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wiccadgardener

N Joy Pothos leaves

wiccadgardener
13 years ago

My N Joy pothos is starting to produce leaves that look more like regular pothos leaves (more speckled and streaked than the defined variegation of the N Joy leaves). I know it's probably genetic but figured I'd ask anyway just in case, is there anyway to encourage the plant to produce the N Joy-type variegation, More/less light, natural light?

The weird thing is it will produce one of these speckled leaves then the next leaf on the vine will have the defined N Joy variegation. I would have expected that whole vine would be producing the speckled leaves.

Thanks :)

Comments (19)

  • gobluedjm 9/18 CA
    13 years ago

    Normally plants lose their variegation when not enough light.

  • birdsnblooms
    13 years ago

    Mine has been in an unobstructed, north window 1-1.5 yrs..other than new growth, coloring and shape are the same..one of my favorites..Toni

  • pirate_girl
    13 years ago

    Hey Toni,

    Long time no see -- how are ya? Just in time for me to see a familiar face so I can ask what pls. is N Joy? Have never seen or heard the reference. Would this be about Neon Pothos? TIA

  • karen715
    13 years ago

    Karen:

    N'Joy is a new cultivar of Pothos that came on the market about a year or so ago. It is green and white, but is different from Marble Queen Pothos.

    Here is a link that might be useful:

  • birdsnblooms
    13 years ago

    Hey Karen. I'm okay..how about you? Last time we talked you were looking for a new job. Hope you found something.

    A couple years ago, Mentha sent an 'N Joy, Pothos. 'Like Karen715 posted.' N'Joy is mini compared to other Pothos.
    Neon has solid, gold/deep-yellow leaves.

  • pirate_girl
    13 years ago

    Hi Karen715,

    Thanks much for explaining, I hadn't yet seen this.

    Hey Toni,

    I thought the N might stand for Neon.

    Yes, thanks, am delighted to say I'm 13 months now on the new job -- yippee, really nice people, excellent organization, unfortunately lowish paying, but I expect to ask for a raise in the near future.

    One of these days, I'll get back to the 'Conversations Area' to answer you about how I quit smoking. Proud to say that's now 2.5 yrs since I stopped! I breathe oodles better, have next to no sinus problems of which I had a fair amount. Short version -- I think I was ready.

    WiccaG,

    Sorry to meander off topic on your thread. Pretty plant, I hope it does well for you.

  • pagrdnr
    13 years ago

    Mine has the typical leaves but there is some variation.

    Is this a slow grower for those of you who have it. I got one on ebay last year...It came grown in sphagnum moss. I potted it in soil, and it declined. It died down to one vine, but it is finally starting to show some growth.

    Does anyone know if 'Pearls and Jade' is the same?

    Here is a link that might be useful: Pearls and Jade

  • birdsnblooms
    13 years ago

    Karen, the N stands for, 'Autumn.' Autumn Joy = 'N Joy.
    Great about the new job..You might not believe this, but it was obvious you were upset. I said a prayer for you..Don't worry, not going to preach..lol
    As for the raise, you're on your own..lol..But truly, that's terrific news.

    2.5 yrs smoke-free? Good to hear. Many ex-smokers say food taste better, too.
    You're right..you have to be ready..

    Pagrdnr. I bought Pearls & Jade from the same seller on Ebay. It might be coincidence but P&J's leaves differ a little...hardly noticable. P&J leaves are slightly larger, some rounder. Colors are very similar..Swirls of white and green. No real set pattern.

    Both my P&J and 'N Joy are in 4", plastic pots, same north window. I got 'N Joy before P&J..
    IMO, P&J/NJoy grows much faster than other Pothos. The only things I've done with Joy and Pearl is, 1. since both are sitting in a north window before the kitchen sink, their leaves are hosed regularly. 2. Both were given Superthrive..None were fertilized this year...Shame, shame..lol..Toni

  • pagrdnr
    13 years ago

    I am thinking my olant was just shocked from the transition from moss to soil. Hopefully it will continue to grow well now that it is doing ok. I just hate that it is only one vine now instead of a bushier plant with multiple vines. Maybe I'll pinch it bacl and root the part I pinch off.

