Keep your gollum jade in a spot with lots of bright, direct sunlight—at least four to six hours per day. Gollum jade can also survive in bright, indirect light or moderate shade, but it won't grow as vigorously or develop an attractive reddish tinge on the tips of its leaves without full sun.
Gollum Jade is a succulent and grows well in aroid soil mixes. Water the plant only when the soil mix has dried out completely. Avoid overwatering at all costs, and fertilize the plant in spring for faster growth results.
For upward growth, trim all side shoots by no more than half. For outward growth, shorten the trunk by one-third. You should prune new branches only at the tips of the shoots. Relief pruning is also necessary when the branches of older trees begin to droop.
Simply snip off or pinch off the newly sprouted leaves on the end of each branch. I know this seems counterintuitive, but cutting off the newly grown leaves will in fact encourage more branching, making for a fuller jade plant!
These plants prefer to be root bound, so you'll only need to repot once every two years. They can become leggy if they are not receiving enough sunlight.
Gollum Jade, also known as Crassula Ovata or "Money Plant", is a small shrubby succulent that can grow up to 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide. It has fascinating green finger-like leaves with a red circle on the tips and can produce small pinkish-white star-shaped flowers during late fall and early winter.
Crassula ovata 'Gollum' (Gollum Jade) - A small shrubby succulent to 2 to 3 feet tall by 1 to 2 feet wide with interesting tubular leaves that have a reddish tint.
Soil. Plant your gollum jade in a gritty, well-drained potting mix. Use ready-made potting mix designed for cacti and succulents. You can also make your own by blending three parts potting soil, two parts coarse sand or gravel, and two parts perlite or two parts potting soil and one part perlite.
Simply select an area where you want your plant to branch out, and prune it off. For example, look at the photo below. Prune each branch just a little bit above a set of leaves (where the red line is). Wherever you cut it off, you will get new branches forming right underneath that point.
Even though they grow slowly—roughly two inches a year—jade plants can reach up to six feet in height and three feet in width. Native to South Africa and Mozambique, jade plants are easy to grow indoors and can live for 100 years when cared for consistently.
Crassula Ovata 'Gollum Jade' plant can be propagated from stem and leaf cuttings. The easiest way is through stem cuttings. When using leaves, it's better to start with a few leaves because not all of them will make it till the end.
Cuttings. If you are taking a cutting of a 'Gollum,' use a sterile knife or sharp scissors and cut a tube from the base of the plant. Allow the cutting to dry for several days before placing in well-draining soil. Wait to water an additional day or two, and then water using the “soak and dry” method.
Jade Plants have a small, shallow root systems. They prefer a smaller pot and could easily be overwatered in a large pot with a lot of soil mass. As your Jade gets larger and heavier, it will need a “weighty” pot as a base.
Also, make sure the pot isn't too big. Jade grows fairly slowly, and does best in pots that are just an inch or two wider than the root zone of the plant.
Hobbit Jade (Crassula ovata 'hobbit')
The difference between these two cultivators can be found in the shape of their leaves. While the Gollum jade has tubular leaves with cup-like ends, the hobbit jade has leaves that are more spoon-shaped, curling inwards on themselves to form a tubular appearance.
An all-purpose potting mix will work, though you will want to mix in additional perlite to improve drainage. A 2:1 ratio of potting mix to perlite is great. Alternatively, use a pre-made succulent or cacti potting mix. After planting a jade plant, don't water it right away.
To encourage health, harmony and thriving business, place the Jade plant in the east direction. And if you wish to promote creativity and children's luck, it is recommended to set it in the west direction. Keeping it either in the southeast corner of the room or your desk is highly favourable and auspicious.
Repotting a Jade Plant
It's time to transplant when the roots begin to encircle the rootball or new growth is stunted. Your jade plant appears to be thriving, but it looks as if it has settled in the container. This is not a problem. Some gardeners prefer to adjust this by adding soil to the bottom of the pot.
Never, never allow it to soak in water. I do not recommend watering them from the bottom. This causes the top of the soil to stay drier than the bottom, making it very difficult to tell if you're overdoing it.
Used coffee grounds are great for succulents like jade plants that grow in slightly acidic soils. Coffee grounds also contain two crucial nutrients; magnesium and potassium. However, coffee grounds should be heavily diluted and used sparingly with jade plants because the grounds are high in nitrogen.
Feed a jade plant every three to four months, slightly more often during the active growing season, using a water-soluble fertilizer. A good rule to follow for this and many other plant species: Water the plant as usual, then follow with the fertilizer solution.