Wandering Jew

Light and exposure

Give the wandering jew bright light, ideally a little direct sun in the morning or late in the day. This is where all its charm is at stake: its leaves keep their purple and silver banding only in good light. In shade the plant keeps growing but stretches, its stems space out and the foliage pales until it turns almost green.

An east or west windowsill suits it very well. Behind a south-facing pane, a light screen during the hottest summer hours keeps the leaves from scorching. If you hang it, turn the pot a quarter turn now and then so it stays full on every side.

Watering

Water when the first few centimetres of compost have dried out, then empty the saucer. The wandering jew likes to stay slightly moist in spring and summer, without ever being waterlogged. Its stems are a little fleshy and take the odd missed watering in stride: better to let it dry out a bit than to drown it.

In winter growth slows and its needs drop sharply. Space out the watering clearly then, letting the substrate dry more between two. Excess water in the cold season rots the base of the stems and softens the foliage, and that is the most common trouble on this otherwise sturdy plant.

Soil and repotting

An ordinary houseplant compost does the job, lightened with a handful of perlite or coarse sand so the water drains quickly. The wandering jew is not fussy about the nature of the soil, it mostly wants it not to stay soaked.

Choose a pot with a drainage hole, wider than it is deep since the roots stay shallow. Repotting every one or two years in spring is enough, but since the plant renews itself so quickly through cuttings, many people simply start over with young cuttings in fresh compost rather than repotting an old, bare plant.

Temperature and humidity

The wandering jew is happy in ordinary house temperatures, between 16 and 26 degrees. It enjoys summer warmth and easily tolerates our heated interiors, as long as you do not press it against a radiator that dries the air.

Below 10 degrees it suffers, and the slightest frost kills it. It is a houseplant for Belgium: outdoors only from May to September, and brought back in well before the first cold nights. Also avoid cold draughts in front of a poorly insulated door or window in winter.

Pruning and upkeep

Pinch the tips of the stems regularly, just above a leaf. The plant responds by branching, which fills it out instead of letting it run off into long bare stems. This is the key move to keep a full, trailing plant.

Over time the old stems go bare at the base, which is normal for this species. Cut them back without hesitation: they shoot again from below, and the cut pieces make just as many cuttings. A good spring cutback rejuvenates a tired plant in a few weeks.

Pests and diseases

The wandering jew is rarely troubled by disease. The main danger remains stem rot linked to excess water, especially in winter: soft, translucent stems at the base, leaves that come away. The fix is simple, let it dry more and cut back into the healthy part to re-root.

As for pests, watch for spider mites when the air gets too dry near the heating, as well as mealybugs tucked into the leaf axils. A regular check and a lukewarm shower on the foliage are usually enough. Note finally that the sap can irritate sensitive skin: rinse your hands after pruning or taking cuttings, and wear gloves if your skin reacts easily.

Propagation

This is the plant to give someone starting out with cuttings, so easy is it. Cut a ten-centimetre stem below a node, remove the lower leaves and plunge it into a glass of water. Roots appear in just a few days, and you can pot it up as soon as they reach two or three centimetres.

Cuttings work just as well straight into moist compost, several sprigs in the same pot for an instant bushy effect. Spring and summer give the fastest roots, but with a little warmth the wandering jew roots practically all year round. Make the most of it to renew an old plant or to give some away around you.

Month-by-month care calendar

Green Hub tips

• The more you pinch the stems, the bushier the plant becomes. A plant that stretches and goes bare simply calls for more frequent pinching.
• The colours are a light thermometer: nicely purple and silver foliage, it is in the right spot; foliage turning green and stems stretching, move it closer to the window.
• For a quick cutting, a glass of water and a stem are enough: the roots come out in a few days. Ideal to share or to multiply to fill a pot.
• Rinse your hands after pruning: the sap can sting sensitive skin. Light gloves settle the matter if your skin reacts fast.
• Never leave it outside in winter. A single night of frost is enough to lose it, whereas indoors it gets through the cold season without trouble.