Growing Jade Plants

How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Jade Plants

Jade can make a great houseplant, especially in a classic terracotta pot.

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Jade plants are succulent houseplants, which makes them fairly resilient and easy to grow indoors—plus, they’re long-lived. See how to care for your jade plant.

With their thick, woody stems and oval-shaped leaves, jade plants have a miniature, tree-like appearance that makes them very appealing for use as a decorative houseplant. They live for a very long time, often being passed down from generation to generation and reaching heights of three feet or more when grown indoors.

Though jade plants like the warm, dry conditions found in most homes, they are not as drought tolerant as other succulent species. It’s important to keep the soil moist—not wet—during the growing season (spring, summer) and drier during the dormant season (fall, winter).

Jade plants may be grown outdoors as landscape plants in areas with a mild, dry climate year-round (typically Zone 10 and warmer). They are very susceptible to cold damage, so in locations where temperatures get to freezing or below, it’s best to grow jade in containers and take them indoors when it gets below 50°F (10°C).

Planting

How to Plant Jade Plants

Choose a wide and sturdy pot with a moderate depth, as jade plants have a tendency to grow top-heavy and fall over.
Use a soil that will drain thoroughly, as excessive moisture may promote fungal diseases like root rot. An all-purpose potting mix will work, though you will want to mix in additional perlite to improve drainage. A 2:1 ratio of potting mix to perlite is great. Alternatively, use a pre-made succulent or cacti potting mix.
After planting a jade plant, don’t water it right away. Waiting anywhere from several days to a week before watering lets the roots settle and recover from any damage.

Jade plant. Photo be trambler58/Shutterstock.
Older jade plants may develop a thick, scaly trunk, giving them their classic tree-like appearance. Photo by trambler58/Shutterstock.

How to Start a Jade Plant from a Leaf or Stem Cutting

As a succulent, jade plants are very easy to start from single leaves or cuttings. Here’s how:

Remove a leaf or take a stem cutting from a well-established plant. An ideal stem cutting would be 2–3 inches in length and have at least two pairs of leaves. Once you have your leaf or cutting, allow it to sit for several days in a warm place; a callous will form over the cut area, helping to prevent rot and encourage rooting.
Gather your pot and a well-draining potting mix. Use soil that is slightly moist, but not wet.
Take the leaf and lay it on top of the soil horizontally, covering the cut end with some of the soil. If you have a stem cutting, place it upright in the soil (prop it up with a few small rocks or toothpicks if it won’t stand on its own).
Place the pot in a warm place with bright, indirect light. Do not water.
After a week or two, the leaf or cutting will start sending out roots. A week or so after that, give the plant a gentle poke or tug to see if it has rooted itself in place. If it hasn’t, wait a bit longer, testing it (gently!) every few days.
Once the plant seems to be firmly rooted, water it deeply and carefully. Use something like a turkey baster to gently water the plant without disturbing the roots too much. Make sure that you don’t just get the surface layer of the soil wet, as you want to encourage the roots to grow downward for water, not towards the surface.
Let the soil dry out between waterings and keep the plant out of intense direct sunlight until it is well established.

Care

How to Care for Jade Plants

Jade plants need at least 4 hours of direct sunlight each day. They can handle direct sunlight, so kitchens and offices with a south-facing window are typically great spots with just enough light. Western windows are also a great location to keep jades.
Jade plants grow best at room temperature (65° to 75°F / 18° to 24°C), but prefer slightly cooler temperatures at night and in the winter (down to 55°F / 13°C).
- Jade are not frost tolerant, so if you keep yours outdoors during the summer, be sure to bring it inside once temperatures fall to around 50°F (10°C) in autumn.
Keep soil moist but not wet in the spring and summer, when the plant is actively growing. Allow soil to dry between waterings in the winter. Try to avoid splashing water on the leaves while watering, as this can expose them to rot.
Jade plants can be sensitive to salts in tap water, so water with filtered or distilled water if your tap water is not ideal.
If the plant starts to drop its leaves, if leaves start to shrivel, or if brown spots appear on the leaves, it is an indication that the plant needs more water.
If leaves become squishy and waterlogged, the plant is getting too much water.
Jade plants should be fed sparingly. Use a diluted mix of a standard liquid houseplant fertilizer or a fertilizer made for cacti and succulents.
During the winter months, move the plants away from cold windowpanes and keep them out of drafty areas.