    I wish it would grow fast like my philodendron 'Brazil'....you can almost watch taht thing grow.

  • exoticrainforest
    13 years ago

    By the way, the leaves change shape as they grow and I now have a few at the 12 foot level in my atrium that are 2.5 feet long and have a completely different shape as the result of natural variation. You can see those larger leaves as well as many of the changes in the intermediate leaves on the link posted in the not above.

    Steve

  • wiccadgardener
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thank you to everyone who responded. I'd never heard of the "pearls and jade" and now that I see a picture of it that more closely resembles some of the new leaves than the marble queen/"regular" pothos (I just didn't have anything else to compare it to at the time). I didn't know the 'N stood for autumn, I thought it was supposed to be like "enjoy" :)

    Steve, Thank you so much for the link, that has a lot of useful information (I didn't know they liked a lot of humidity -all the general houseplant information about them says it doesn't matter, but now that I think about it it should be obvious that they would, being tropical plants) my poor plants certainly haven't been getting enough humidity, I'll work on that.
    Any tips on how to get them to produce adult leaves (mine have had juvenile leaves for years)? Does staking help, I think I've heard that monstera have to be staked to produce adult leaves? (I apologize if this is addressed in the link you gave, I skimmed it, but haven't had a chance to read it yet). Thank you.


  • exoticrainforest
    13 years ago

    Giving the plant a totem to climb will certainly help it begin to morph into the adult form but it has to climb at least 6 feet to make substantial changes. If given fairly bright light some leaves will morph even by running across the ground.

    I often buy 32 inch totems for my Philodendron, Monstera and SE Asian plants. Those are available from Mosser-Lee on the internet.

    When we planted our plant it went in the ground next to a thick cedar post that is 12 feet tall but the plant has grabbed onto the ceiling supports and has continued to climb to around 15 feet. I'm told they get really big in Hawaii and other South Pacific islands since they can climb quite high.

    Good growing.

    Steve

  • birdsnblooms
    13 years ago

    Wicca and Pag..Give it time..NJoy grows fast.
    Here's a pic when first sent.

    {{gwi:93945}}

    4 months later
    {{gwi:93946}}

    Pag, if your NJoy has one long vine, take a few cuttings and root. After roots are large enough, set in the pot w/mom.

    Steve, you're 100% right. Typing Pothos takes less time than Epipremnum..Guess, on my end, it's a matter of being lax..lol
    Another problem is..if you walked into a store/nursery, asked if they had Epipremnums, most clerks would look at you like you're talking another language. On the other hand, if you asked if they had Pothos or Devil's Ivy, they'd lead you to the spot. "If you're lucky." lol.

    The average person asks for plants by common names. Toni

  • exoticrainforest
    13 years ago

    You are also very right.

    The problem I see with only knowing the common name is you can often pull up dozens of plants from a single name and often never be certain if what you read is accurate.
    aroids are highly variable and one single plant can have leaves with a dozen or more shapes. Variation can be very confusing to a grower and as a result there are many "fusses" on sites like this over what the species may be when in some cases all those different looking leaves are the same exact plant.

    A good example of a near useless common name is "elephant ear". Some 500 to 900 plants can and often do use that common name. All those plants can be found in 7 or 8 different genera so by only using a common name it is virtually impossible to learn anything and be accurate.

    I have about 300 aroids in my collection, many quite large and I love to know the facts about them so I tag every plant with the correct scientific name and do my best to memorize all of them.

    If anyone only wishes to enjoy the plant the common name works great. I study and research almost all of them so I like to know the real name as well.

    Take a look at the photos on this link and you'll see what I mean. The shape of a leaf has little to nothing to do with the species of the plant.

    Steve

    Here is a link that might be useful: Natural variation in aroids

  • birdsnblooms
    13 years ago

    Steve, I think I know you..Does RTP sound familiar? :)

    Very nice site. Beautiful Aroids.
    Don't have time to read through the entire site now, I'll get to it later.

