters. The basic rule of thumb is to water the plant when 2 inches of its topsoil is dry. To check this, poke into the soil using your finger. If it comes out clean, water your plant. Do not overwater because this plant gets root rot quickly.
Misting is not recommended for this plant due to the risk of pest infestation. Although, you should wipe its large leaves every week with a damp cloth to remove dust particles trapped in its pores.
Humidity
Because it is native to rainforests, Jessenia Pothos thrives in high humidity. Humidity below 30% turns its leaf tips brown and crisp. Therefore, you should maintain the indoor humidity around 50% to 70%. There are some easy ways to do so.
First, there is the humidifier. It maintains the indoor humidity to a constant level.
Other simple ways to increase indoor humidity are:
- Keeping the plant on a pebble tray.
- Moving it to a bathroom.
- Placing it near other houseplants.
- Placing a water bowl near its pot.
Temperature
As a tropical plant, Jessenia Pothos needs warmer surroundings to grow. The optimum temperature range required by this plant is 18°C to 23°C.
Because it is cold-sensitive and not resistant to heat, keep it indoors during extreme weather conditions. The recommended USDA growth zones are 10 and 11. So, if you live in these zones, you can grow J. pothos in your outdoor garden.
Fertilizer
This fast-growing vine needs a monthly application of general houseplant fertilizer. You should use a balanced liquid fertilizer to feed this plant during the months of active growth. You can also use a slow-release fertilizer, but you should apply it only twice a year.
Stop fertilizing it during winters because the plant stays dormant during those days.
Pruning
Jessenia Pothos looks pretty with its widespread foliage. It is why there is no need to prune it occasionally. However, you should remove its old leaves at the beginning of the growing season or in early summer.
How to Re-pot Jessenia Pothos?
You should re-pot Jessenia Pothos when it shows one of these signs:
- Its roots are growing out of its drainage hole.
- It is not producing new leaves, or the new ones are smaller.
- Its soil gets dry quickly, even in milder temperatures.
Even if your plant does not show any of these signs, you should re-pot it to renew its potting soil every year. Spring is the best time for repotting.
Follow these simple steps to move your plant safely into its new pot.
Step 1: Water the plant thoroughly on the day of repotting. The plant will be easy to take out from damp soil.
Step 2: Tilt the pot downwards and hold the plant stems in one hand (do not pull them). Tap the bottom surface of the pot until the plant slides out of it. You can separate the soil and roots from the pot walls using chopsticks or a knife.
Step 3: If your plant is root-bound and the roots have formed tight circles near the base of the plant, unwind them using chopsticks or your fingers. You can also trim some of them.
Step 4: Brush off one-third of the potting soil present at the base of the plant. You can also check for any signs of disease or infections near the root ball in this step.
Step 5: Take a new pot, 1-2 inches bigger than the previous one. It must have a drainage hole at the bottom. Add a layer of fresh potting mix and place your J. pothos in the center. Fill this pot with new potting soil and gently press its surface using your fingers.
Step 6: Your plant will go into transplant shock after repotting. But you need not worry because it is a natural process. It would help if you watered it after it comes out of this transplant shock after 2-3 weeks.
How to Propagate Jessenia Pothos
The best time to propagate this plant is mid-spring to early summer when the plant has a peak growth rate.
Propagation of Jessenia Pothos at home is done by stem cutting and air layering methods. We will tell you about both these methods one by one.
Stem Cuttings Method
Step 1: Cut a healthy stem from your plant using sharp and sterilized pruning shears. It must have one leaf and two nodes (upper and bottom).
Step 2: The next step is to root this stem cutting. You can use water or soil as the initial growing medium for your plant.
We have already covered the water propagation method in our Scindapsus Pictus Exotica article. So today, we will learn how to root the stem cutting in soil.
Step 3: Take a small container, and fill it with rich and organic potting mix.
Step 4: Plant the stem cutting in the center of the container.
Step 5: The stem cutting will take 3 to 4 weeks to root. You can then place this small plant into an actual pot.
Air Layering
Step 1: Take a strip of peat moss and attach it to a healthy stem node of your plant using a wire.
Step 2: Spray the peat moss to make it damp.
Step 3: New roots will start to form through the multiplication of aerial roots. Once new roots are formed, remove the stem cutting below this node and place it into a proper pot.
Common Problems and Their Solutions
Reverted Jessenia Pothos
It is one of the most common problems of this plant. When placed in low sunlight, the leaves begin to fade and lose their variegations. When this happens, J. pothos is known as reverted Jessenia Pothos.
Yellow Leaves
Yellowing of leaves of Pothos Jessenia is caused mainly by improper watering; it can be under or overwatering. So if your plant has yellow leaves, you should regulate its watering.
Pest Attacks
Mealybugs and spider mites are quite a problem in this plant. You can get rid of them through these three easy methods.
- Wipe the affected foliage using a cotton ball dipped in rubbing alcohol.
- Spraying the foliage with a mixture of dishwasher soap and water.
- Wipe the foliage using essential oils, for example, neem oil.
Jessenia Pothos FAQs
Yes, it is a rare Pothos variety that is challenging to find.
You can increase the variegations by increasing its sunlight exposure. Bright, indirect sunlight is ideal for this purpose.
It is not a pet-friendly plant because it contains toxic calcium crystals in its foliage.
Final Thoughts
Jessenia Pothos is a lovely tropical vine having variegated leaves. It quickly covers all the space available, so you can decorate your room walls with it or grow this plant in large hanging planters.
Because it is an easy-to-care plant that does not fuss about its growing conditions, it is an excellent choice for beginners. Now that you also have its care guide, you can grow it in your home without hassle.