Repotting Jade Plants

Jade plants don’t mind being root bound in a small pot. In fact, keeping them root bound will keep the jade smaller and more manageable.
Repot young jade plants once every 2 to 3 years to encourage growth. With older jade, repot once every 4 to 5 years or as necessary.
Transplant in the early spring, just before the growing season begins.
After repotting, don’t water the plant for a week or so. Wait at least a month before fertilizing so as not to accidentally burn fresh roots.

Jade plant leaves. Photo by Mauricio Acosta Rojas/Shutterstock.
Some varieties of jade may develop red leaf tips if given sufficient lighting. Photo by Mauricio Acosta Rojas/Shutterstock.

Pests/Diseases

Mealybugs or scale may hide under stems and leaves. To remove the pests, use a spray bottle of water or wipe the insects off gently with a bit of rubbing alcohol on a paper towel or cotton swab. Repeated applications will be necessary to remove the pests’ offspring. If the plant is too heavily infested, it may be better to take a clean cutting from it and start anew.
Powdery mildew can be a problem, but is fairly uncommon indoors.
Root rot is caused by excessive moisture in the soil. Let the soil dry out between waterings.
Shriveled or wrinkled leaves are signs of a thirsty plant in need of more frequent or deeper waterings.
Waterlogged and squishy leaves indicated that the plant is getting too much water.
Leaf drop is a symptom of watering issues, too.

Harvest/Storage

New jade plants can easily be started from the leaves of mature plants. See the Planting section (above) for more info.

Recommended Varieties

There are many types of Crassula available—from the standard, green-leafed jade to a number of variegated varieties. Here are a few interesting jades to keep an eye out for:

‘Hummel’s Sunset’ has beautiful yellow- and red-tipped leaves.
‘Tricolor’ has leaves variegated with white and cream.
‘ET’s Fingers’ has tubular leaves with red tips. An oddity!

Wit & Wisdom

To persuade a jade plant to flower, keep it root-bound in a small pot and hold back water. Cooler temperatures in the winter promote blooming, too.
Jade plants are one of several plants with the nickname of “money plant” and are seen by some as a sign of good luck and prosperity.
Due to their long lifespans and resiliency, jade plants make great gifts that can last a lifetime and be passed from generation to generation.

Reader Comments

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10 year Plant

I brought a jade plant that’s 10 to 20 years old, and it’s falling over. I would like to repot the plant but lm confused as to take all the dirt that’s surrounding the plants roots and surround with new dirt or get rid of all the old dirt to the roots. I did that once before and the died on me . This is very big plant and if I laid it down limps will break off. What to do

Repotting

Don’t remove the old soil from around the roots—you’ll damage the established roots, which will make it harder for the plant to recover. Add new soil around the old soil in the new pot.

Moving my beloved Jade across a border

Hi there,

Almost 35 years ago my best friend's mom gave me a cutting from a jade plant I had admired for many years. Now that cutting has grown into an absolutely stunning plant that I honestly consider a member of the family! I am moving to the United States from Canada and have learned that all houseplants must be transported with bare roots -- no growing medium on the roots at all. I am happy to drive it across the border with a clean pot -- directly to a store to buy soil and repot, but will it survive? Really hoping someone can help!

Outdoor Jade in cold climate

We have a multiple Jades. One is around 30" diameter and has out grown it's large pot. We plan to transplant into a larger pot but realize by doing so, we won't be able to move the plant in the garage during winter season. We live in a moderate climate - but do get below freezing for weeks during the winter months. And on occasion we've had limited snow. Is there a way to protect the plant from frost and snow so we don't have to move the pot indoors? BTW during the winter with the plant in the garage on a lamp - we get beautiful small white blooms. This is a very happy Jade. Thanks.

Root Pruning Jade Plants

Unfortunately, jade are not frost tolerant, so if temperatures reach below freezing in your area, you’ll need to keep your jade indoors or risk severe cold damage.

Jade plants don’t mind being pot-bound—in fact, it helps keep them small! Usually, you only need to repot if the roots start coming out the bottom of the pot or if the plant becomes top heavy.

Instead of repotting your jade into a larger, heavier pot, you could try root pruning. This is a technique commonly done with bonsai trees that allows you to keep a plant in its current-size pot while also giving it room to continue to grow. To root prune, remove the plant from the pot and prune off at most ⅓ of the roots. Cut from the bottom of the root ball, and try to remove the older, darker roots first, leaving younger, paler roots to continue growing.

When you repot, it’s important to use soil that’s fairly dry and that drains well, and to refrain from watering for 7–10 days. This will keep the roots safer from fungal disease like rot. For extra protection, you could dust the cut roots with an anti-fungal powder (find it in a local hardware store or garden center).

