A favorite houseplant often used as a bonsai, jade has been a must-have plant for decades. Under the right conditions this succulent can be expected to live up to 50, even 100 years! To keep your jade plant in the running for the longest living, you need to know how to take care of it. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Read on to learn all about how to care for a jade plant indoors.
I. Appearance and Characteristics
Crassula ovata, commonly known as jade plant, lucky plant, money plant or money tree, is a succulent plant with small pink or white flowers that is native to the KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa, and Mozambique; it is common as a houseplant worldwide. Much of its popularity stems from the low levels of care needed; the jade plant requires little water and can survive in most indoor conditions. It is sometimes referred to as the money tree; however, Pachira aquatica also has this nickname.
The jade plant is an evergreen with thick branches. It has thick, shiny, smooth leaves that grow in opposing pairs along the branches. Leaves are a rich jade green, although some may appear to be more of a yellow-green. Some varieties may develop a red tinge on the edges of leaves when exposed to high levels of sunlight. New stem growth is the same color and texture as the leaves, becoming woody and brown with age.
It grows as an upright, rounded, thick-stemmed, strongly branched shrub and reaches stature heights of up to 2.5 meters (8.2 ft). The base is usually sparsely branched. Sometimes a single main trunk of up to nine centimeters (3.5 in) in diameter is formed. The succulent shoots are gray-green. The bark of older branches peels off in horizontal, brownish stripes. Although becoming brown and appearing woody with age, stems never become true lignified tissue, remaining succulent and fleshy throughout the plant’s life.
The oppositely arranged, ascending to spreading, green leaves are stalked with up to 5 millimeters short. The fleshy, bare, obovate, wedge-shaped leaf blade is three to nine centimeters (1.2 to 3.5 in) long and 1.8 to 4 centimeters (0.71 to 1.57 in). The sharp-edged leaf margins are often reddish.
Numerous varieties and cultivars have been selected, of which C. ovata ‘Hummel’s Sunset’ has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.
When it matures, it produces small white or pink, star-like shaped flowers in winter. The terminal inflorescence is a top round thyrsus with numerous dichasia. It has a length and a diameter of about 5 centimeters. The inflorescence stem has a length of 15 to 18 millimeters and a diameter of 2 millimeters. The flower stalks are 5 millimeters long.
The sweet-scented, hermaphroditic flowers have radial symmetry and double perianths. The five sepals, each about 2 millimeters long, are fused to one another at the base. The pink or white flower crown is star-shaped and has a diameter of about 15 millimeters. Its lanceolate petals are 7 millimeters long and 2.5 millimeters wide. The stamens have a length of 5 millimeters. The combination of shorter days, cold nights and lack of water for several weeks will produce flowering around the beginning of winter.
Some sources claim that some species from the Crassulaceae family, including the jade plant, are toxic to horses, cats and dogs, as well as mildly toxic to humans with skin contact, but such claims remain unproven. Crassula ovata is known to be used as medicinal plant in some regions.
II. How to Grow and Care
Sunlight
Jade plants need a lot of light, at least six hours of bright indirect sunlight per day. The type of light is important since direct sunlight can be too harsh and cause the leaves to shrivel and burn, especially for young jade plants. However, too little light can cause problems too. In low-light conditions, the jade plant will have leggy growth that causes the plant to become weak and topple over—rather than maintaining a full, bushy appearance.
To find the best spot to place a jade plant in your home, look for a south-facing window. A west-facing window should also provide enough light.2 A jade plant makes an attractive addition to a kitchen or as living decor in an office. Avoid rooms with limited windows and light exposure, like the bathroom.
One way to know that your jade plant is receiving enough light is the development of a red tint along the edges of the oval-shaped leaves. This rosy hue develops when the plant has sufficient sunlight to thrive.
Temperature and Humidity
Jade plants prefer average household temperatures ranging from 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. At night and in the winter, jade plants can handle a cooler environment, down to 55 degrees Fahrenheit, though they should never be kept in temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit for any prolonged period of time.
When deciding where to place your jade plant, pick a spot that has relatively consistent temperatures. If you put the plant in a location with constantly fluctuating temperatures (like underneath an HVAC duct or in the path of a drafty window or door), you may cause added stress as the plant struggles to adapt to rising and falling temperatures.
Watering
Be careful when watering. Succulents are easily overwatered, and it can be the death of them. Because succulents store water in their fleshy leaves and stems, they do not require as much irrigation as other houseplants. Keeping the soil too wet can lead to root rot.