    500-900 names for Elephant's Ear? lol.. Three come to mind..Caladium, Amorphophaius and Colocasia.

    Not all, but some plants are named by shape of leaf. One example is Syngonium. Common name 'Arrowhead' plant. One author explained Syngonium is called 'Arrowhead' because of it's spear-like leaf tips. Or shaped like an arrow.

    Others, pick common names by the looks/shape of an entire plant..Chlorophytum. Most often called, 'Spider.' Or, in the western states, 'Airplane' plant. 'because of shoots.'

    Although I agree using botanical names is best, it too can be confusing. No, not confusiing, battlesome. lol.
    Pronunciation for one. Even simple names such as Kalanchoe.
    My ex-manager and I had a debate about the pronumciation. She said it was pronounced, Kal an cho, 'long O.'
    I said it's called, Kal en ko ee. I ended up bringing the dictionary to work as proof.

    Bromiliad is another. Most say, Brom il laids or lads. lol.

    How do you keep ink/marker from erasing? Or find tags large enough to write botanical names?
    I bought the largest labels suited for potted plants and permanent marker. Markers with super fine tips.
    First, names didn't fit, 'I added dates, too,' and depending on the plastic/markers, some smeared. They took forever to dry. What are you doing different?? lol. Toni

  • exoticrainforest
    13 years ago

    I'll start from the bottom. I use metal tags that I emboss with a ball point pen. They are about #3 for a box of 50 and come with a wire to attached it to the pot, basket or stem. I always keep a record of where the plant was collected in nature, the scientific name, any data that may be important to causing the plant to reproduce and who gave me the specimen.

    There are three to four accepted forms of Latin and that is always a problem for collectors. If you are using Church Latin the pronunciations will be different than he other forms. Different sciences also prefer different Latin forms although medicine and botany are closely related. There is a basic set of recommended rules for common Latin and I will soon be posting an article on my website that includes those rules. I recently completed an article for the International Aroid Society journal Aroideana that will include a bit of this information along with many definitions for scientific terms that may be useful to growers.

    Some Syngonium species are certainly called Arrowhead vine but once it begins to morph into the next stage it looses that appearance and becomes multi-lobed. I have it climbing a tall post in my atrium and it looks nothing like the juvenile stage. That is known as ontogeny (the natural growth of any living organism. Just like a child changes from a baby into a 2 year old and continues to progressively change as he/she becomes an adult and then on into old age the body changes. Plants do the same thing and the majority of plants we grow as "house plants" change quickly as they grow. We often don't see it because we don't allow them to climb. All aroids and many other plants constantly morph and change as they climb. I can show you many plants in my own collection that now look nothing like the juvenile form most of us grow.

    Additionally, there is the factor of natural variation which causes leaves to take on many different shapes, often on the same vine. Again, we don't often see it since we don't allow our plants to climb.

    I can think of at least 7 genera that use the common name "Elephant Ear". Philodendron (about 1000 species), Anthurium (another 1000 species), Monstera (35 species), Caladium ( I have no idea how many), Colocasia (I never counted), Alocasia (about 100 species), some Epipremnum, some Rhaphidophora, Xanthosoma and I'm sure there are more.

    Not every species is called an "Elephant ear" but there are far too many for one single common name. I get email all the time asking what some "Elephant ear" may be, often only with a vague description and not photo such as..."It has big leaves and is green".

    I'm not kidding!

    Scientific names are not difficult to learn but you do have to want to do it and I can easily understand why many collectors don't want to fool with it. Still, if you are serious about your plants it is worth the effort.

    Steve

  • exoticrainforest
    13 years ago

    By the way, my little site has over 300 pages of info. If you can read through it in a sitting let me know!

    I'm still thinking about RTP. Give me a clue.

    Steve

  • exoticrainforest
    13 years ago

    #3 instead of $3 for a box! One day maybe I'll learn to read and edit my posts before I hit send!

    The tags I use are aluminum and can be easily embossed with a ball point pen. They will dirty but not fade or rust as they age. You can get about four lines on one side.

    I hate getting old!

    Steve