No sunlight

I bought jade plants for my office, but have no access to direct sunlight. Are there any other options for light?

Jade Plant Lighting

A desk lamp with a “daylight” LED bulb makes for good supplementary lighting. The higher the wattage, the better. That said, as long as your office is brightly lit, the plants should do just fine, though they may grow leggy over time. If they do, then you should consider adding supplementary lighting.

jade plant leaves turning yellow

I have had a jade plant for a couple of years. I left it out on my enclosed sunporch and the temperature was about 40 degrees. I decided to bring it into the house when I saw the leaves beginning to yellow. Now it sits in area with artificial light and temperature about 65. Is the leaves turning yellow a sign of too much water...not enough water...too much light...cold...what? Thank you.

Jade plant color

I have 2 jade plants one is dark green and one is light green. Light green one isn't as full and healthy looking. they are in pots in same area outside (in Florida) so I don't know what would be causing this. Any advice would be appreciated.

Jade Plant Problems

We assume that you are providing the same care to both plants in terms of watering and fertilizing. Jade tends to turn lighter with more sun—could the lighter-colored plant be getting more sun than the other? If it doesn’t look healthy, it could be that it got overwatered and is trying to recover from wet roots. Additionally, some varieties of jade are simply lighter-colored than others and have different growth patterns, so that could be it, too!

Jade

I have a Jade now in a 4" pot. I've thought about a tree size one since early 70s. Looking online for one I told a friend in southern California about it. Knowing he has Jade hedges. He said he never thought of it as a tree. So he's sending me one in Indiana to arrive Monday December 17.
What would your suggestion be as potting it. I've read about soil mix. This is coming from yard dirt. Just plant an roots he said. I assume it'll be 3-4 foot tall. Really appreciate your help.
Looking forward to receiving the Jade and I will keep it indoors until later spring and summer then in my sunroom.

Growing green with excitement
John

Potting Jade Plants

That sounds like a great gift from your friend! We hope it arrived safe and sound.

As for potting it, we would recommend using a wide, heavy ceramic pot so that you won’t have to worry about the plant tipping over and so that water can drain from the soil more easily. Be sure to pick a pot with a hole in the bottom, too! Plant the jade about as deep as it looked to be planted in California. When you do plant it, don’t water it right away. Give it a week or two to settle in and reestablish its roots before watering, and water deeply when you do. Before it roots, it may need some help standing up straight; use wooden dowels or stakes to hold it in place just until it can stand up on its own, then remove the supports.

Best of luck with your new jade tree!

Huge Jade

I have a HUGE jade. Its about 5 1/2 feet tall. I repotted it last fall. It lives on my patio in the spring and summer and comes inside for the fall/winter. It usually blooms after I bring it in. This year (its been inside about a week, and its "sagging" branches are being pulled down by gravity. Its never done this before. It did grow ALOT this year being in its new pot. Ideas about what I should do. I hate to tie and stake it as I want it to stay strong.

Jade With Sagging, Drooping Branches

The issue likely comes down to watering or lighting. Both over- and underwatering jade can make their branches droop. How does the soil look? If it’s been a while since the last watering, give the plant a good drink. If it was just watered recently, let it dry out sufficiently before watering again (bear in mind that it may take more or less time to dry out indoors, depending on the humidity of your home and whether the plant is in direct sunlight). Speaking of light, your jade could just need time to adjust to indoor lighting again. Even if it’s in a sunny southern window, the rays won’t be as strong as they were outside, and the plant needs to get used to the lower light levels. Alternatively, if the plant was in a shady spot outdoors all summer, its branches could have been weakened and droopy.

We would advise you to keep the above in mind in regards to watering and lighting, and wait a few weeks to see if the plant shows any signs of improvement. If it doesn’t, consider staking it to ensure that the branches don’t break off.

Watering Jade after Repotting

I repotted my Jade a few days ago and ended up watering it just a little bit - should I repot it again or just wait a week or so until I water it. Or wait longer?

Watering after Repotting

As long as you didn’t absolutely soak the soil, your plant should be fine. Rather than going by a set schedule, determine when to water the plant again based on observing the soil: stick your finger into the soil (gently and not near the base of the plant, so as to avoid disturbing roots) and if the soil is consistently dry to about an inch in depth, you can water again. Follow further watering instructions above.

Jade Plant - cuttings & roots

I have a large jade plant with multiple long branches which are now becoming more horizontal. This summer, new little branches with several little leaves have begun to grow off of the closer in portions of the longer branches. Further out along the branches it looks like the plant is trying to put down little roots.