That said, too little water can result in dwarfed plants, leaf spotting and drop, and even death of the entire plant. If your jade plant is losing leaves or has leaf spots, this is most commonly caused by too little water.
During their growing period from early spring to late autumn, water jades so the soil is moderately moist but not soaking wet. When the plant is out of the growing phase, reduce the amount and frequency of water given.
Soil
Jade plants, like other succulents, require soil that is very well draining. This specimen also tends to become top heavy, so a soil with some heft to it is also imperative. Choose a soil made for succulents or mix your own with a source of organic matter like peat moss, coir, or composted bark, plus heavier materials such as sand, grit, or rock. Bark chips or perlite can be added to improve drainage.
Jade plants like an acidic soil with a pH of around 6.5. If the pH needs to be adjusted, mix in 2 tablespoons of limestone for every gallon of growing medium.
Fertilizing
For proper jade plant care, fertilize every other month to every two months with a flowering houseplant fertilizer during their growing phase from early spring to late autumn.
Use a balanced water soluble fertilizer. Never fertilize your jade plant when the soil is dry, as this will damage the roots. Instead, water normally, then immediately water again with fertilizer.
Wait four months before feeding plants that have been recently repotted.
Pruning
To keep plants compact and vigorous, cut stems in the spring back to a lateral branch. This encourages trunk development and root growth. Pruning can also be done to form a bonsai at this time.
Propagation
The jade plant is well-known for its ease of propagation. New plants can be propagated from a single leaf or cutting taken from a parent plant, giving you the opportunity to dramatically increase your collection with ease. The best time to propagate jade plants is during the summer when they’re most likely to receive ample sunlight and humidity. These favorable growth conditions will help the newly propagated jade plant to have a successful start.
To propagate with cuttings:
- Start by taking a cutting that is at least two to three inches long. It should be taken from a healthy, mature plant that is free from disease.
- Allow the cutting to sit for several days in a warm, dry place. You are ready to proceed once the end of the cutting has dried out and scabbed over.
- Dip the wound of the cutting in a rooting hormone powder.
- Plant the cut end of the stem in a pot containing a mixture of half soil, and half vermiculite (or perlite).
- Water sparingly, just until the potting mixture is damp. Your cutting should take root in a few weeks, at which point you can begin to care for the cutting as you would a normal jade plant.
To propagate with leaves:
- Start by taking a leaf cutting that includes the stem of the leaf (twisting it from the plant gently can help). Cuttings without this intact will not root. It should be taken from a healthy, mature plant that is free from disease.
- Allow the cutting to sit for several days in a warm, dry place. You are ready to proceed once the end of the cutting has dried out and scabbed over.
- Dip the wound of the cutting in a rooting hormone powder.
- Place the cutting on top of a potting soil blend that contains half soil, and half vermiculite (or perlite). The leaf cutting does not need to be buried; simply making contact with the soil will be sufficient enough to prompt growth.
- Place the plant in a warm bright place, misting occasionally to keep the plant barely moist. Roots and baby plants should begin appearing around the edge of the leaf, at which point you can begin to care for the cutting like a traditional jade plant.
Potting and Repotting
When choosing a pot for a jade plant, consider the size of the current plant. These plants have small root systems and won’t benefit from a pot that is much larger than the root ball. In fact, a pot that is too deep or large poses a risk of holding too much moisture and introducing fungal issues into the root system.
Generally, a four-inch or six-inch pot with drainage holes works just fine for average-size jade plants. Larger jade plants that measure several feet high can become top-heavy. For taller, heavier plants, make sure that the pot has a heavy bottom that prevents the plant from toppling over. However, you should still do your best to avoid picking a pot that is oversized in comparison to the root system. If you can, opt for a vessel made from unglazed clay, which will permit excess moisture to evaporate through its walls and ensure that your plant doesn’t become waterlogged.
A jade plant will typically need repotting every two to three years for smaller plants and every four to five years for larger ones. If you notice your jade plant appears to be outgrowing its container—e.g., if roots are popping up out of the soil—follow these steps to repot it properly:
- Make sure the soil is dry before repotting.
- Gently run a butter knife or other flat tool around the inner edge of the pot to loosen the soil and remove any roots that are stuck to the walls of the pot.
- Remove the jade plant from the pot.
- Knock away the old soil from the roots, making sure to remove any rotten or dead roots in the process. Treat any visible cuts with a fungicide.
