How To Care And Plant Rose of Jericho

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The Rose of Jericho is an incredible plant that has significant meaning in many faiths. That makes a lot of sense because this plant can appear to be dead for several years and eventually come back to life once it gets water.

I’ve only had this plant for a week and find that it to be one of the coolest plants I own. That’s saying a lot because I have 150+ houseplants.

In this post you’ll learn how to:

Bring your Rose of Jericho back to life
How to take care of the plant daily
How to store your plant when it’s not in water
What the plant symbolizes

Easy step-by-step process with pictures

1. Buy a Rose of Jericho from a reputable seller.

I bought mine from a small business on Etsy. You can also buy them on Amazon.

2. Grab a shallow dish and place a few pebbles in the dish.

Make sure the dish has no drainage holes at the bottom. If you don’t have rocks or pebbles, don’t worry about it, just leave this step out. Your plant will still wake up without pebbles at the bottom of the dish.

3. Place enough water in the dish that the rocks are in line with water.

Make sure you are using filtered water or tap water that has been sitting out for at least 12 hours. Tapwater has chemicals that houseplants don’t like, such as additive chlorine and has salts that can build up in soil over time.

4. Place your Rose of Jericho on top of the pebbles.

Water so that the roots are submerged in the water, but not the entire plant. Watch your plant for the next few hours as you’ll see it slowly unravel and “resurrect”.

5. Watch the Rose of Jericho come to life.

Over the next few hours you’ll notice the resurrection plant slowly unfurling. I had to give mine extra water in the bowl in order for it to open as I bought quite a large plant.

6. Change the water every day.

It’s important to give your plant fresh new filtered water every single day. Once a week, let your plant sit without any water at all. If you plan on keeping your plant alive long-term, it’s best to let the plant sit without any water for an entire week on the second or third week of bringing it back to life.

7. Store your plant when you’re done.

When you’re ready to put your plant back into its “dormant” state, place it in a paper bag or slightly closed box. I’d let it dry out quite a bit before doing this step.

Common questions

What does the Rose of Jericho symbolize?

The Rose of Jericho is symbolic in many faiths including Christianity and Judaism. The resurrection plant symbolizes renewal, prosperity, and transformation, which makes sense since the plant can go years appearing dead but as soon as it gets some water, it comes back to life.

How long can a Rose of Jericho last?

There isn’t an exact number of years on record, but this plant can survive for many years and revive in water. Some say this plant can last 7-10 years without water.

Is the Rose of Jericho poisonous?

Yes, the Rose of Jericho is poisonous to animals if ingested.

How do you take care of a Rose of Jericho?

Once the Rose of Jericho has been sitting in water for a day, it’s important to change out the water daily and even give the plant a rest from water altogether about once a week. It’s ideal to let it completely dry out or else the plant will rot.

What does Rose of Jericho smell like?

My Rose of Jericho didn’t have a distinct smell but it had lingering smell of incense because of the store I bought it from also sells incense.

How do you water a Rose of Jericho?

Watering your Rose of Jericho is easy. You want to switch out the water daily. I use filtered water as I want to make sure my plant is getting the best water possible.

If you plan on keeping your plant around long-term, it’s best to give your plant a day of rest without any water at all each week. Then after 1-2 weeks, let your plant rest without any water for a full week.

Why is my Rose of Jericho Brown?

If your Rose of Jericho is brown and isn’t reviving after getting adequate water, this may mean your Rose of Jericho is dead.

How do you treat mold on a Rose of Jericho?

If you find mold on your Rose of Jericho, you can try rinsing it off with a natural fungicide like baking soda and make sure to rinse all the baking soda off.

Let your plant dry out and when you revive your plant again, make sure you’re changing the water every single day and letting your plant take a rest day at least one day a week. After it’s been alive for 1-2 weeks, let your plant dry out completely for one week.

Can you plant Rose of Jericho outside?

You can plant your Rose of Jericho outside as long as you live in a hardiness zone of 8A-10B. If you plan on placing your plant outside, I’d recommend keeping it covered from rain, snow, or anything that can damage it.

Does resurrection plant need light?

It’s recommended to place a Rose of Jericho in bright indirect sunlight. I placed mine in a room getting southwest sun exposure and it’s quite happy there.

Is Rose of Jericho a tumbleweed?

Rose of Jericho is also known as being a tumbleweed. This plant tumbles around in the desert for months and once it rains, comes back to life.

Final thoughts

Whether you’re religious or not, this is a plant that deserves respect because of its resurrection qualities. What other plants do you know of that can live for years without water and come back to life in just a day of water?

I thought this process was incredible and plan on keeping my Rose of Jericho for as long as possible.