What shall I do? Shall I trim off the older ends of the bigger branches and try to root them in the soil? Shall I just let it be?

Thanks.

Jade Plant Growth

This sounds like pretty normal growth for a jade plant! If you’d prefer your plant to be a little bushier, let the new branches that are close to the central stem grow out. Otherwise, you can prune them off and plant them like cuttings, though it would be best to do this in the spring.

As for the roots, they’re nothing to be concerned about and can also be trimmed off if you don’t like the look of them. Older jades sometimes grow aerial roots due to environmental stress (water, temperature, lighting)—or for no reason at all. If yours has been exposed to more extreme conditions than usual this summer, this could have spurred on their growth. But, it sounds like you’ve had your plant for a long time, so just continue to care for it as you have in the past and it should be fine!

Horizontal trunks

I have a jade plant in my office close to a South-facing window and it has grown wonderfully in the past couple of years. This past March, however, I had to leave town suddenly to take care of my mother & wound up being gone for seven weeks b/c she passed away. Four weeks in, I remembered my poor plants and got my co-worker to water them. They all survived, but the three main (trunk-sized) branches off of the jade's primary trunk now grow horizontally and are 12" long. They are quite heavy & starting to grow smaller branches off of them, and I'm worried that they will snap right off & not survive the fall to the floor. For now, I'm going to try to use twine and physics to bring the branches up into a goblet-type shape. If anyone has a better idea for trying to get the branches to grow more vertically, however, I'd love to hear it. Thanks!

Jade Plant Trunks

It sounds like you are doing everything you can! Leave the branches tied up and care for the plant as you had been previously. Hopefully, the plant will become strong enough to hold its branches up again, though they may be too heavy at this point and could always need support. To give the plant an extra boost, feed it with a liquid cacti and succulent fertilizer, following the dosage instructions on the packaging.

RE: Jade Plant Trunks

Thanks for replying, happy to hear that I was on the right track. :)

Jade Plant

When I lived in Southern California I had a Jade plant outside on the north side. My Basset Hound slept under it while we were at work. It was over 15 years old with very little care when we moved. I hope it is still doing well. It was 5 feet tall and wide, Very attractice and easy to care for,

Jade plant

I watered my jade plant but after a day the leaf starts to fall or drop what is the cause of falling.
I noticed my other jade plant leaf is thin and starts to look like wrinkles or like a light crumpled paper,but also the cause.Please help and teach me how to make my jade plants healthy.

Jade Plants

Jade plants are landscaping plants here (San Diego)! Throw trimmings on the ground, hit them with a bit of water, and stand back. Once they root, there's no need for supplemental watering, even in our multi-year drought.

Black/Brown spot on my plant

I have this sunset Jade plant which have been growing pretty well. I have placed it in my patio and it gets 2-3 hours of sun. From a week time, there is lot of black/Brown spot appear on the leaves. Water shouldn't be an issue, as mentioned in this article. I wish I could attach a picture here. I don't know what's causing this. Please advise. Thanks!

Succulent VB plants

Succulents prefer a certain pH. Are those black spots, tiny furry bugs? Or just black spots? Vinegar water will make the soil more acidic, and the tiny bugs fall off. But you might want to check what oh level your succulent likes.

Jade plant question

My jade plant is growing well & looks healthy but it has never stood on its own..had it for several years but branches curve every which way and i have several stakes in pot to hold up each branch..i see pictures of plants standing upright and trimmed like a bonsai but i can't even move mine without it falling over..help

Jade Plant

Jade plants can get top heavy if they do not develop a large or deep enough root system. To encourage yours to put down deeper roots, try watering only from the bottom of the pot. This will encourage the roots to reach deeper for water.

Jades may also get too leggy (and thus, top-heavy) if they are not exposed to enough light. If it’s not already getting full sun for most of the day, try putting yours in a place with more light.

Over or Under Watering?

Hello, my jade plant seems to be dropping leaves quite frequently. I water it every other day by sprinkling the top layer with water, to prevent from overwatering. I am not sure if I am overwatering or underwatering it. Thanks!

Watering Jade Plants

It sounds like you are watering too little too often. With jade plants and other succulents, you want to water deeply and infrequently. In other words, you should only water when the top inch or two of soil is dry, and when you do water, you should make sure the soil is saturated.

When watering, put a dish under the pot to collect excess water and let the pot sit in the excess water for 10 to 15 minutes. Then discard of any water left in the dish. This gives the soil a chance to get completely saturated. Keep an eye on the soil, checking every once in a while to see if the top layer is dry (use your finger to check). Depending on how humid your home is, you may only need to water once every two weeks.