- Place the plant in its new pot, and backfill it with potting soil, spreading the roots out as you repot.
- Leave the plant dry for a week or so, and then begin to water lightly to reduce the risk of root rot.
Pests and Diseases
Now that you know about care for a jade plant indoors, it’s a good idea to know what kinds of problems may plague the succulent. Overwatered plants may show signs of root rot or edema, which are blisters on the leaves. White spots may also appear on the leaves of the plant. Both of these conditions are the result of the plant trying to transpire excess water from their systems, and is most likely to happen in late winter.
If your jade has stems and branches that are on the verge of collapse, it likely has a bacterial rot that can not be treated and unfortunately the plant should be thrown away. If powdery mildew is evident along with scabby or corked areas, treat with a horticultural oil.
With the exception of watching how much water your plant gets, jade is an easy to care for specimen. However there is one jade pest to look out for: mealybugs. The nymphs of this insect are the actual problem as they pierce soft plant tissue and feed on the sap. They also leave behind sooty mold. Mealybug nymphs can be treated with an alcohol swab rubbed along the surface of the foliate.
Use caution with insecticides, which can result in phytotoxicity.
III. How to Save a Jade Plant
The first step in saving a jade plant is to identify the issue(s) impacting the health of your plant. The most common causes of a dying jade plant are problems with watering, light conditions, or pest infestation.
Have you neglected watering the plant for a very long time, leaving the soil ultra-dry? Start with a deep watering session, adding water until it freely runs out of the drainage holes. Beware of hydrophobic soil, which is soil that has become so dry and compacted that it absorbs no water. If the water sits on the soil surface or seems to just run along the edges of the pot and out the drainage holes, you may need to lightly aerate the soil surface with a fork. If that doesn’t increase the ability of the soil to absorb water, you’ll need to repot in fresh soil.
If you have maintained a regular watering regimen, you may have overwatered your jade plant. Check the roots for rot. To do so, you’ll need to remove the plant from its pot and visually inspect the root system. The roots of a healthy jade plant should be white, firm, and odorless. If the roots have become infected with rot, they’ll be soft, brown, and have a perceptible smell.
To save a jade plant with root rot, you’ll have to trim away the infected roots, being cautious not to remove any healthy roots that are important for the plant’s continued survival. Once you’ve trimmed the rotten roots from the plant, remove as much remaining soil as possible from the root ball to prevent any contamination. Repot the plant in fresh soil.
In the case of a jade plant that is dying from too much or too little light, move the plant to a new location in your home. As suggested earlier, pick a spot that receives at least six hours of bright, indirect light each day without exposing the plant to harsh, direct light.
For a jade plant that has been infested with pests like spider mites, scale, or mealybugs, use a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol to eliminate all visible pests. Repeat until the issue has been resolved.
III. Uses and Benefits
According to Vastu, the jade plant, also known as the wealth plant or money plant, will bring wealth and good luck if placed in the south-east corner of the house.
Jade plant direction as per Vastu is the east direction or east corner.
Keeping a Jade plant at the entrance of the office or house brings good luck.
Jade plants should not be kept in the bathroom or bedroom as they reduce the plant’s positivity.
IV. Types of Jade Plant
The Jade plant, Crassula ovata, resides in the genus Orpine (Crassulaceae) and is native to southern Africa. Sometimes referred to as friendship plant, money plant, or silver dollar plant, C. ovata was previously sold and may still be found under the classification C. argentea, C. portulaca, and C. obliqua.
Crassula means thick or fat and is a reference to the fleshy foliage of the plant, while ovata means egg-shaped, a reference to its oval leaves which are generally a rich jade green in color.
There are a number of varieties of jade, although not all are readily available. “Bronze Beauty” has tubular, small coppery/green leaves and is extremely slow growing while “California Red Tip” has foliage tinged with purple/red when grown in full sun.
The dense foliage of “Gollum” also has more tubular-shaped, almost finger-like leaves along with a reddish hue similar to “Hobbit” although “Hobbit’s” leaves are smaller and curled. “Sunset” has striking green leaves variegated with cream/white and pinkish-red.
“Tricolor,” a chimeral variety, is adorned with pointed rather than rounded leaves of a creamy white and rose striated foliage that blooms in gradations of pink and white. “Variegata” as the name suggests, sports bicolor leaves of cream and green.
Find Where to Buy the Best Jade Plant (Crassula ovata)
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