Best Potting Soil for Jade Plants – Make Potting Mix at Home

Potting soil helps plant to uptake nutrients along with water. Choosing wrong potting soil mix can result in overwatering issues. Jade plant prefers well-drained nutrient rich growing medium.

You can’t turn your eye balls from fleshy oval shaped leaves of jade plant. With its appealing tree like structure, jade plants are used to decorate indoors.

This succulent plant is a lush green and lustrous shrub that is easy to grow. Jade plants are a popular choice of indoor plants at homes and offices; they add colour, texture and lustre to a monochrome place.

Spiritually jade plants are believed to carry and signify good fortune and luck. Crassula ovata or jade plant has thick and small, resplendent green leaves growing on dark brown stems.

A type of houseplant, jade plant is quite resilient and needs no special attention, just an excellent potting soil for the jade plant, and one is set. This plant is usually flowerless but blooms beautiful pink and white flowers during some months of the year.

Add some perlite, if you’re using all purpose potting mix.

A terracotta pot or container made of clay will help to absorb extra moisture from the potting soil.

If you are a beginner in gardening, a jade plant is a good option for you as it is easy to take care of and needs little attention. In this article, we’ll tell you all the pro tips about taking care of a jade plant and best potting soil for this house plant.

Also read: Best Potting Mix for Pothos

What Kind of Soil Does a Jade Plant Need?

Jade plants are easy to take care of as they need an average amount of water, indirect light and negotiable special attention. In terms of soil needs, they can do well in any soil as long as it’s well-drained.

The only special soil requirement that these plants have is that the soil must drain rapidly. Jade plants are native to South Africa and have adapted to sandy soils with low fertility; as a result, they are highly susceptible to rot if there is too much water.

Also known as friendship plants, jade plants rot and die if the soil doesn’t drain quickly or tends to absorb too much water.

Commercial pre-made potting mixes for cacti and succulents are a very appropriate option for jade plants. Like cacti, it doesn’t need too much water.

Use a cacti potting mix for your plant and maybe add some organic matter to benefit it. The amount of organic matter would depend on the way you wish to grow your jade plant.

For example- if grown as a bonsai, use one part organic material like peat moss or coir; for a medium-sized plant, use 1 part peat moss, 1 part organic matter and three parts soil.

Best Potting Soil for Jade Plant

As explained, jade plants need a potting mix that drains well since too much water will rot. Thus, the best potting soil for jade plants would be one that is quickly and well-drained.

Potting mixes for cacti are the best option for jade plants as both need little water and less fertile soil. Potting mixes made for succulents can also be used by one as it also has the same properties.

Along with suitable soil, you should also look for a good pot. The pot in which you will place your jade plant should be medium-sized with a good depth, but most important is its drainage.

Before selecting a pot for your plant, look at how its drainage is. Check for holes at the bottom and the material it is made of. If your pot doesn’t have good drainage, a good soil mix will do nothing and jade would rot and die.

Also Read: Why Is My Jade Plant Losing Leaves?

How to Make Potting Soil for a Jade Plant?

While pre-made cacti and succulent potting mixes work well for jade plants, making one’s potting mix has many benefits. Homemade potting mixes are cheaper and can be customized to fit the needs of your plant.

To make a potting mix for a succulent jade plant, you will need-

• Potting soil
• Coarse sand
• Perlite or pumice
• Measuring container
• Trowel
• Container for mixing

Step 1: Take three parts of all-purpose potting mix to make the base for your succulent soil; use any fresh potting soil. Choose light and porous.

Step 2: Take two parts of coarse sand as a surface and finally one part of perlite or pumice. Mix well

Step 3: Use a trowel or your hand to mix the arts well. Ensure that the ingredients are properly mixed before using it.

Also Read: How Much Light Do Jade Plants Need?

Can I Use Cactus Soil for Jade Plant?

Yes, you can use cactus potting soil to grow jade plant.

Cactus potting mix is a combination of potting soil, perlite and coir. You can make your own cactus potting soil mix at home or get it from nursery.

5 parts of potting soil, 2 parts of pumice and 1 part of coir can be used to make your own potting mix soil.

This potting soil mix is ideal for most succulent and houseplants.

Note: Add some old compost to cactus mix; this is to provide support the jade plant.

What happens when you choose wrong potting soil for jade plant?

Growing soil is very essential for any plant to be healthy.

Well-drained, fertile and moisture retentive growing soil will strength the plant and avoid common gardening issues.

Also Read: Homemade Fertilizer for Peace Lily Plant

Overwatering

It is most common issue faced by houseplants.

