Jade plants are fast becoming the must-have houseplant for most homes and offices across American and abroad, So, if you are considering gifting a Jade plant, you need to consider the amount of lighting your jade plant may need to survive as an indoor plant. Some people say that Jade plants need a lot of sunlight, while others claim that jade plants can live without sunlight for a while. But, just how much light does a jade plant need?
Unlike most houseplants, younger jade plants should be placed in an area that gives them access to bright, indirect light. Giving them a direct light could lead to leaf scorching. On the other hand, the well-established jade plants can thrive with four or more hours of sunlight every day. As such, the ideal place to put jade plants is in a room that has south-facing windows.
Jade plants have been around longer than we can remember. All we know is that they became increasingly popular sometime in the early 1970s. They were the typical houseplant in almost every household. Jade plants were commonly places in hanging macramé is hot again. Today, Jade plants are still loved for their gorgeous appearance, and the fact that they are easy to care for makes us loves them even more.
In this post, we will explore the best ways of caring for a Jade plant, how they can be repotted, propagated and how you should water them.
How to Grow Jade Plants
While Jade plants are easy to care for, they are known to be susceptible to mealy bugs (white cotton-like pests) as well as fungal diseases-among other things. But, with the right conditions set, all the problems can be kept at bay.
Soil
When it comes to jade plants, always to for a succulent soil mix is best. The ideal succulent mix should have a pH level of around 6.0 (which is slightly acidic).
Besides that, the soil should be able to drain well. This prevents excessive moisture from accumulating which can potentially lead to fungal growth.
So, if you plan on using an all-purpose potting mix, add some perlite in a 2:1 ratio, for drainage purposes.
Water
Jade plants grow very well during the warmer seasons. The growth of jade plants is slowed down during the colder seasons, and in these seasons, jade plants do not suck in water as they do in the summer or spring.
So, jade plants should be watered often during the summer and spring. When watering, just make sure the soil is moist and not very wet. If the soil is not too wet, then there is a good drainage. What you should never do is to let your jade plant sit in water, and when its winter, reduce watering to monthly.
Temperature and Humidity
On average, Jade plants prefer summer temperatures that range between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
During the winter nights, they prefer a cooler environment (so that’s down to about 55 degrees Fahrenheit).
Note: The jade plants don’t tolerate frost, so it is ideal to bring them inside when the temperature dips to or anything below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Fertilizer
Jade plants, like most plants, need to be fed. Most times, people underfeed these succulent plants, especially during the growing season.
Feed your jade plants with fertilizer at the beginning of the season. Alternatively, you can do it weekly with a weaker liquid solution. All in all, make sure that you are using a controlled-release type of fertilizer.
Speaking of which…
On well-established plants, use a balanced 20-20-20 fertilizer at one-quarter strength. On the other hand, use a fertilizer with less nitrogen on young plants.
How can you repot Jade Plants?
Jade plants have to be repotted. This should be done during the warm season. Not sure how you can repot a jade plant?
Follow these steps.
Step 1: Ensure that soil is dry
Jade plants should not be removed from the pot when the soil is wet. This is because wet soil is heavy, and once you carry the plant, the soil might weigh it down, which can break its already vulnerable stem.
Step 2: Remove the plant
Once you are sure that the soil is dry enough, remove the plant from the soil. You should do this very gently. Knock away any residual soil from the roots. During this process, you should also remove any dead roots you can find.
Step 3: Treat cuts
If you accidentally caused a cut while removing the plant from the pot or if some heavy leaves/roots fell off the plant, the cuts must be treated with a fungicide product. This will prevent the formation of any fungal that can damage the plant.
Step 4: Clean new pot
The new pot must be cleaned thoroughly and then filled with potting soil to about 1/3 of the container.
Step 5: Place the plant in the new pot
Once you have filled the container with soil, place the plant in the new pot and backfill with potting soil. When you are replanting, you should be spreading the roots properly in the new pot.
Step 6: Leave the plant
When all is done, it is recommended that you leave the plant for at least a week before you can begin watering it. Waiting to plant reduces the risk of root rot.
How are Jade plants propagated?
The Jade plants are very easy to propagate. There are two main methods of doing this. In the first method, you cut stems and in the other method, you cut leaves.
Regardless of which method you plan to use, the cuttings are then left to dry for a while before they can be placed into their new pot, which should be filled with a succulent soil mix.
How to Plant Jade Plants
The planting of jade plants is not that different from the system of planting other house plants. Here are the detailed steps on how you can do it…
Step 1: Select a container/pot
First and foremost, you have to choose the right container. Here, make sure that it has at least 1 drainage hole, which should not be more than 2 inches wider than the root ball of your jade plant. Your plant won’t mind being in a smaller pot.
Step 2: Fill the container with soil
The selected pot should be filled with soil. Here, the best soil for jade plants is a succulent mix. You can purchase the Miracle-Gro® Cactus, Palm & Citrus Potting Mix. This soil provides excellent drainage and a little bit of food that will help your jade plant get growing. You can also do it yourself at home. Simply mix potting soil, perlite, and coarse sand and that’s it.
Fill the container with at least 1/3 of soil.
Step 3: Place the plant
Once the soil has been placed in the container, you can then place the plant in the pot. Make sure that the top of the root ball is about an inch below the rim of the container. This will leave a lot of room for watering.
Step 4: Fill around
Next up, fill in around the root ball with more potting mix. This will keep your plant stable in the container.
Step 5: Water the plant
When you are done, water your plant. Then you should let the water drain out. After that’s done, your plant is ready to be located.
Simply place an average-sized saucer under the pot and move the jade plant to where you want it to be.
How to Feed Jade Plants (and when)
The excellent time to start feeding your plants is a month after you have planted them, and the ideal food for your jade plants during this time is the Miracle-Gro® Succulent Plant Food.
This succulent food is designed to instantly give succulent plants just the right kind and amount of food required. This product is applied directly to the soil, and
Before using the product, be sure to read and follow all the directions that have been indicated on the label, and you can water your plant simultaneously.
Speaking of watering,
How to Water Jade Plants
Jade plants are categorized as succulents. These are plants that hold water in their leaves. Because of this characteristic, jade plants don’t do well when sitting in moist soil for a long time.
As such, you should let the top 1 to 2 inches of soil dry out before you can water your plant again. If your plant is grown indoors, this will almost certainly mean watering once every 2 to 3 weeks, and even so, you should check your plants regularly.
Helpful Tip:
If blisters are starting to form on the leaves, it simply means that the plants are getting too much water.
Conclusion
As a recap of our subject matter, all jade plant varieties need sunlight. But the younger jade plants need measured light that is given to them indirectly in order to prevent the occurrence of leaf scorching. Grown jade plants need four or more hours of sunlight on a daily basis. To make things easier, place the jade plant in a room that has south-facing windows and out of reach from pet dogs. And that’s because jade plants are known to be poisonous for pets like dogs who nibble the leafy part of this succulent plant. It never gets easier than that.
