Caption
Jade can make a great houseplant, especially in a classic ceramic or terracotta pot.
Image Credit:
Olga Miltsova/Shutterstock
Botanical Name
Crassula argentea, Crassula ovata
Sun Exposure
Soil pH
Bloom Time
Flower Color
Plant Type
Planting
How to Plant Jade Plants
- Choose a wide and sturdy pot with a moderate depth, as jade plants tend to grow top-heavy and fall over.
- Use 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 premade 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.
Photo by trambler58/Shutterstock.
How to Start a Jade Plant From a Leaf or a Stem Cutting
As a succulent, jade plants are very easy to start from single leaves or cuttings. A stem cutting is a great method when a branch of your jade plant happens to fall off. Just put that cutting in the soil, and you have a new baby plant or a gift plant! If you have time, however, you can propagate from a single leaf!
Propagate before the weather gets cool. And make sure you start with a well-established plant.
- For a stem cutting, ensure you’re using clean clippers or scissors to take your cutting, which must be 3 to 4 inches long. If you’re using a leaf, it must be the complete leaf, which includes the small pointy bit that breaks off from the stem.
- Once you have your leaf or cutting, allow it to sit for several days in a warm place; a callus 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.
- Lay the leaf 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. Give the plant a gentle poke or tug a week or so after that 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 toward the surface.
- Let the soil dry out between waterings and keep the plant out of intense direct sunlight until it is well established.
Growing
How to Care for Jade Plants
Lighting
- Jade plants should receive at least 6 hours of bright light each day. Young plants should be kept in bright, indirect sunlight; large, well-established jade plants can handle more direct sunlight.
- Kitchens and offices with south-facing windows are typically great spots with just enough light, as are western-facing windows.
- Jade plants that are kept in low light can become leggy and top-heavy, making them susceptible to damage if they fall over or become unable to support their own branches!
Temperature
- 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).
- Note: Jade plants 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.
- During winter, move jade plants away from cold windows and keep them out of drafty areas. If exposed to cold temps, jade plants may drop their leaves.
Watering
- Watering jade plants correctly is very important! Improper watering is the number one issue that most people experience with their jade plants.
- When the plant is actively growing in the spring and summer, it will require more water than at other times of the year. Water jade plants deeply (meaning that the soil gets sufficiently moistened throughout—not just at the surface), then wait until the soil has mostly dried out before you water it again. This means that you could end up watering it once a week or once a month—it depends entirely on how quickly the soil dries out in the environment where you keep your plant.
- The plant may go dormant in the fall and winter, causing it to slow or pause growth entirely. During this time, it won’t need much water. Water it less often than in the spring and summer, allowing the soil to dry out fully between waterings. Large, well-established jades may not need more than one or two waterings throughout their entire dormancy period.
- Try to avoid splashing water on the leaves while watering, as this can expose them to rot in a humid environment.
- 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 the leaves look shriveled, or if brown spots appear on the leaves, it indicates that the plant needs MORE water.
- If leaves become squishy and waterlogged, the plant is getting TOO MUCH water.
Read more about how to water plants for healthy growth.
Fertilizing
- Jade plants don’t require high levels of nutrients and should be fed sparingly. Use a diluted mix of a standard liquid houseplant fertilizer or a fertilizer made for cacti and succulents.
If you prefer using your own fertilizer, you can use our homemade Organic Plant Fertilizer.
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 burn fresh roots accidentally.
Photo by Mauricio Acosta Rojas/Shutterstock.
Types
There are many types of jade plants available—from the standard, green-leafed jade to a number of variegated varieties. Here are a few exciting jades to keep an eye out for:
- ‘ET’s Fingers’ has tubular leaves with red tips. An oddity!
- ‘Hummel’s Sunset’ has beautiful yellow- and red-tipped leaves.
- ‘Tricolor’ has leaves variegated with white and cream.
