If you are looking to grow some great houseplants, turn to jade plants. That’s right, jade plants. They make a great combination of easy to care and easy to grow houseplants that do not demand much investment from our side.
While it can be a really easy choice for growing indoors, as well as outdoors, many people, perhaps those who are inexperienced can face difficulties in growing them. But the good news is, as long as you follow all the necessary steps as they are mentioned, you would not face any issues while growing and maintaining them.
There are a lot of jade plant species commercially available to grow and sustain, and one might get confused as to which one should be grown. However, the catch is that all these species require a similar type of care protein and they work well, once they are bestowed with that.
Scientifically known as Crassula ovata, jade plants are also famous by the name of lucky plant, money plant or money tree.
In the preceding article, we would be happily giving answers to your questions revolving around how much light do jade plants need. Or what is the best way to take care of your jade plant? and so on.
How Much Light Do Jade Plants Need?
How much light does a jade plant need indoors?
How much light is too much light for jade plants? When people talk about taking care of jade plants, the lighting requirements almost always top the list. If you are tropical habitant, and place your plants outdoors, then they would be receiving plenty of sunlight, whatsoever.
However, placing plants indoors changes the lighting compositions that each plant requires. Let us have a look at how much light a jade plant needs indoors. They need sunlight for 12 to 14 hours a day. You need to position your plants in a way that they remain closest to the window, preferably in the south facing direction.
They require light to prevent their stems from turning leggy and weak. Light renders them the nutrition to stay strong, fertile, and sterile throughout.
Also Read: Why Are My Amaryllis Leaves Turning Yellow?
Can jade plant survive without sunlight?
Can human beings survive without water? No, right? Well, there is something similar that works in the case of sunlight and jade plants. Many people show signs of ambiguity and confusion, when they have to make decisions regarding blocking the sunlight from falling upon plants completely.
Long answer short, no, it is next to impossible for a jade plant to survive without sunlight. Infact, if anything, one should take special precautions to place the pot containing the jade plant under complete sun exposure.
If you live in a place that does not support sunlight, then you make sure to keep your plant as close to the window as possible. It would still do just fine. However, do not devoid them of their source of energy completely, not at any point of time.
How to take proper care of your Jade plants?
Water
Overwatering is not what they need or desire. You would only be wasting your water and time if you continue to water jade plants excessively. Overwatering can lead to multiple jade plant problems like root rot, and death of the plant.
Just like we do in other plants, water jade plants only when the top layer of the soil gets over dried. Nor before, nor afterwards. Additionally, overwatering can also make the plant soil wet and soggy, something that plants don’t desire.
In summers, you can mist them once every week, and in winters, reduce the quantity to once every month.
Also Read: Why Pothos Leaves Turning Yellow?
Temperature
The ideal temperature range for jade plants to thrive travels between 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Once you decide to grow them indoors, you should know that they expect an exact replica of the temperature and humidity conditions, from where they come.
Therefore, jade plants are strictly intolerant of dry weather conditions and frost present in the atmosphere. For this purpose, one should take extra measures like deinstalling dehumidifiers, or keeping them indoors in winters and so on.
The lowest they can manage to survive is 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and this is the threshold. So, try not to keep them at a temperature range dropping below 55 degrees Fahrenheit. They can barely manage to go across that.
Sunlight
As mentioned earlier, providing proper light to your jade plant is important for its growth. Some people might wonder that excessive exposure to sunlight might lead to discolouration of leaves, or root rot, but don’t worry, nothing of this sort happens.
Jade plants are tropic natives and they are used to receiving sunlight at almost every minute of the day. Therefore, provide them with ample amounts of light to strengthen their functionalities, and protect them from pests.
Also Read: Why Are My Calla Lily Leaves Turning Yellow?
Fertilizer
Another source of food and energy for jade plants is the right type of fertilizer. You can sprinkle any kind of high quality fertiliser every now and then. Nevertheless, certain important conditions to keep in mind are:
- To avoid fertilizing them during winters and the autumn season.
- Identify when your plants go through a dormant stage, and avoid fertilizing them. If you force new growth in the plants, then it would definitely backfire.
- Always choose organic over chemical. Always! If you keep spraying chemicals on the soil, then it will build up one day or another, causing irreversible damage.
- Try and restrict your fertilizer choices to succulent specials. It would be more beneficial in providing and feeding them with the right nutrients.
Soil
What is the best potting mixture for jade plants? Usually, there are no special requirements for a potting mixture to be developed for jade plants. A general potting mixture that you use for every other houseplant in your backyard is recommended for jade plants as well.
However, if you are falling short of other requirements to keep your jade plant healthy, then it is important to make the potting mixture adequate to its needs.
A soil with well drainage quantities, porous material, packed with sandy characteristics is by far the best mix for growing jade plants. You can either buy the best succulent potting mix commercially, online or offline, or you can make the most appropriate mixture yourself using perlite and coarse play sand.
Moving to the selection of pots, clay pots require the best set of characteristics that are ideal for a jade plant to thrive. This is because they work to absorb excess water out of the soil.
Also Read: Best Potting Soil for Peace Lily
Repotting
Contrary to what you have heard about repotting, try to keep small pots for jade plants. Too large pots in size can give more space to the shallow roots to fall out of shape. Usually, plants do not want to repot frequently, so do not let them go through this pressure time and again.
Only if the plants start to fall over or roots start growing out of the confined spaces, do you need to repot them. Otherwise, keep them intact in their original position.
Pests and Diseases
Pests and diseases like spider mites, mealybugs, common infestations, and houseplant scale strive to grow upon jade plants, and once they begin, there is hardly any turning back. So what should we do?
You can use ingredients like alcohol, neem oil, horticultural oil spray, and insecticidal soaps to keep the fungus and unwanted bugs miles away from the plant.
For this purpose, you can also concern your gardener, or visit some research studies that have empirically tested the effect of each of these treatment methods on the plant, that would help you make an informed decision.
Pruning Tips
Many people growing jade plants doubt the importance of pruning in the plant. However, one should not forget that pruning, or trimming only promotes the growth of thick stems of the plant. Do not over prune or engage in excessive trimming of your plants, since it may devoid the plant of its necessary nutrients.
Use professional tools like pruning scissors or pruning sheets to give a world class finishing to your jade plants.
Extras: Is jade plant toxic?
That depends. To the human body? Not so much. To pets? Yes. If your pets, say dogs or cats ingest the plants in huge quantities, then it can be harmful, and they can even die. There is no specific part that is dangerous, but the entire plant turns out to be exceedingly harmful.
Some of the symptoms that direct towards poisoning include vomiting, lethargy, and weakness, loss of muscle function, incoordination, and depression too.
Conclusion
The aforementioned tips, and the lightning requirements in particular are some of the key considerations while growing jade plants at home. These South African natives look beautiful when little white or pink flowers come blooming on these succulents.
Some of the most common varieties of jade plants include Crassula ovata, ‘Gollum’ Jade plant, Dwarf jades, ‘Jitters’ jade, and Crassula arborescens. Go and pick your favorite kind of jade plant now!
Khaja Moinuddin, a computer science graduate, finds joy in gardening and homesteading. Join him on this blog as he shares his experiences in homesteading, gardening, and composting