Succulent houseplants like jade plants are remarkably hardy and simple to grow indoors. In addition, they can live a very long time with the right care! Find out how to take care of your jade plant.
About Jade Plants
Jade plants have a tiny, tree-like appearance with their thick, woody stems and oval-shaped leaves that makes them highly tempting for use as a decorative houseplant. When planted indoors, they can grow to a height of three feet or more and survive a very long period, frequently being passed down from generation to generation.
Jade plants thrive in the warm, dry environments seen in most homes. During the growing season (spring and summer), the plant must be kept moist, and during the dormant season, it must be kept dry (fall, winter). Jade is extremely prone to rot, thus the soil should be allowed to completely dry out between waterings even throughout the growing season.
In locations with a mild, dry climate all year round, jade plants can be grown outdoors as landscape plants (typically Zone 10 and warmer). It is preferable to grow jade in containers and bring them inside when the temperature drops below 50F because they are quite sensitive to cold damage (10C).
How to Plant Jade Plants
- Because jade plants have a propensity to become top-heavy and topple over, choose a broad, sturdy pot with a modest depth.
- Use a soil that can drain well since too much moisture might encourage fungi that cause diseases like root rot. You can use a general-purpose potting mix, but you should add more perlite to it to improve drainage. The ideal potting mix to perlite ratio is 2:1. Alternately, use a pre-made potting mix for cacti or succulents.
- Don’t water a jade plant right away after planting it. The roots can settle and heal from any damage by delaying watering for a few days to a week.
A thick, scaly trunk that gives older jade plants its iconic tree-like look may emerge. Trambler58/Shutterstock provided the image.
How to Start a Jade Plant from a Leaf or Stem Cutting
Jade plants are succulents, making them incredibly simple to grow from solitary leaves or cuttings. This is how:
- Take a stem cutting or a leaf from an established plant. A 23-inch stem cutting that has at least two leaf pairs would be considered ideal. The callous that forms over the cut region will assist to avoid rot and promote rooted. Once you have your leaf or cutting, let it sit for a few days in a warm environment.
- Get a pot and some potting soil that drains properly. Use fairly moist, but not soggy, soil.
- Lay the leaf horizontally on top of the dirt, burying the cut end partially in the soil. If you have a stem cutting, plant it upright in the ground (if it won’t stand on its own, support it with a few small rocks or toothpicks).
- Put the pot in a cozy location with strong, filtered light. Avoid watering.
- The leaf or cutting will begin putting out roots within a week or two. Give the plant a light poke or tug a week or two later to check if it has roots itself. Wait a little longer and test it (gently!) every few days if it hasn’t already.
- Water the plant well and gently after it appears to have taken root. To water the plant delicately without significantly upsetting the roots, use a tool similar to a turkey baster. You want to encourage the roots to grow downward for water, not towards the surface, so make sure you don’t only soak the top layer of the soil.
- Once the plant is well-established, keep it out of direct sunlight and let the soil dry out between waterings.
Lighting
- At least six hours of bright light per day should be provided for jade plants. Large, established jade plants may tolerate more direct sunshine; young plants should be kept in bright, indirect sunlight.
- Kitchens and offices with south-facing windows are frequently fantastic places with just the right amount of light, as are windows with a western orientation.
- Low light conditions can cause jade plants to grow lanky and top heavy, making them vulnerable to injury if they topple over or lose the ability to hold their own branches.
Temperature
- Jade plants like somewhat cooler temperatures at night and in the winter (down to 55F / 13C), but they grow best at room temperature (65 to 75F / 18 to 24C).
- It should be noted that jade are not frost tolerant, so if you leave yours outside during the summer, bring it inside as soon as the temperature drops to about 50F (10C) in the fall.
- Jade plants should be kept out of drafty locations and away from cold windows throughout the winter. Jade plants may lose their leaves if exposed to freezing temperatures.
Watering
- It’s crucial to properly water jade plants. The main problem that most people have with their jade plants is improper watering.