Water is essential for photosynthesis, but excess water logging resulting in root rot and yellow leaves.

Potting soil mix plays vital role to avoid this common garden problem.

Underwatering

If your potting soil mix fails to preserve moisture, then jade plant will undergo this gardening issue.

Check this out: Are Eggshells Good for Peace Lily?

Growing a Jade Plant

Jade plants have thick woody stems and oval-shaped green leaves. Jade plants resemble miniature trees due to their thick texture and appearance. Older jade plants give off a classic mini-tree plant.

While jade plants are primarily indoor plants, they can also be placed outdoors as long as they are protected. In mildly hot and dry climates, one can keep out jade plants; however, they are sensitive to cold and need protection.

They adapt well to warm weather conditions and Bloom during the growing season while staying dormant during the cold or season. Keep jade plants indoors when the temperature is below 10 degrees Celsius.

Planting

For planting a jade plant, choose a wide pot with average depth since the plant tends to grow heavily on the top and fall out of the container.

Well-drained soil that doesn’t retain excess moisture should be chosen for jade plants as they are highly susceptible to rot. Again, an all-purpose potting mix would work well.

Add some perlite to the soil to improve the drainage of the ground. Another great option is a pre-made succulent and cacti potting mix.

Once planted, wait for about a week to water it so that the roots can settle and recover from any damage that Potting might have caused.

Growing Jade Plant from a Leaf or Stem Cutting

Since jade plants are succulent, they are easy to grow from single leaves. Here’s how you can grow jade plants from leaves:

Step 1: Remove a leaf from a well-established, medium-age jade plant. Remove at least two pairs of leaves and allow them to sit for several days in a warm place.

Step 2: A callous will appear on the cut area, which will prevent rot and accelerate rooting.

Step 3: Take your pot and a well-drained jade plant soil mix. Moisten the soil but ensure that it isn’t wet.

Step 4: Take a leaf and put it horizontally; cover one end with some soil.

Step 5: Place the pot in a warm place that gets bright and abundant indirect light. Do not water yet.

Step 6: Wait for about a week or two till the leaf starts to send out roots. After a week, check for roots; if they haven’t sprung yet, wait for a few more days and keep checking carefully.

Step 7: When the plant gets firmly rooted, water it carefully. Gentle water the plant to not trouble the roots and still ensure that the plant is watered well. Do not water superficially, as this will hinder roots’ growth.

Step 8: Let the soil dry and keep the jade plant in a palace with bright, indirect light until it is well-established.

Also Read: Pothos Cuttings Not Rooting

Now let’s have a look at how a jade plant can be grown using stem cutting.

Step 1: Cut a stem from a well-established jade plant and let it sit for a few days in a warm place till the cut starts to create a callous

Step 2: Place it straight-up in a pot with a well-drained potting mix and put it in place with bright light

Step 3: Now the process is the same as in the case of a leaf plant. Let the roots grow and water deeply.

How to Care for a Jade Plant?

Jade plants are easy to take care of; in fact, once potted and established, they barely need any special care.

Light

Jade plants need at least 4 hours of sunlight daily. Therefore, it would be best to give younger plants direct sunlight, which is still bright, while You can keep older plants indirect light.

Temperature

Jade plants thrive in warm temperatures and cannot handle cold weather. Therefore, keep them at a consistent temperature and never lower than 10 degrees Celsius.

During the winter months, do not keep them outside.

Water

Jade plants need more water during the spring months as compared to other months of the year. Water the plant deeply and check that it is completely dried before watering again.

Water it once to twice a week during spring and summer months and once every ten days in winters when it gets dormant. However, well-established and older jade plants may need more water even during dormant months.

Repotting

Jade plants do well in small plants and stay manageable. Repot jade plants once every two to three years to ensure proper growth. One can repot older jade plants once every 4 to 5 years.

Repot in early spring and do not water it for about a week. Do not fertilise the soil for at least a month after repotting as it could burn roots.

Jade Plant Care Tips:

• Water gently and avoid splashing the soil
• Use filtered water as too many salts in tap water can’t be handled by jade plants
• Always check that the soil is dry before watering again
• During winters, keep it indoors and away from drafts areas
• Use a homemade fertiliser once to twice a year
• Do not overwater

Conclusion

Jade plants are succulents that look like mini-trees due to their woody stems and oval, shining leaves. Native to South Africa, jade plants need well-draining soil and pot to prevent rotting.

Use a potting mix meant for cacti/succulents or mix at home with the recipe above. Always ensure that the pot and soil drain and the soil are completely dry before re-watering.