How to Take Care of a Jade Plant

Jade plants, or Crassula ovata, are popular succulent houseplants. They are easy indoor plants to take care of and can have a strong housewarming effect in any home or office.

They have thick, woody stems and bright green leaves that are tree-like. They have a zen appearance that can easily be mistaken for a bonsai tree — but they are succulents, not trees. Jade plants are even nicknamed “lucky plants” in some cultures and bring good luck!

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How Do you Care for an Indoor Jade Plant?

Jade plants are succulents, which makes them resilient and easy for anyone to care for them. They enjoy warm, dry environments and don’t need a lot of water or maintenance.

How Much Water Do they Need?

When it comes to watering, jade plants are susceptible to overwatering and root rot. If the leaves begin to be soft and floppy, you may be overwatering your plant. Always let the soil dry out in between watering.

Instead of watering your jade plant on a set schedule, try to water it only when the soil is dry to the touch. Depending on the environment, weather, and time of year, the amount of time it takes for the soil to dry can vary. Depending on these factors, your plant could need water every week or only every few weeks. Jade plants will need more water during their growing season in early spring and summer and less watering when they stop putting out new growth in the fall and winter.

What Type of Soil Should You Use?

Your choice of potting soil can help with water issues. All-purpose potting soil is OK to use, but it is better to use a potting mix with better drainage. Consider adding perlite to your soil or use a premade succulent or cactus potting soil mix. This soil will help with excess water drainage. Also, be sure to use a pot with drainage holes on the bottom.

When you water your jade plant, be sure to give the plant a deep watering. If you use a saucer under your plant, be sure to pour off any excess water. If the leaves begin to wither, turn brown, or drop off, you are underwatering the plant, and you should increase how often you water it.

You may wish to fertilize your jade plant once every six months. Please keep reading for one of our favorite succulent fertilizing tricks!

Do Jade Plants Need Direct Sunlight?

Jade plants are native to the warm, sunny climate in South Africa, so they need direct sunlight. It is best to place them in a room that gets a lot of bright light throughout the day. Place your plant by a window that gets full sun for at least four to six hours each day. This spot in your place will most likely be a south-facing window or a west-facing window.

But be careful! It is possible to give your jade plant too much light. If the leaves begin to look scorched or they develop red tips, the plant may be receiving too much direct sunlight. If this happens, try moving the plant away from the window or into another room to see if it does better with less light.

If your home or office does not get as much direct sun as the plant needs, you might still be able to keep a jade plant happy. Less light or indirect light will cause them to grow more slowly.

Where Should I Put my Jade Plant?

Jade plants enjoy the sun, and they do not do well in the cold. They do best at room temperature, with temperatures ranging between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and closer to 55 degrees Fahrenheit at night (but it is OK if your room does not get that cold at night). They should be placed indoors in temperature-controlled rooms that are above 50 degrees Fahrenheit year-round.

You may need to move your plant away from windows in the winter months. Windows can be let cold air in and be draftier than the rest of the room.

Are Coffee Grounds Good for Jade Plants?

Coffee can be an excellent pick-me-up for people, but did you know that some plants like coffee too? Well, coffee grounds, that is! Coffee grounds can be a wonderful plant fertilizer for succulent plants. They are rich in essential nutrients plants need, such as nitrogen, potassium, phosphorous, and magnesium.

Coffee grounds are also acidic, and Succulents prefer slightly acidic soil, with a pH range between 5.8 and 7. For reference, the average tap water has a pH level of about 8. Therefore, occasionally using coffee grounds as a fertilizer can help balance the soil’s pH level around your succulents to a range they love.

If your jade plant’s leaves turn yellow or it is time for fertilization, skip the store-bought stuff. Try diluting some coffee grounds in water and use it as a liquid fertilizer. But be careful not to add too much! Overdoing it can cause more harm than good.

How Do you Propagate Jade Plants?

One cool thing about jade plants is that they are very easy to propagate — even if you’ve never done it before! Propagating is when you grow a new plant from a clipping of another plant.

For jade plant propagation, you can snip off a leaf or stem from the original plant. Be sure to sterilize your clippers with rubbing alcohol first to avoid contamination. Store your leaf cutting in a warm, dry place for a couple of days and allow the end to dry out or “cure.”

Once the cutting has cured, you can plant it in a pot with cactus potting soil. Be sure to place the cutting with the scab side down in the dirt. Place the pot with the cutting in a warm, sunny place and watch for roots to begin to grow. Avoid watering the cutting until the roots form.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Jade plants are reasonably straightforward to take care of via a plant. They live for a long time, so it is not uncommon for people to share cuttings and pass pieces of their plants down to friends and family.