A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2004 Wandering Jew

I purchased a beautiful Wandering Jew last month and hung it on the porch. Been doing great until day before yesterday when it slipped of the nail . My daughter misted it and hung it back up. This morning (while trying to still revive my troubled "in house" now "out house" fern)and caring for the rest, I noticed the soil in the Jew was as dry as Whistler's Mother's....well, anyway,while trying to obey the rule of thumb never to repot a newly purchased plant, I was feeling but not looking :rolleyes: at the soil. That poor quality soil I guess used for SHIPPING PURPOSES ONLY was awful so of course I began my new self-class in repotting my Jew. It hangs much shorter now and I hope all the stories about "this being one of those plants you just can't kill" will prove itself true. I kept a few broken pieces...some with roots, and put in a 20 ounce styrofoam cup with water. Is this ok or should they be potted in soil? HELP

I started with one Wandering Jew about 6 months ago, I know have about a dozen in different pots (mostly tankis to the dog who managed to break it the first few times. I found that just sticking a short broken branch into moist soil it would root itself. As for the main plant it was so big that I had to repot it last month, I thought I'd killed it during that process cause I accidentally broke off alot of branches, I stuck each branch in soil and now their growing too. The main plant looked like it was going to die but recently game back bushier than before.

I think your will probably be alright.If mine can stand being trampled by a 70lb puppy and repotting they really are resilient plants

I like to think of myself as a wandering jew enthusiast.....afterall, I bought my original plant 7 years ago(my very first houseplant)---me and mom have tons of wandering jew plants all still going from that original plant......I've given plants to friends too...it's virtually indestructible......

Your broken pieces should be just fine......They'll only need a few days before they start growing a lot of roots off of them....

Let us know how everything goes!

Your cuttings should root easily in water...I've started many for family and friends and the more pruning your Wandering Jew gets, the bushier it becomes!