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.
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Comments
I have a large jade plant (about 3ft high & wide) and we let it get too warm while on vacation. It drooped apart heavily & 1 large arm broke off. How do I root the broken off piece? It is a large plant by itself
Hi! I read that growing a jade plant in inorganic substrate is best, is this true? Also, recently some of my jade's leaves have wrinkled and have fallen. Also, some have brown spots that I can remove with my fingers. Is this normal?
Jade plants like sandy or coarse soil that drains well. If you want to make your own soil mix try 1 part peat moss, 1 part organic matter and 3 parts coarse sand. Wrinkled leaves are usually a sign that your plant needs a bit more water. If you can scarpe the brown spots off the leaves it may be scale insects. Look closely to see if you have an insect pest.
MY LARGE JADE GOT HOLLOW & FALLS OVER. I re-planted 2 months ago. I have it indoors & take to porch once a week for indirect sun-light. I could be over watering but what about the HOLLOW branches & the falling leaves? They simply DROOP till they break off. Is this "ROT"?
I also inherited a large jade plant several years ago. It was spindly with small, pale leaves. it soon developed root rot as I probably gave it more water than it was used to, so I cut off all the healthy ends off the plant and soon had dozens of small jades. Now I have a bounty of medium-sized plants that are top heavy and not well-shaped. Some are toppling over in their pots. They don't seem to be potbound as some posts above suggest as cause of plants falling over. In fact the roots structure seems small in proportion to the top growth. The more I prune back the more top heavy they become. I have tried planting them deeper in the pot than other houseplants as a friend recommended. Any suggestions for proper pruning to develop strong root system and thick trunk? Also, could I have fertilized too much with common houseplant food? My plants are now outside on a bright porch out of direct sun. In cold months I keep them near a south window. They seem very healthy other than being top heavy.
Use a sandy or coarse soil. Cut back on watering. The plant will grow more roots with less water. Keep pruning the plants to get the desired shape. You can also put the pots with the jade plants inside bigger pots for added support.
I've had a jade for several years, and especially over the past year or so it's thrived. We recently moved, and the jade continues to be growing well. I have been watering it more often, because it seems to be dry. Recently I noticed some spongy, light green studs growing out of the soil. This morning, when I check to see if it needed to be watered, I saw a tall, spongy, light green thing growing. It's about the texture of a mushroom, and looks kind of like a cross between a mushroom and a fiddlehead. We haven't repotted or added anything to the soil. What is it? How did it get there? The jade seems to be continuing to thrive, but I can't imagine this is a good sign.
Me thinks we have a fungus among us. Don't worry. This should not affect the jade plant, however, it could compete with the plant for nutrients and water. We would suggest you repot. Wash the container with a 10% bleach solution and make sure it is bone dry. Use sterilized or pasteurized soil.
Avoid overwatering. Water when two-thirds of the potting soil is dry, then giving them a complete soaking. Fertilize every two weeks when the plant is actively growing and repot every 2 to 3 years.
Hi
I would like to put some of my jade plants outdoors for the summer. How should I go about this and is it a good idea?
My daughter-in-law just gave me 5 new ones. One of which looks like a jade bonsai, Is this possible. It is about a 10-12 inches high but has hard bark on the trunk and limbs
I don't know how to replant it if this is the case.
Thanks
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Unfortunately, Jade is classified as toxic to cats. It can cause vomiting and depression. If she ingested it, we would suggest you call your local ASPCA.