Jade Plants as House Plants
Created | Updated Jul 23, 2003
The Jade Plant, (Crassula Ovata) also known as Chinese Rubber Tree or Money Plant makes an excellent houseplant A328772. It loves living in a sunny spot and grows best when ignored for long periods of time. Many people who practice Fung Shui A1038700 say that having one of these plants in your home, with their small round leaves like coins, helps to bring money into your life. The Jade Plant originates from South Africa and Madagascar, but will live quite happily as a houseplant in cooler climates.
How to care for your Jade Plant
Jade Plants are succulents. Like cacti A1055062. The plant stores the water in the leaves and stems, not in the soil like a many plants. For this reason they like very little water. Too much water can harm or even kill a Jade plant. It’s recommended that you should only water it when the leaves feel a little squishy or dried out. Some times it is hard to tell when this happens so a good rule of thumb is once a month in the summer, and less in the winter.
As for soil type, the Jade Plant likes sandy or course soil. For an avid gardener the best mixture is two parts loam and one part of equal amounts of sand and broken brick. Jade plants don’t mind being root bound, in fact most seem to thrive from it. When you do need to repot your Jade, only repot it in a pot one size larger than the original.
Jade plants enjoy a sunny place. When given enough sun the leaves develop a reddish colour. Jades vary in size and shape. They can grow up to 10 feet tall. They also make great bonsai A680852. When old enough and if given enough light, the Jade will produce a small white flower and seeds. In the summer they can live outdoors, but being a desert plant they don’t like the cold, so bring them inside in winter.
If the Jade plant is top heavy, example, it won’t stand up on it’s own, there are a few solutions for this. Try pruning (best done in march) some of the branches back to the first bud along the stem. (see Procreation below) Another reason why the Jade may be top heavy is because the root system is too small. This happens due to too much water, the roots become lazy and don’t grow if they are watered too often. When they have less water they start to grow in search of more moisture.
Procreating Jade Plants
When you have one Jade Plant it is easy to get more. Jade plants reproduce through seeds, leaf cuttings, and stem cuttings. The best time to take cuttings is when you are pruning. Prune a piece about 3 inches in length and leave it to dry in the air for a few hours or even over night. It will form a protective layer over the end. Remove the bottom leaves, and place it in the soil (see above) or a plate of sand. There is no need to water it in, until the sand/soil dries out. (often about a week)
First Aid for Jade Plant
‘Oh no. My Jade Plant has root rot.’ - This would be a good time to try making new Jade Plant, with cuttings (see above). Unfortunately, when your Jade plant reaches this stage, there is very little that can be done to revive it. If it’s not too far-gone try NOT watering it for a month or 3. Root rot occurs from over watering, the most difficult part of keeping a Jade Plant is ignoring it.
‘I'm constantly picking the fallen leaves up from the floor, and they're tiny. The leaves are not the big, juicy green jade plant leaves that I know. The stems fall off too, and it doesn't seem "strong" to me.’ - Again it seems that this plant is a goner. It could be due to not enough light or again, too much water. The soil could also be too rich. If it’s summer, try placing it outside in the sun where it won’t get wet, or inside at a south facing window. Keep it warm. If it’s winter, the jade plant doesn’t need as much light, it likes to be dormant at a temperature below 55degrees F.
‘Help. My plant’s wilted and it won’t get up’ - If the plant has wilted it could be due to water. Too much, or even too little. Remember, when watering, saturate the soil all the way and allow to dry out completely between waterings. Over fertilization can also cause wilting.
How to care for your Jade Plant
Jade Plants are succulents. Like cacti A1055062. The plant stores the water in the leaves and stems, not in the soil like a many plants. For this reason they like very little water. Too much water can harm or even kill a Jade plant. It’s recommended that you should only water it when the leaves feel a little squishy or dried out. Some times it is hard to tell when this happens so a good rule of thumb is once a month in the summer, and less in the winter.
As for soil type, the Jade Plant likes sandy or course soil. For an avid gardener the best mixture is two parts loam and one part of equal amounts of sand and broken brick. Jade plants don’t mind being root bound, in fact most seem to thrive from it. When you do need to repot your Jade, only repot it in a pot one size larger than the original.
Jade plants enjoy a sunny place. When given enough sun the leaves develop a reddish colour. Jades vary in size and shape. They can grow up to 10 feet tall. They also make great bonsai A680852. When old enough and if given enough light, the Jade will produce a small white flower and seeds. In the summer they can live outdoors, but being a desert plant they don’t like the cold, so bring them inside in winter.
If the Jade plant is top heavy, example, it won’t stand up on it’s own, there are a few solutions for this. Try pruning (best done in march) some of the branches back to the first bud along the stem. (see Procreation below) Another reason why the Jade may be top heavy is because the root system is too small. This happens due to too much water, the roots become lazy and don’t grow if they are watered too often. When they have less water they start to grow in search of more moisture.
Procreating Jade Plants
When you have one Jade Plant it is easy to get more. Jade plants reproduce through seeds, leaf cuttings, and stem cuttings. The best time to take cuttings is when you are pruning. Prune a piece about 3 inches in length and leave it to dry in the air for a few hours or even over night. It will form a protective layer over the end. Remove the bottom leaves, and place it in the soil (see above) or a plate of sand. There is no need to water it in, until the sand/soil dries out. (often about a week)
First Aid for Jade Plant
‘Oh no. My Jade Plant has root rot.’ - This would be a good time to try making new Jade Plant, with cuttings (see above). Unfortunately, when your Jade plant reaches this stage, there is very little that can be done to revive it. If it’s not too far-gone try NOT watering it for a month or 3. Root rot occurs from over watering, the most difficult part of keeping a Jade Plant is ignoring it.
‘I'm constantly picking the fallen leaves up from the floor, and they're tiny. The leaves are not the big, juicy green jade plant leaves that I know. The stems fall off too, and it doesn't seem "strong" to me.’ - Again it seems that this plant is a goner. It could be due to not enough light or again, too much water. The soil could also be too rich. If it’s summer, try placing it outside in the sun where it won’t get wet, or inside at a south facing window. Keep it warm. If it’s winter, the jade plant doesn’t need as much light, it likes to be dormant at a temperature below 55degrees F.
‘Help. My plant’s wilted and it won’t get up’ - If the plant has wilted it could be due to water. Too much, or even too little. Remember, when watering, saturate the soil all the way and allow to dry out completely between waterings. Over fertilization can also cause wilting.
