Jade plants grow best in slightly acidic soil that hovers around 6.0 on the pH scale. Alkaline soil has the potential to cause the demise of succulent plants.
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.
The ideal potting soil for a jade plant should be a blend of sand, potting soil, and perlite or pumice. In a pinch, you can add perlite or pumice to potting soil to create more well-draining soil for your jade plant.
Place jade plants in indirect sunlight.
Too much direct sunlight can scorch the leaves of young jade plants or cause the leaves of mature plants to develop red tips. Not enough sunlight can stunt their growth or cause them to look leggy and stretched out.
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.
Soil composition is paramount to the jade plant's success. Like most succulent plants, jade plants prefer a loose, rocky soil that is well-draining. Adequate drainage is vital, as too much moisture can cause wet feet and rot out your entire plant. Avoid using traditional all-purpose potting soils when planting jade.
However, with the right temperature and other requirements, you can also grow jade plants outdoors. Outside Jade, plants are best suited for areas with a USDA hardiness zone of 10 and above, as temperature levels that are lower than 50 degrees Fahrenheit would have terrible consequences on the plant's health.
How to Water Jade Plants. Jade plants are succulents (they hold water in their leaves), so they don't do well when sitting in constantly moist soil, so let the top 1 to 2 inches of soil dry out between waterings. Indoors, this will probably mean watering once every 2 to 3 weeks—but be sure to check regularly!
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.
Shorten Leggy Stems
If an entire plant is leggy, you can cut up to one-third of each stem just above a node to encourage bushier growth. Avoid overfertilizing and provide bright indirect sunlight. You may also have a healthy stem that is much longer than the others and skews the general symmetry.
Jade needs lots of light—at least 4 hours per day in a south-facing or west-facing window. Keep soil moist but not wet during the growing season (spring and summer) and let the soil dry out during the dormant season (fall and winter). Don't splash the leaves when you water.
What are the disadvantages of Jade plants. The only disadvantage of the Jade plant is that the leaves of the plant can tend to hold onto excessive water. Due to this, they become soft and mushy and fall off the plant.
Jade plants are really easy to propagate via stem or leaf cuttings. In fact, in the wild, leaves that break off and land on the ground will root themselves in a few weeks without any human intervention. Take a hint from nature. Keep it simple and stay as hands off as possible.
Yes, you should prune your jade plant regularly as part of your general care routine. It's common for them drop older leaves and thin out in the middle as they age. What is this? If they're never trimmed, over time they can become thin and scraggly looking, or out of control and overgrown.
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.
Jade plants can be grown indoors as houseplants, or outside year-round in warmer regions. Houseplants benefit from being moved outdoors in summer, responding to the additional sunlight and warmer weather with increased vigor, growth, and color.
A healthy jade has erect stems and firm foliage that points outward, upward, or slightly downward. But when a plant is under stress, the young, soft stems may droop, and the foliage may hang limply, like fallen dominoes.
It's best to water a jade plant from the top. Watering from the bottom is a dangerous habit to get into. When the water soaks up from the bottom, it's much harder to tell how wet the soil is.
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.
Position: full sun or bright ambient light; shade-tolerant. Flowering: clusters of small, pinkish-white, star-shaped flowers. Feeding: use a long-term controlled-release fertiliser sparingly. Watering: water when soil is dry; good drainage is essential; don't overwater.
Place your cutting in a sunny spot and change the water every few days until new roots begin to form. It may take a month or two, but after the roots emerge, you can transplant the cutting to soil. How long do jade plants live? Jade plants have amazing longevity and can live for 50 to 100 years when cared for properly.
Jade plants can drop leaves if they are getting watered too often. Be sure to only water the soil when it is 100% dry. Water slowly and deeply till water starts trickling out of the drainage hole, then remove any excess water captured in the saucer.
Fertilize your jade plant once every two weeks during periods of active growth; otherwise, jades only require fertilization once every three to four months. Active growth typically takes place during the summer months, although it should be noted that jades are a slow-growing plant.
Rooting your jade leaf in water is possible, it just takes some more effort as it's difficult for the leaf to keep an upright position. It's easier to use a small juice glass for this method, and using mesh or toothpicks can help keep the leaf vertical.