How to take care of a Jade Plant

How to Grow a Jade Plant

Jade plant, scientific name Crassula Ovata and commonly called as lucky plant, money plant/tree is one of the easiest succulents to grow. Properly taken care these plants live for a long time, sometimes 50+ years and are very easy to propagate. Many websites claim these plants cleaning up toxins in your house when used as indoor plants, but i have not come across a scientific page citing the same.

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If correctly shaped these plants can me made to look like a bonsai with very minimal effort, and they can maintain the shape for a long duration as they tend to grow very slowly. Native to South Africa and Mozambique, these plants are mildly toxic to Humans, Pets & Horses. With the right conditions these plants show up with some pretty pink/white blooms in Winter. Like other succulents, Jade plants have evolved to store water in their fleshy leaves and stems and do well with very less water.

Choosing the right Jade Plant

Signs of a good Jade Plant are 

• Leaves that are in good shape with healthy vibrant colors. Leaves with red edges indicate a stressed Jade plant, read more about it below. 
• No Sunburnt/Dead or Soggy Leaves(Translucent with mushy skin) 
• No Insects
• Absence of Etiolation:- Plants without tall stretched stems and distant nodes. Leaves that are clustered and close to each other. 
• Leaves that are not drooping and bent over.

Best Pots for Jade Plants

Like other Succulents, Jade plants thrive well in pots made with breathable material like Clay or Ceramic with a good drainage hole. Plastic, Glass are other options but they will end up retaining water for a longer duration compared to clay pots. As you are just starting with a succulent its good to go with a regular pot, once you become adept in growing Succulents and Cacti you can start exploring DIY pots made out of broken household decor and re-purposing glass bottles 

The size of the pot for your jade plant matters. Large pots tend to hold a lot of moisture and may cause significant root damage and rot. Its good to investigate once in a while by picking up the pot to ensure that the base is not sitting in a puddle of water. For good growth, choose a pot slightly larger than the plant that way the roots and the plant grow in balance. 

What kind of potting mix is good for Jade plant

Any regular Cactus and Succulent potting mix can be used  but they tend to hold moisture for a longer duration. You can increase drainage by adding some extra perlite/Lava rock/Pumice or Aquarium stones. Along with this add some gravel or pebbles at the bottom of the container to further increase aeration and drainage.

How frequently to water Jade plants

For Jade plants, Do not follow schedule when watering like other Succulents, Let the plant tell you when it needs water. If the bottom leaves are firm you can postpone watering by a couple of days. If they are soft and supple go ahead and water your plant. The general rule of thumb is to let the potting mix go complete dry between watering or once about every 2 to 3 weeks. You will do more harm to your jade/succulent by over-watering rather under-watering.

How to propagate Jade plant

Jade plants can be easily propagated by leaf or stem cuttings.

Leaf Cuttings: Look for healthy leaves that have naturally dropped off from the mother plant. Once the broken edge callouses, put them on a sheet of paper outside in indirect sunlight. After a few days you will see a tiny plant with or without roots. You don't need to water or mist the tiny plant as the leaf will continue to provide the necessary nutrition for the growing baby plant. Once the leaf has fully wilted and there are adequate roots on the plant it can be planted in a proper planter and the regular care and watering can start.

Stem Cuttings:  For stem cuttings, ensure the cut completely dries out for a few days in indirect light. Cutting in an angle reduces water retention from rain or regular watering compared to a flat cut, thus reducing the healing time for the cut. Just like the leaf cutting, roots and tiny plants sprout from fallen leaf nodes. Pot the plant once the roots are formed.

How many Varieties of Jade plant

Some of the other common jade plant types are 

• Gollum Jade
• Hobbit Jade
• Hummels Sunset 
• Variegated

How to stress Jade plants

Jade plants and Succulents come from deserts and dry areas, where they are exposed to harsh sunlight and high temperature for many long hours with no access to water for most of the time of the year. The soil that they normally grow in, also lacks a lot of necessary nutrients for the plant.

So just like humans, Jade plants do well under stressful conditions and they do it beautifully. Mimic the natural conditions that they are evolved to thrive by reducing the water significantly and increasing the exposure to direct sunlight and you can get your jade plant to pop bright hues of Red & Bright Orange. To avoid sun burn, gradually increase the sunlight exposure on a weekly basis for a plant which has mostly spent indoors. Its not inhumane to stress a succulent, its natural.

How to prune a Jade Plant like a Bonsai

KISS, Keep it simple, stupid. Jade plants by the virtue of being a succulent already look like a mini bonsai. The less you shape them the better the finished tree would look.

Choose a well established Jade plant with a thick trunk. Spend some time studying the plant from various angles. Take a few pictures and visualize how you would like to see your jade plant as a bonsai after being pruned. Start by pruning old unwanted growth and large leaves. making room for light and air into the center parts of plant. Cut through stems that do not form part of your final tree and you can grow these stem cutting into new plants. Even though Jade plants look woody, the stems mostly comprise of watery flesh so be careful when you wire them to force shapes.

 If you decide to wire the stem ensure its loose and does not eat into the plant. Let the wounds from the pruning and cutting naturally heal, and as Jade is not a succulent they will do well with less watering. 

As a final word, you need to really put a lot of work to kill a jade plant. These plants are easy to care for and do well under neglect and less attention.  So water less, and give them lots of sunlight.