More Like This
My jade has been under a lot of stress from being inside all winter. I'm moving it back outside tomorrow but it recently stressed and lost most of it leaves and it's stems are weak so it is in a collapsed heap. My question is, should I leave it alone and home it gets stronger or should I cut off the leggy stems? The stems are weak so I fear they will not grow if I cut them.
Hi, Julia: We would just leave the plant alone. Jades are pretty resilient, so just make sure that it gets some good partial sun and moderate moisture, and hopefully it will rebound on its own. Good luck!
I was given a lovely, mature Jade plant as a Christmas gift. On the directions it says water sparingly. I do not want to under or over water this lovely plant. I need a little more specific direction on how much water to give it. It is in a 7 1/2 inch pot and is about 12 in. tall by 9 in. wide.I read a comment on this site that said give it a good soaking rather that surface watering. I still do not understand how much water to give it and when. Please advise.
The idea is to allow the soil to dry out between waterings. When you see the soil surface looking dry, stick your finger into it to determine if it is dry all the way down (sometimes the surface is dry but the roots still have plenty of moisture). If it is, take the plant to the sink and turn the tap on a light flow. Water all around the plant (versus just running the tap in one spot) and splash the leaves. When water starts coming through the bottom and the pot is heavy, you have given it a "good soaking." Let it drain in the sink for a bit, move it back to its spot, and wait until it is dry again before giving it another soaking. Many people give a shallow surface watering--that's not enough water. Others drench it two or three times a week--that's too much.
My jade plant I started from a clipping. It is growing by leaps and bounds. The problem. Do I need to stake the main branch or do I let fall over? I don't want the branch snap from the weight.
So i went up north for a few days and left my poor jade outside and it got cold...really cold. I live in NC so didn't think it was going to be that cold that particular time I was going to be away. I came back 5 days later and the entire thing is laying down. Looks so sad. I'm thinking i've killed it but I'm determined to save it! I've had the plant for about 6 years and it's the longest i've kept a plant alive and I'd really like some input on how I could save it. I have brought it in and not messed with it hoping that i will see some sign of life...all the leaves are still attached just all drooping. I'm worried about it. All the branches are a little squishy...do I need to let it dry out and hope for the best or is my poor plant done?
Hey if the leaves of the plant are yellow, then they need sunlight. If they are green, they need water. Just don't go all in with either of those
I inherited a 20 year old jade plant. I overwatered it and the big branches rotted. There were fleas all over it. Now I have a stem and a few leaves left. I got succulent soil and root grow powder, hoping to kill any fungi from the original plant and stimulate root growth. The biggest plant, a stem and about 6 leaves, appears to be dying now. The stem is shriveling and becoming very weak. I am losing the few leaves that are left. This plant has great sentimental value for me and I want so much for it to do well. I live in a northern climate. I have it very close to a window with southern exposure and it is dry in here. I give it water in the dish at the base. It is in a small clay pot. There are no roots so I have not put them in the soil. I laid the plant on top of the soil. I have more hope for the parts I salvaged that are just two leaves and a stem. I would love any advice you can give me on how to save what remains of this gorgeous plant.
Your plant sounds like it has gone through a lot! It is likely stressed and may take time to bounce back. First, given you are in a northern climate, consider locating your jade away from the window, where temps are coldest. Maybe you should treat the few healthy bits like new cuttings and start again by rooting them in sand. They might benefit from getting out of the soil they are in now. In 3 months, if they have good roots, transplant them into new soil and start a fertilizing schedule--use water-soluble 20-20-20 fertilizer once every 3 to 4 months. Hope this helps . . . sometimes we all just need to start fresh!
I have 2 jade plants that are approximately 25 years old that are causing concern. I used to live in warm climate year around, however, have relocated to more seasonal climate. I’ve had them inside in a south window year around and don’t always get direct sunlight. I’ve noticed some of the braches shriveling and eventually fall off. There have been air roots, which I thought was a sign of a healthy plant, but some now look dry and brown. I also noticed a few brown/black spots on some of the leaves. Does anyone have an idea of what could be wrong & how I can save these plants?
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