Hello, my aunt gave me a Wandering Jew plant that she had outside. I noticed the leaves seemed bleached and dried, so I brought it inside and hung it in my bathroom near the window. It has grown big and long now, but does get wilty dried leaves every few days. I water it well once a week and then every couple of days pour a cup of water into the pot. I notice the next day it looks better. I'm worried that it is getting too big for the pot, but the pot is already pretty big. I've heard about pinching the plant back, but don't know how to do it. And, also, even if I move the plant gently, some of the stems and leaves fall off. I've been putting them in another pot and they are doing well. I'm running out of pots for them. The big plant is now reaching the floor and it's hung up on my shower rod. I was just wondering how do I care for it and how do you pinch a plant properly? Thanks. - Linda

Here is the care for a wandering jew plant.

Provide at least some direct sunlight every day. Wandering Jew plants do best in front of an east or south window. Lower light tends to reduce the color in the leaves, so placing in one of these windows, will provide a good amount of direct sun for the plant.

Give Wandering Jew plants warm temperatures and a good amount of humidity. If grown in a hanging basket, mist frequently and place a saucer underneath the plant. Fill the saucer with water every couple of weeks.

Take care to water the plant frequently. The potting mix should be kept moist.

Keep Wandering Jew plants in small pots. These plants generally don't need to be upgraded to anything larger than an 8-inch pot. Most times, you'll have to start over with a new plant before needing a pot larger than 8 inches.

Prune the ends of the stems frequently. This causes the stems to branch and the plant will become bushy. If not pruned, they will become long and spindly.

As for pinching back the plant, simply cut the plant back approximately 2-3 inches and cut before the nearest leaf. With wandering jews, they can easily be piched back with very little chance of harming the plant. Hope that helps and if you need any other advice just ask.

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Operational Manager at
Earl May Nursery and Garden Center in Ames, Iowa