Jade Satin Pothos – A Complete Care Guide for Beginners

The Jade Satin Pothos is a stunning indoor climbing plant that wows its owners with beautiful heart – shaped, velvet leaves.

This particular variety is well-sought after for its uninterrupted deep jade colors on the leaves. Unfortunately, getting your hands on this unique variety can be difficult at times, so if you happen to come across it in your visits to your local nursery, jump at the opportunity.

Today at the Garden Bench Top, we are excited to jump into the interesting and wonderful world of the Jade Satin.

We are going to learn everything you need to know about Satin Pothos, including:

• the plants origins,
• how to successfully care for a Jade Satin plant,
• how to properly propagate more plants, and
• answers to frequently asked questions, including troubleshooting common problems.

Jade Satin Pothos Facts Guide

Let’s take a closer look at this beautiful, rare plant, and find out more about its origins and qualities.

Name Guide

If you are a regular visitor to the Garden Bench Top, you will know we like to refer to plants by their botanical name. So if you have made it this far, you’ll already be familiar with their scientific name as the Jade Satin Pothos.

Other, more common names you may have seen around the nurseries or online are:

• Satin Pothos,
• Silk Pothos, and
• Satin philodendron.

They are sometimes referred to as Jade Satin Scindapsus. However, this is a common mistake made either by retailers or the plant owners. It is easy to see why they may assume they are one of the same, and even though they are two varieties of plant from the same family, there are some distinct features.

The Jade Satin Scindapsus has variegated leaves (meaning they have distinct lines or markings), whereas our focus of the day, the Jade Satin Pothos, has leaves that are pure deep jade in color with no noticeable variegation. Our Jade Satin also tends to grow slowly and can take some time to root when propagated.

Appearance

Even though the Jade Satin is a slow grower, the results are definitely worth the wait.

The pure jade heart-shaped leaves have a depth of color that easily captures the eye from across the room.

The Jade Satin Pothos is classed as a vine, so if given the opportunity, it will scale up ropes to give a natural indoor outdoor look to any well-lit room. If allowed to grow too long, the vines may become too heavy and may require some intervention to help hold their shape. There’s nothing like a bit of DIY work – grab a few hooks or plant ties to support your plant, and keep its spectacular shape.

Some Jade Satin owners prefer to hang their plants from the ceiling, and allow the plants to grow in baskets. Eventually, they spill over the edge, producing a beautiful waterfall effect of green satin leaves.

Origin of Jade Satin Pothos

The Jade Satin originates in the Southeast Asian countries closer to the equator that have hot and humid climates, such as the Philippines.

It is important to understand your plant’s origins so that you can gain an appreciation for the conditions that they would normally thrive and survive.

With that in mind, this is a great segue into the next section – How to care for your Jade Satin Pothos.

Jade Satin Pothos Care Instructions

By the end of this section, you will have everything you ever need to know to successfully care for your Satin Pothos.

Lighting

Given these plants originate from areas around the equator, light is one of the most important elements they require to thrive.

That being said, do not place them in a position that receives a lot of direct sunlight. The intense heat will burn and dehydrate the leaves, and you will constantly be battling to prevent the soil from drying out. Note, dappled indirect sunlight is fine.

We recommend maintaining them in a position that receives at least 6 hours of indirect sunlight to keep them happy and to preserve the vibrant jade color of the leaves.

For the most part, Satin Pothos owners generally keep their plants indoors where it is easier to control the growing environment and shield their plants from the extreme weather.

However, it is possible to cultivate these plants outdoors. Just make sure to place it in a shaded area that is not susceptible to strong winds.

If you begin to wonder if you have the right placement for your plant, we always advise you to listen with your eyes. Your plant will tell you if it isn’t happy. If the leaves begin to lose their beautiful rich jade green color and turn pale or dull, it is time to try a brighter position.

Temperature

Coming from Southeast Asia countries, the Jade Pothos prefers to live in humid and warm temperatures.

You should be aiming to maintain a temperature between 60-85 degrees Fahrenheit (15-30 degrees Celcius) for your Jade Pothos plant. If you live in a climate with high humidity, the plant will be more tolerable in the lower temperature range on the recommended spectrum.

