Jade plants belong to the perennial succulents family and are grown as decorative houseplants. When grown in ideal habitat, the shrubs grow to a height of 6ft. If you are growing jade plants in colder regions, you must grow them in pots and shift indoors under extremely cold temperatures.
If you know how to grow jade plant, you must also understand how to care for jade plant. Here we are with every little detail on caring for these attractive houseplants!
How to care for jade plant?
Before we move on to know about the proper care of jade plants, let’s look into the various types of the succulent available and you can know which one have you grown in your garden or indoors.
Types of jade plants
Crassula Ovata: A common type of jade plant that most people grow. With wide and flat leaves, this variety grows to turn into a large shrub having a thick trunk.
Dwarf Jades: Going by its name, this variety is a smaller version of the regular type. Exactly same in appearance, these are just compact.
‘Gollum’ Jade Plant: Also known as baby toes or E.T. fingers, this a very cool variety with long, narrow and rounded leaves.
‘Jitters’ Jade: This one is a unique variety boasting thin and wavy leaves that are light green in color as compared to the other varieties.
Crassula Arborescens: Also known as silver dollar jade plant, this variety is valued as a gorgeous specimen with grey/silver leaves having red tips.
Grow the plant in an ideal location
The most important thing to care about when growing jade plants is choosing the right location. The plants kept indoors should be taken out under the sun during summers. However, you must also keep in mind that they are sensitive to sunburn.
So, it is suggested to move them gradually over a few weeks. If not taken care of, the leaves will undergo browning and the damaged part of the part will die due to sunburn. You may also notice the leaves falling off the stalk.
A serious case of sunburn may lead to fatality of jade plants. So, keep a check on your jade plant when keeping it outdoors. And you should bring it back indoors if there’s frost by any chance in the fall season.
Follow a watering pattern
While knowing about how to care for jade plants, you must keep one thing in mind from the very beginning – do not overwater your jade plant.
Yes, jade plants are no friends with water. They don’t keep up well together when in abundance. So, overwatering must not be a thing. When you do, the plant eventually dies by rotting.
When overwatered, the rotting starts at the base and eventually reaches the stem and leaves. Before watering the plant, check if the soil is completely dry. If not, do not give them water unnecessarily.
To check the soil, put your finger about one inch deep into the soil. If you find it damp, do not water the plant. There’s an instrument called soil moisture gauge, which you can use to keep a track of the water level.
In winters, watering jade plants once a month is enough, while in summers outdoors, water them only during drought.
Monitor the light requirements
If you fail to take proper care of the correct light requirements for your jade plant, it may turn weak and leggy. You may ask, “How much direct sunlight do jade plants require?”. Well, you must ensure your jades receive at least 4 hours of direct sunlight every day.
To grow thick and strong jade plants, you must ensure they receive tons of light each day. When growing jade plants indoors, you can keep it facing the window on the south of your home. This would help avoid legginess of the succulent.
With sufficient sunlight, jade plants grow into a thick and woody houseplant. The leaf tips also turn red, enhancing their beauty.
Use the right kind of potting soil
Usually, the all-purpose mix is used for growing jade plants. However, there are times when regular potting soil holds excess moisture. So, it is better to go with a quick-draining and porous succulent mix for growing jade plants.
You can either buy a succulent mix from the market or prepare your own by mixing coarse play sand, perlite and potting soil. Talking about the kind of post to use for jade plants, we would suggest going with clay pots.
Clay pots help absorb the water faster from the soil, leading to quick drying of the plant, thus eliminating the chances of overwatering.
Feed the right fertilizer
Jade plants get the most benefit from the fertilizers fed during the growth stage, the same as any other plant. However, there are a few things to keep in mind while using fertilizers.
When using fertilizers for jade plants, make sure to not use them during winter or fall months because they get into a dormant phase during extreme cold. Forcing the plant for new growth is the last thing you would want.
In place of chemical fertilizers, you can also use organic products for your jade plant as the former can cause damage gradually by building up in the soil. So, order some organic plant food online or reach out to the nearest nursery or gardening center.
For a more general purpose, you can go with a compost fertilizer, like tea bags or pre-made compost tea.
Note: Buy organic plant food made specifically for feeding succulents and cactus.
Help the plant to bloom flowers
Did you know that jade plant bloom flowers? Yes, it is true! When planted outside in warmer regions, the houseplants flower during winter. However, it is difficult for the succulent to bloom when planted inside without external help.
If you want to have flowers in your jade plant, give it similar growing condition as to what it receives when grown outdoors in warmer regions. The best way to help your plant bloom is to provide optimum light during summers.
As the fall months approach, expose it to the colder temperature, but not freezing to allow the soil to dry out faster. When you shift the houseplant indoors during the fall and winter months, place it in a spot receiving sufficient daylight and ensure the soil is dry.
When taken care correctly, you will see flower buds in a few weeks.
Keep away jades from pests
Another important point to include in “how to care for jade plant” is keeping it away from pests. When you take good care of the perennial succulent, it will grow into a healthy, strong and attractive plant.
The chances of pest infestation are minimum when in a healthy state. It stays away from bugs and insects until healthy, The problem arises when there’s the rotting of roots and leaves. You might come across a houseplant scale, mealybugs, and spider mites.
These bugs and pests usually infest jade plants grown indoors. You can spot-treat minor pest infestations using rubbing alcohol on the infected leaves. Another effective method is using neem oil. It works great for controlling insects.
You can also use a horticulture oil spray or insecticidal soap to get rid of bugs and insects feeding on your jade plant. However. You must be careful while using the sprays for the first time as the houseplant is sensitive to sprays.
Start with testing it on a few leaves. Wait for a few days to ensure there’s no damage to the plant, and then spray all over the houseplant.
Prune your jade plant carefully as needed
If ever asked how to care for jade plant, do not forget to mention pruning. Regular pruning of the leaves will help it grow thicker and fuller. Want to make the jades bushy, use sharp pruning snips and trim the leggy growth carefully.
Trim the leggy growth, or pinch off new tips to promote branching. It is best to use bonsai pruning shears or sharp pruning snips for the act.
Conclusion
Whenever you are planning to grow these houseplants, make sure you understand how to care for jade plants. It is equally essential to know about the caring tips as it is to understand how to grow jade plants.
From the right kind of soil to using remedies for keeping away pests, you must know everything before growing the perennial succulents.
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Propagating Succulents from Leaves: Know the 5 Smart Steps
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