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Jade Plant Care: How to Grow, Water, and Propagate This Long-Lived Succulent

houseplant Crassula ovata jade plant money tree in white pot

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
Full Sun
Partial Sun
Soil pH
Neutral
Bloom Time
Varies
Flower Color
White
Plant Type
Cacti/Succulents
Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

If plants had a “most likely to live forever” award, the jade plant would win hands down. This glossy, tree-like succulent can outlive generations. 

Whether you’re looking to keep your jade lush and happy or to clone it into a small forest of mini jades, here’s how to make sure your green companion thrives for years to come.

With their thick, woody stems and oval-shaped leaves, jade plants have a miniature, tree-like appearance that makes them very appealing as decorative houseplants. They live for a very long time, are often passed down from generation to generation, and reach heights of 3 feet or more when grown indoors.

Jade plants adapt well to most homes’ warm, dry conditions. Keeping the plant watered during the growing season (spring, summer) and drier during the dormant season (fall, winter) is essential. However, even during the growing season, the soil should be allowed to dry out thoroughly between waterings, as jade is very susceptible to rot.

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).

Jade plants also make fantastic bonsai! Learn all about the process.

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.
Jade plant in a red planter.
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 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. 

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Gather your pot and a well-draining potting mix. Use soil that is slightly moist but not wet.
  4. 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).
  5. Place the pot in a warm place with bright, indirect light. Do not water.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
Jade plant leaves with red tips. 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.

Harvesting

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

Pests and Problems

  • 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 indicate that the plant is getting too much water.
  • Leaf drop is a symptom of watering issues too.

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.

Wit and 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 “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 fantastic gifts that can last a lifetime and be passed from generation to generation.
  • Susan Mahr of the University of Wisconsin–Madison tells us,“The Khoi and other Africans used the roots for food, grated and cooked, eaten with thick milk. They also used the leaves for medicinal purposes.”

Houseplant Guides

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana.

Read more from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>Nan Hen</span> Tue, 09/08/2015 - 17:20
I've had a jade plant in a 6" pot for about 20 years. It sits on the hearth of the fireplace and gets only indirect light. I water it very lightly--1/8 cup--about once or twice a month, and sometimes only twice during the entire winter. It gets leggy and a branch will fall off now and then, but I just stick it in the soil around the main plant and it begins to grow. I can't imagine an easier houseplant to grow!
<span>Denise2130</span> Thu, 09/03/2015 - 01:16
A couple of years ago I got a very large clay pot with a huge jade plant which sets next to a white stucco wall inside a gated community in Southern California. Despite our drought, at least half of the plant has wilted with the branches drooping over the sides of the pot. To me, it looks sick. I've read many of the comments. Should I look for bugs or root rot?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Thu, 09/03/2015 - 11:22

Funny thing about jade is that despite the moisture-laden-looking foliage, it tends to fail when it has too much water. Good drainage is essential. (Diseases are seldom a concern and scale may be a problem occasionally but not often.) Despite—or perhaps because of—the drought (do you think you overcompensated for the arid conditions?), it sounds like root rot.

 <span>Denise2130</span> Sat, 09/05/2015 - 18:38
The pot has a small hose that connects it to the sprinkler system. This system worked quite well for the first couple of years. I just noticed it looked bad a couple of months ago. But I have a feeling you may be correct. A new board of directors was trying to work with a new gardener to deal with the drought and as I recall, it took them several tries to get the sprinklers right. They may have drown the jade plant. If I want to replace it, do I have to dispose of not only the plant, but the top layer of soil? Thanks so! Denise
<span>Ryan0899</span> Wed, 08/19/2015 - 14:15
I have a few questions. 1: I live in Florida, with a house that has terrible (I tried to keep a jade) indoor-sun exposure, and the outdoors literally scorched my plant to a brown hair after 4 days without water. I want to know if there is hope for me to keep some jade plants that were made from my grandparent's 2 yr old 2 foot tall/wide plant. 2: I also found their plant has a noticeable mutation rate, some offspring have 6" leaves, others split branches by 3s and one had almost spherical leaves. What does this mean? And which mutation should I bring home to Florida for best survival chances?
<span>Debbie Thurman</span> Tue, 08/11/2015 - 11:58
I have an jade plant where the leaves are turning yellow even on the new growth. please help
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Wed, 08/12/2015 - 19:15

If your jade plant leaves are turning yellow, it's usually due to overwatering. If your jade plant is a pot without a drainage hole, that is a problem. Also, use a potting mix geared to succulents (which drains well); regular potting soil holds water. Finally, only water Jade plants when they are almost completely dry.

 <span>Pauline Lemay</span> Tue, 07/28/2015 - 18:30
I received a jade plant as a gift and it is growing sideways in pot and the leaves are falling off. It is beside a window with slatted blind over it and temperature is usually around 70 to 72 degrees. Was watering once a week, but have cut back on that. It has new leaves, but they are small.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Wed, 07/29/2015 - 11:29

Some leaf drop is normal. Make sure the plant gets enough light and that the soil dries out between waterings. The temp. may be a little bit too high. If possible move the plant to a cooler spot that has plenty light.

 <span>Kris Mc</span> Sun, 07/19/2015 - 11:23
I have a very old Jade plant. I estimate it to be 50+ yrs old. I have personally had it for 40 years. It is huge and is in the largest clay pot I could find. It has started to get spindly but sends out lots of new branches. The result is it's looking more shrubby. Main stems measure 2-3 inches in diameter. I used to move it outside every spring but it has gotten too heavy for even my husband to move far. I plan to repot ...in the same pot but with new potting mix. Should I ...remove the skinny new shoots? use a mix of vermiculite and peat moss for half or all the potting medium. Also most of the plant has gradually begun laying perpendicular to the soil before it grows vertically resulting in "L" shaped stems.Should I stand these up and hope they straighten as they grow?