Are Pearls and Jade Pothos Slow Growing Plants?

If you are a Pothos plant admirer, you have probably heard of the Pearls and Jade Pothos. This type of pothos plant is a bit different from the more frequently seen Golden Pothos or Marble Queen Pothos. The Pearls & Jade Pothos has smaller leaves and unique variegation of green and cream colors with small flecks of green in the cream color sections of the leaf. Many who pick up their first Pearls and Jade Pothos plant notice there are some differences in caring for this variety and one of those differences is the growth rate. Often the most common question asked is if Pearls and Jade Pothos are slow-growing plants.

Are Pearls and Jade Pothos Slow Growing Plants?

Are Pearls and Jade Pothos Slow Growing Plants?

When compared to other more common types of Pothos plants, yes Pearls and Jade Pothos plants are slow-growing. There is no direct given rate at which a Pearls and Jade Pothos plant grows. But many owners of this plant notice that they grow at a considerably slower rate than their other pothos plants.

The Pearls and Jade Pothos shares a similar growth rate with the N’joy Pothos.

This slower growth rate can be a great advantage for those with smaller spaces. Or if you don’t want vining plants taking over the house. It can also be a wonderful feature of the plant if you don’t like to prune and cut back plants too much.

Why Do Pearls and Jade Pothos Grow Slower?

Pearls and Jade Pothos leaves have more white/cream variegation than some of the faster growing Pothos varieties. Less green on the leaves means fewer normal-appearing chloroplasts in the plant. Normal chloroplasts exist in the green portion of the leaves. The white portions of the leaves have what appear to be blocked stages of chloroplast biogenesis.

Chloroplasts, when they are normal, convert light energy into chemical energy using photosynthesis. They also aid in the metabolic activities for the plant cells. So with fewer normal-appearing chloroplasts than the greener types of pothos plants, there is less energy and metabolic activity for the plant to use to grow at the rate faster-growing plants do.

Pearls and Jade Pothos Plant

Other Reasons Pearls and Jade Pothos Might Grow Slow

Pothos plants have a growing cycle like most plants. During the cold fall and winter months, the plant will not grow much, this is the dormant season for the plant. So if you are in the middle of winter and wondering why your plant is growing slow you might just need to give it some time to get into the growing season of Spring and Summer. Once you get into the normal growing season give your pothos a half dose of liquid fertilizer to help it have nutrients available.

Another reason that a Pearls and Jade Pothos could be growing slow is that there is damage to the roots from too much stagnant water. Make sure you are using soil that is well-draining and using a pot that has drainage.

Is There a Way to Make a Pearls and Jade Pothos Plant Grow Faster?

There are ways you can help boost the energy available to this Pothos to grow faster. Light makes the biggest difference for Pearls and Jade Pothos’ growth rate. Since the variegation on the leaves is what causes the lack of energy, providing the plant with bright indirect light can allow the plant to do its best with the photosynthesis process.

Fertilizing your Pearls and Jade Pothos during the spring and summer can also help. Using a liquid fertilizer at about half the recommended dose once twice during the growing season should be sufficient for the plant.

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