- The plant will need more water in the spring and summer when it is actively growing than at other times of the year. Jade plants should be deeply watered (enough moisture should be absorbed into the soil, not only at the surface), followed by a wait period during which the soil should largely dry out before you water it once more. This implies that depending on how rapidly the soil dries out in the location where you keep your plant, you can end up watering it once a week or once a month.
- The plant may go dormant in the fall and winter, which will cause it to stall or stop growing altogether. It won’t require much water during this time. Water it even less frequently than you would in the spring and summer, letting the soil completely dry out in between. Large, mature jades may only require one or two waterings during their whole dormant season.
- When watering, try to avoid sprinkling water on the leaves because this might cause rot in a humid atmosphere.
- If your tap water is not perfect, you should use distilled or filtered water to water jade plants because they can be sensitive to minerals in tap water.
- It is a sign that the plant needs MORE water if it begins to drop its leaves, shrivels up, or develops brown spots on its leaves.
- The plant is receiving TOO MUCH water if the leaves start to wilt and become soggy.
Fertilizing
- Jade plants shouldn’t be fed frequently, as they don’t need a lot of nutrients. Use a diluted mixture of a typical liquid houseplant fertilizer or a cactus and succulent fertilizer.
Repotting Jade Plants
- Being root-bound in a small pot doesn’t bother jade plants. In actuality, keeping them tied to their roots will make the jade smaller and easier to handle.
- Every two to three years, repot young jade plants to promote growth. Repot older jade as necessary or once per four or five years.
- Early in the spring, right before the growth season starts, transplant.
- Don’t water the plant for about a week after repotting. Before fertilizing, you should wait at least a month to avoid unintentionally burning new roots.
If exposed to enough light, some jade cultivars can grow crimson leaf tips. Mauricio Acosta Rojas/Shutterstock photo
There are numerous varieties of jade plants, ranging from the common, green-leafed jade to several variegated species. Some intriguing jades to look out for include the following:
- The lovely leaves of “Hummel’s Sunset” have yellow and crimson tips.
- ‘Tricolor’ has leaves with white and cream variegation.
- The tubular leaves of “ET’s Fingers” have red tips. a peculiarity
- The leaves of mature plants can be used to create new jade plants. For more information, see the Planting section (above).
- Keep a jade plant root-bound in a tiny pot and withhold water to induce flowering. Wintertime temperatures that are cooler also encourage blossoming.
- Some people consider jade plants to be a symbol of luck and fortune; they are one of numerous plants known as the “money plant.”
- Jade plants make excellent gifts that can last a lifetime and be passed down from generation to generation due to their long lifespans and resilience.
- Under stems and leaves, mealybugs or scale may be hidden. Use a spray bottle of water to get rid of the pests, or gently wipe them off with some rubbing alcohol and a paper towel or cotton swab. The bugs’ offspring must be eliminated through repeated sprays. It could be preferable to take a clean cutting from the plant and start over if it is overly infested.
Are jade plants regarded as succulents?
Because jade plants are succulents (they store water in their leaves), they do better when their top 1 to 2 inches of soil are allowed to dry out between waterings. Watering once every two to three weeks will probably be necessary indoors, but make sure to check often! The plants are receiving too much water, therefore reduce the frequency and amount of watering if you notice blisters appearing on the leaves.
If you’ve put your jade plants outside for the summer, bring them inside if it’s predicted to rain continuously for more than a few days straight to prevent them from becoming waterlogged. You can do this beneath the porch or in the garage. Jade plants will develop more slowly in the winter and may require less frequent watering.
My jade is succulent, why?
In reaction to less natural light and colder temperatures, jade plants grow very slowly in the Winter and may not appear to be growing at all. With more sunlight, the jade plant should develop normally again in the spring and summer.
In addition, jade plants can develop very slowly in temperatures of about 55F. (12C). The jade plant can develop extremely slowly if the temperature is regularly around this level, but any lower than 55F frequently results in the leaves falling off.
