Q&A for How to Take Care of a Wandering Jew Plant

It might be root rot. You want to keep the soil damp, but not too damp- it's a delicate balance. Try to take a cutting from a healthy part and discard the rest. Next time, make sure to check the soil with your finger before you water. If the soil is dry 2 inches down, give it some water. If it's damp up by the top, leave it alone and check the next day.

Although the Wandering Jew Plant is not toxic and therefore safe to eat, I would not recommend eating it.

The Wandering Jew Plant is typically grown for its foliage rather than its flowers.

Yes. They can be grown hydroponically.

It depends on the zone you live in. The article says it grows best in zones 9-11.

They will do fine, but as with most plants that get sunlight at a particular time of day, they should be rotated occasionally.

They do. The flowers are also purple, but not as deeply hued as the leaves. The foliage is the star of the show. The flowers are incidental.

No, The wandering Jew plant is actually fine around cats/dogs but if its sap gets on your cat, watch for any irritation or constant scratching from your pet.

Don't water it a lot. Also, get apple cider vinager in a cup, and cover it with foil; poke a few holes in the foil. This trap will attract and kill your flies. So the fungus gnats won't spread, keep your Wandering Jew away from your other plants.

Divide it. Take it out of the pot, use a large knife to cut the rootball into quarters, and pot the smaller plants. Loosen the packed roots before planting your divisions. This sounds brutal, but it will work. It's almost impossible to kill these plants.

Put them all together because then you'll have a nice, bushy plant.

Yes, they can. Find a mild, quickly biodegradable pesticide to lightly spray, then be sure to mist the leaves often. Do not mist the leaves to the point of saturation, or to the point of leaving standing 'pools' of water at the base of the leaves or in the cup in the center of leaves.

Yes, the plants are naturally quite brittle. They are easily broken when handled.

They can get very large, even producing other plants, if cared for properly!

I put my Wandering Jew under a bushy palm tree that is south facing. It seems to like the warm, humid weather. Just make sure it gets some shade.

It might be because your wandering jew isn’t getting enough light. You can try moving it to a brighter place with half direct light and half filtered light.

After it blooms and is starting to wilt, just cut it off.

Dig them up, roots and all. If you leave roots behind, they might return. Or you can replace the soil.

Yes. Morning sun is not too harsh for a wandering Jew. They love morning sun.

The biggest mistake you can make is not changing out the water frequently. If you are not changing the water frequently, it becomes still and stagnant, losing the natural mineral components that encourage new root growth.

As it says in the article, if the plant color is fading out or turning back to green, it is not getting enough sunlight.

No a wandering Jew plant takes in water through its roots, rather than by storing the water in the leaves like most succulents do.

Discard all of the dead leaves. Dead heading gives more energy to the plant, plus it looks better too.

It's uncommon for birds to attack houseplants; they are likely after insects in the soil. You should try to eliminate these insects.

This is common for inch plants in hanging pots. Apply fertilizer regularly to encourage new branches to form at the base, which will eventually cover the leafless parts of the stems.

It's likely that water droplets remained on the leaves while they were in the sun, causing brown spots. This is not uncommon for a Wandering Jew plant.

Yes, a wandering Jew plant will die if exposed to temperatures of 32°F or lower. Keep this houseplant indoors to protect it from freezing.

Coffee grounds are an organic substance with a slightly acidic nature. You can use them on your plants if you like, but they are not essential or particularly special for the plants.

You may have over-watered it. The wandering Jew has a shallow root system, with roots extending only an inch or two into the soil. Water thoroughly once after transplanting, then let the soil dry out so the roots can access enough oxygen to grow into the soil.

It's not easy to manage that type of basket indoors. Hang it in a sunny window or build a box to support it.