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
I put my old and BIG jade outside this summer on a deck which gets only morning sun. After losing a lot of leaves from the shock of the temperature changes in the Northwest, it re grew beautiful leaves and it is full of flower buds for the first time in its long life! I am thrilled, and as a reward I brought it back inside since our weather is getting cold and rainy. I guess being outdoors was a good thing for it!
I have a beautiful Jade Plant that is 40 years old. I noticed this year that it is loosing a lot of leaves. Also I found a white dusty powder on the leaves. I sprayed it with insecticidal soap and hope this takes care of it. Is there any thing else I can do? This plant is part of our family and hate to lose it.
Powdery mildew is a common jade problem. Make sure the plant gets plenty of sun and that there is good air circulation in the spot where you keep the jade. Mix 1 teaspoon baking soda into 1 quart of water and add 2 drops of dish soap. Spray once a week.
Why does my jade plant the top part - leaves and stems starting to rot? Then it spreads to the entire stem and plant. I thought root rot start from the root upwards? Yes, I was guilty of over watering but I thought when the leaves look shrivelled and thin I was under watering them. But when I added more water, within a few days the leaves start dropping. Then I cut back on the water, now at first all look good but the next morning, the top leaves and stems shrivelled, became brown and I had to cut them off. Now my beautiful jade plant is bare and there were 3 in 1 pot. And this is the 2nd pot. The 1st one, I thought I pulled out the one with the rot, but somehow the other 2 plants in the pot got the same rot too. Help!
You are correct in that root rot starts from the roots. As you said, rot can be from overwatering though it can also be from a soil mix that doesn't drain quickly. Leaf drop on the other hand happens when the plant is too dry. Are you using a soil mix that drains well? A cactus mix with some organic matter works well. It should be moist, nevery dry but not wet. Avoid splashing any water on the leaves and only water at the base.
I moved recently and my plants did great. THEN, my roomie got a flowering plant that started losing flowers daily and now my beloved Jade started having bottom leaves turn brown, hard & falling off. About 4 leaves per pot overnight. I mixed a torch of dish soap, tsp of rubbing alcohol & misted the whole plant. Please don't tell me I have just made my baby worse off. I imagined it was a bug fro that flowering, dying thing brought in and set by my plants. What should I do?
Brown leaves can be caused by too much sun, too much water and if it is just a few leaves it's usually normal (old leaves turn brown and fall off). The soap/rubbing alcohol will not harm the plant. Examine your plant carefully before spraying again. If you don't see insects, don't spray.
I meant a titch of dish soap, etc... Sorry :/
We inherited a Jade plant that is huge. It is six feet tall and at least 40 years old. It is in the solarium of the house we bought and broke it's pot. It was repotted but now is losing leaves rapidly. Trying to not overwater. Any suggestions?
The plant is in shock. Wait atleast 2 weeks before watering again. Place in as bright a spot as poss8ible without being in full sun. If leaves continue to fall stop watering all together until soil is almost completely dry. Within a month or 2 your jade should be fine.
- « Previous
- 1
- 2
- …
- 10
- Next »
📣The Gardening Club Just Got Better! 3 Deliveries, 10% Store Discount, and more!
Comments