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 bought a planter with several jade plants about 7 years ago. There is now only one left. After research I discovered that the plants suffered from root rot. I have replanted this one plant several times and moved it to a location facing south. It is now one stem..approx 1/4" in diameter and approx 7" tall with new growth in last few weeks sprouting 2 more leaves at the top for a total of 11 leaves. There is white powder on top of soil. I am afraid to repot b/c the last time I did some of the leaves fell off. I will take advice and look for/treat for root rot (the last repot I did notice it but thought repotting would take care of it) How can I get this plant to grow out instead of up? What do I do for the white stuff on top of the soil? Thank you
The best and only way to get a jade plant to grow bushy and lush is to pluck out the very new baby growth at the very top of the jade's two leafs if done correctly this should leave a clean socket, this will allow two new sets of baby growth to grow then split like branching apart in two directions before any plucking growth for splitting it's best to let the jade grow to about four to five inches long so the jade plant will look over all balanced and full.
I have the same issues- from what I've found, we need to water way less haha. I live in a very wet and humid climate, so keeping air circulating and making sure there's proper drainage in the bottom of the pot is extra crucial.. both these things will help prevent root rot and other unwanted bacterial growth. And as far as the white stuff on the soil (mine sometimes occurs on the jade leaves themselves too), just use a damp paper towel to remove the top layer of white and soil, and sprinkle some new soil over the top. I've had to do this to a few pots, and it seems to take care of the issue longterm- just remember don't over water afterwards! Also maybe try to aim the majority of the water near the plant base, instead of flooding the surface of the dirt. I'm not sure how to get it to grow out I'm afraid; my best suggestion would be to set up lamps/light from window on the sides of the plant, rather than having light sources shining only on the top. Good luck and hope this helps!
I recently bought a jade plant to eventually turn into a bonsai (years down the road). The plant is only about 4" tall and there seem to be several of these baby plants in this one small pot. from what I can see the roots look brown and I can hardly stick my finger in the soil without hitting roots. what kind of soil should i buy if I'm going to have to repot?
Look for a well-draining cactus or succulent soil mix. An ideal pH for jade soil is around 6.0.
I was given a jade plant a few months ago, which is actually 6 individual plants (all approximately 5-6" tall) in a single 4-5" wide pot. While it appears to be very healthy, I'm worried that as it gets larger it will quickly crowd itself out. Should I repot now so that each plant has it's own individual pot, or wait until it is larger and repot them into individual pots only when it becomes absolutely necessary? Or (when the time comes) should I repot into a larger pot, but keep the 6 plants together? I've never had a jade before, and this has much sentimental value to me so I want to do what's best!
Thank you so much!
6 jade plants in one pot is probably not a good idea. Jades like to be potbound so transplant into small pots. When you remove the jade from the original pot brush off as much soil as possible and make sure that you have 6 individual plants. You can then plant 2 jades together in each pot to give them a little bit more room to grow bigger.
I have had a number of jade plants in the past. After we moved a couple years ago I bought a small jade. It has grown at least 4 inches taller. However, the majority of the leaves are very small with only a couple at the bottom of each stem showing any typical size -- the color is a medium green rather than dark. The stems are also still fairly slim. I have looked at pictures of dwarf jade and mine doesn't look like that. I repotted a few days ago and now one of the stems in leaning over. The plant gets morning sun and artificial light.
Any ideas?
It sounds like it is not getting enough light, which can cause stunted growth, or small leaves on spindly stems. Expose the plant to about 4 to 6 hours of bright, direct sunlight each day; a window with southern exposure works nicely. If you can only get morning light, check that your supplemental artificial light is adequate. Some recommend using: a combination of one cool white fluorescent bulb and one full-spectrum fluorescent bulb for plants; or use grow lights (specifically for plants); or, use a mix of two 40-watt cool fluorescent bulbs and one 40-watt incandescent bulb. You might want to introduce your plant gradually to the increased light to help it adjust. Ten hours of artificial light should be good. Also check to make sure your artificial lights are the correct distance from the plant for the wattage (check the Web or ask a garden nursery for recommendations).
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Wow, that's a big jade plant! Was there any root damage when the pot broke? Did you replant it in a bigger pot with some fresh soil? The plant may just experience some transplant shock. If it has lived 40 plus years it's a pretty tough plant and will recover.