Move your jade plant to a warmer part of the house since the ideal temperature range for jade plants to flourish in is between 65F and 75F (18C and 23C).
The jade plant will typically focus its efforts on establishing its roots rather than growing above the earth if it is placed in a pot that is much larger than the root ball.
Larger pots also dry out more slowly, which raises your jade plant’s risk of root rot.
For a healthy plant and to prevent root rot, jade should always be planted in a pot that is roughly proportionate to the size of the root ball.
Key Takeaways:
- Overwatering and moist soil can lead to root rot in jade plants, which manifests as yellowing leaves and a drooping appearance. Jade plants that are dying-looking and dropping leaves are suffering from drought stress from insufficient watering.
- If jade plants are exposed to drought stress or extreme heat or cold, they will lose their leaves.
- If jade plants are suffering from excessive watering or inadequate amounts of light, they will droop.
- Jade plants can be revived by placing them in direct sunlight, well-draining soil, and regular irrigation in order to mimic their natural growing environment and prevent root rot.
Where to grow:
Jade plants can be grown indoors as houseplants or, in warmer climates, year-round outdoors. Moving indoor plants outside in the summer is beneficial because they grow more vigorously, produce more color, and respond better to the increased sunlight and warmer climate. To avoid shock and leaf burn, move to a spot that gets some direct sunlight, like a patio or porch. Bring back indoors in the fall when temperatures at night fall to 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Temperature and humidity:
Jade plants may tolerate higher humidity levels even if they prefer dry conditions. The ideal temperature range for indoor spaces is 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, with overnight lows of 55 degrees. Avoid extremes because they may stress or even destroy plants.
Soil type:
To prevent root rot, jade plants require sufficient drainage. They can live in rocky or sandy natural soils. Use a cactus or succulent potting mix for indoor plants or outdoor containers, and add an equal amount of pumice or perlite to promote drainage. Jade plants can tolerate a range of soil pH values but prefer a neutral to slightly acidic environment.
Pot requirements:
Ensure that pots have sufficient drainage. Because terracotta clay pots are more porous, the soil can dry up more quickly, reducing the risk of root rot. Make sure there is sufficient drainage if using ceramic or plastic pots, and water them less frequently. Larger specimens, which have a tendency to topple over, will require larger pots to prevent this.
Propagation:
Cuttings of the stem or leaves of the jade plant can be easily multiplied. Stem propagation typically happens more quickly and successfully. Use cuttings that are healthy and disease-free when you are propagating throughout the warmer months.
- Cut a few-inch-long stem immediately above a leaf node with a clean, sharp knife for stem cuttings. Remove the lower leaves, then let the cut end heal and callus. After a few weeks, tiny white roots will start to appear. Place the rooted end in a small pot or tray with an equal mixture of perlite and potting soil after dipping it in rooting hormone. Use little water. Treat the plant as you would a typical jade plant once the roots have taken.
- For leaf cuttings, cut off individual leaves flush to the stem with a clean, sharp knife. Allow up to several weeks for drying. The leaf will start to shrink and turn brown as soon as little white roots start to appear. Put the roots in a potting soil and perlite mixture that is mixed in a 1:1 ratio. Water just when you notice a tiny new stem and leaf appearing. Treat them as you would a typical jade plant after they are several inches tall.
The succulent dwarf jade is it?
A succulent perennial plant known as dwarf jade has reddish-brown stems and tiny, squishy, teardrop-shaped leaves. Dwarf jade is typically planted as an easy-to-care-for houseplant outside of South Africa, where it is typically grown as a tiny tree or shrub with fleshy stems.
Your dwarf jade can become a bonsai tree if you don’t mind investing some effort in pruning it. The plant can also be grown in a hanging basket and let to sprawl. The branch tops are where the uncommon blooms are located when they do bloom. A little plant may take several years to reach a foot in height, but there are bonsai specimens that are more than a century old. Dwarf jade is typically obtained as an already-established potted plant.