The Satin Pothos is more forgiving in terms of humidity. It can survive in low himidty conditions (say around 30 – 40 % humidity). That said, it would prefer higher humidity conditions and most likely thrive in humidity ranges between 50 – 70%.

Humidity is not as easy to measure, when compared to temperature, for example. The tool that you require to measure your rooms’ humidity is a hygrometer. You don’t need a fancy, scientific version – just a simple one that is relatively inexpensive and readily available online.

If you are attempting to grow your plant outdoors, we do recommend planting them in a container or pot, rather than directly in the ground. This way, you can bring your plant indoors during the bitter cold, frosty nights of winter.

Difficulty

Once you have found your ideal position for your Satin Pothos, the hardest part is over. Ease of care and maintenance is relatively straight-forward, and it is for this reason that we deem it to be suitable for the novice or beginner indoor plant growers.

Watering

During the active growing months (Spring and Summer), you will want to keep your Satin Potho’s soil moist. However, as with most indoor plants, they are susceptible to being overwatered and root rot.

The Jade Satin Pothos is (somewhat) drought tolerant, so we tend to let the soil dry first, before topping up the water. This helps to avoid the above issue of overwatering.

The simple, finger test in the top layer of soil to test the moisture levels generally works for us. If the topsoil feels dry to the touch, it’s time for water.

If you suspect there are any issues with your plant, check our troubleshooting section below in the Frequently Asked Section.

Growing Medium and Supplements

Indoor plants require only a few things in order to thrive. Indirect light, water and a good growing medium. If you get these three things right, your plants will thank you by putting on a stunning vibrant display.

Outdoor plants that are exposed to the elements, require a heavy soil that retains more water. Whereas, indoor plants like the Jade Pothos, require a lighter soil that have good water retaining properties, but also has the ability to purge any excess water.

We mostly opt for a mixture that is specially cultivated for indoor plants. They usually consist of proper ratios of peat moss, vermiculite and perlite. These are great because they retain enough water for the plants roots to absorb, but also avoid the soggy water-laden issues that comes with soil.

The main drawback with these mixes are they don’t have the necessary nutrients – which is where supplements come in.

When it comes to the Jade Satin Pothos, it is quite easy. There are no special requirements when it comes to additional fertilizers. Any slow – releasing indoor plant fertilizer will provide the basic fundamental needs in order for it to grow.

In fact, if you were to forget to add any fertilizer or supplements, the Satin Pothos will still survive. However, the more love you show it (with supplements), the more love it will return with more vibrance and growth.

General Maintenance

The best approach to maintaining a beautiful indoor Jade Pothos plant is to let the plant tell you what it needs.

If you notice the vines beginning to fall or collapse under their own weight, it may be time to prune a bit off. Alternatively, as we mentioned above, you can choose to install some assists to help the vine continue along.

Additionally, feel free to prune and trim the vine to suit your cosmetic requirements. For example, if you are growing your Satin Pothos from a basket hung from the ceiling, and it has grown too long (that it reaches the floor). It is completely acceptable to prune it back to maintain a free – hanging appearance.

Propagation of Jade Satin Pothos

Given these plants tend to be more on the scarcer side of supply, we can understand why many gardeners are keen to propagate these beautiful plants.

Fortunately, propagating these beautiful plants is relatively easy (we do wonder why they are not more plentiful in the nurseries?).

Here are the steps for How to propagate a Jade Satin Pothos:

1. Identify a healthy vine to propagate. If you are going to try your hand at propagating, you might as well place the odds in your favor. You can achieve this by selecting a vine on your current plant that looks healthy, strong and has vibrant leaves. All these factors signal a healthy part of the plant that will have the necessary energy and nutrients to produce strong roots for propagation. Avoid any vines that look withered, limp and have yellow or brown leaves.
2. Use a sterilized knife to cut the vine. From the tip of the vine, count 3 – 4 leaf nodes down the vine and cut the vine off using a sterilized knife. We suggest using a clean knife to prevent bacteria from causing any infections or diseases. Repeat this process with two to three other vines, so you have a collection of healthy young vines. Again, this is ensuring the odds are in your favor for a successful propagation.
3. Place your cuttings in a jar with water. Best practice dictates you should use filtered water at room temperature water to propagate plants. This is entirely your choice. If filtered water isn’t readily available, you can still achieve a successful propagation using tap water. Filtered water simply has fewer chemicals (such as chlorine and fluoride), that may inhibit your plant from growing roots. When placing the vines into the water, ensure some nodes are below the water’s surface. It is from the nodes that roots will begin to form – which is essential for your plant to take in the next few steps. Where possible, place your jars in similar indirect light conditions as the mother plant. If in doubt, simply place it next to the mother plant. If the main plant is thriving, there is a good chance the cuttings will too.
4. Maintenance while Rooting. It is important that while you are waiting for your Satin Pothos cuttings to grow roots, you regularly change the water they are sitting in. If the water becomes too stale, it will encourage the growth of bacteria and begin to rot your vines. We recommend changing the water every second day to prevent bacteria growth. You can expect to see roots forming after 10 – 14 days.
5. Potting time. Once you can see some nice long (2 inches or 5 centimeters) healthy roots from several nodes on the vines, it is now time to pot them. Prepare your pots with fresh, well-draining potting soil. This is soil that has good water retention properties, but also drains well and expels any excess water. Carefully remove your cuttings, ensuring not to damage the newly formed roots. And place them an inch and a half (3 – 5 centimeters) deep into the soil. Make sure the roots are covered with soil.
6. Ongoing Maintenance. Once the cuttings are settled, maintain a regular watering schedule to make sure the soil is continually moist (but not water logged). This is because you have essentially rooted the cuttings using a hydroponic method, and the roots will be used to water.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are common pests and diseases I should look for?

Fortunately, the Jade Satin Pothos is quite a resilient plant – again another reason why they are a good choice for the beginner or novice gardeners.

If you do spot some pests on your plant, they are likely to be spider mites or mealy bugs. Both of these critters are known to feed on the sap of indoor plants, and can be detrimental to the long term health of your plant.

Regular cleaning, inspection and maintenance of the plant will help to both detect and deter these two pests. However, if you do have an infestation we would recommend a good application of a low-level pest insecticide to clear off the majority of the pests. Then a regimented cleaning and inspection schedule to kill off the remaining of the bugs that were hidden away during the initial treatment.

The other common disease Jade Satin plants are susceptible to is root rot – which is caused by over watering. We have discussed how to avoid this problem earlier in this article under the ‘watering care guide instructions’.

Is Jade Satin Pothos toxic?

Yes – most plants in the pothos family are toxic if ingested.

Therefore, it is advisable to place these plants out of reach from curious hands or paws. Should any part of the plant be ingested, please seek immediate medical advice.

My Jade Satin Pothos leaves are starting to go brown?

If your plant’s leaves are turning brown or beginning to look brown and dry at the edges or tip, it is most likely a result of insufficient humidity in the air.

As we mentioned earlier in the care section of this article, these plants are from Southeast Asian countries that have climates with high humidity. So, it is crucial that you place these plants in a humid environment. We recommend using a hygrometer to measure the humidity range in your room to gain a better understanding of the varying conditions around your house.

My Jade Satin Pothos leaves are going yellow?

Yellow leaves are a plants way of communicating to you that you are giving it too much water. There are several ways to rectify this problem.

You can use the tried and tested finger test. This involves inspecting the top layer of soil with your finger. If it feels dry, then it is time to water your plant. If you can still feel moisture, come back in a few days and repeat the test.

If the finger test is not working for you, you may want to consider changing the growing medium you used in the pot. The medium may be retaining too much water and may need to be replaced with a more loam-based soil that allows for drainage.

My Jade Satin Pothos leaves are getting brown spots surrounded by yellow rings?

If you begin to observe strange brownish spots surrounded by a yellow area, you may have indications taht your plant has a bacterial infection known as bacterial leaf spot.

Unfortunately there is no botanical chemical treatment for bacterial spot, and you will need to use a strategy of prevention. Remove all the infected leaves, and try to isolate any vines that show infection.

If you have several Jade Satin Pothos, move your infected plants away from healthy unaffected plants.

What’s Next?

Now that you are an expert in all things to do with Jade Satin Pothos plants, you may want to consider some suitable companion plants to accompany your feature plant.

When you are choosing the best companion plants, it is always best to choose contrasting colors and growing structures. Since the Jade Satin Pothos is a vine, we like to pair these up with upright plants like the butterfly palm, asparagus fern or another jade plant.