The jade plant is a popular succulent houseplant with fleshy, oval leaves and strong, woody stalks resembling miniature tree trunks. It can grow to reach between 3 and 6 feet tall with a little care, but it grows slowly, growing approximately 2 inches per year.
The Jade plant is a tree-like succulent that looks excellent in any sunny place in your home. The Jade plant, like most succulents, is a beginner-friendly plant that requires little care. When properly cared for, the Jade plant can grow fairly large and live for a very long period.
In this plant care guide, we’ll look at how you may provide your Jade Plant with the excellent care it requires to grow old and large. Because the Jade plant is a succulent, sunshine and watering are two of the most critical aspects of plant care. However, in order to set you up for success, I’ll also cover a range of various themes in this plant care guide:
- Watering your Jade Plant
- Sunlight requirements for your Jade Plant
- The perfect soil for your Jade Plant
- Fertilizing your Jade Plant
- Is your Jade Plant toxic for pets?
Let’s give your Jade plant the best opportunity of becoming big and strong by learning everything we can about it. Let’s get this party started!
Watering your Jade Plant
Watering your Jade Plant correctly is the most critical component of your plant care regimen. Fortunately, watering a succulent in general is a simple task because you may leave it alone for a few weeks without worry. The Jade plant prefers dry feet as well, as it is particularly sensitive to overwatering and develops root rot quickly. If you know you have a habit of overwatering your plants, you might want to look into some moisture-loving plants.
Watering your Jade Plant is a low-maintenance activity because it doesn’t require much watering, even in the spring and summer. Your Jade Plant prefers a dry atmosphere that is dry for weeks at a time. However, don’t leave it out for too long because it still requires moisture to maintain the weight of its stems. As the Jade plant grows in size, you may need to water it more frequently to ensure that it remains stable.
It’s best to water your Jade Plant in a pot with a drainage hole in the bottom. This drainage hole prevents overwatering of your lovely Jade plant. The surplus water will drain from the pot, leaving only the moisture that the soil can hold. Later in this tutorial, we’ll discuss soil to ensure you have the best soil for your Jade plant.
Watering your Jade Plant in the winter
When your Jade Plant turns dormant in the winter, you won’t need to water it as frequently as you would in the spring and summer. During the fall and winter, your Jade Plant will not develop (as quickly) and will require less water.
Your plant is dormant and recovering from the growing season during the winter. Water your Jade Plant half as much as you did in the spring and summer on average. It is critical to inspect the soil before watering your Jade plant. Before you water your plant again, the soil must be entirely dry.
Sunlight requirements for your Jade Plant
Now that you know how to correctly water your Jade plant, let’s look at the best type of sunshine for your plant. The ideal amount of sunlight for your Jade Plant promotes happiness, health, and, most importantly, growth.
Your Jade Plant prefers to be in a location with plenty of direct sunshine. Your Jade Plant enjoys direct sunlight exposure and will not get sunburned from it.
Your Jade plant isn’t getting enough sunshine if you notice it straining for the light (becoming lanky), tilting to one side, or sprouting longer stems. If your plant is already in the brightest location in your home, a simple option is to rotate it 90 degrees every week. This manner, it receives equal solar exposure from all sides and grows straight up.
If you have a young plant, it is ideal to keep it in bright-indirect sunlight. The younger leaves are still highly sensitive and will readily burn. The older plants can withstand hours of direct sunlight every day without issue.
The perfect soil for your Jade Plant
If you recall, I briefly covered the ideal soil for your Jade Plant in the section about watering it. In this section, we’ll look at what the ideal soil for your Jade plant is and why it’s ideal.
Because your Jade Plant thrives in a dry climate, we’ll need soil that dries up entirely in a day or two. This is when pre-mixed succulent/cactus soil comes in handy. This soil mixture is rich in perlite and rocks. Perlite and rock-rich soil allows moisture to easily escape to the bottom of the container. This sort of soil does not retain a lot of moisture, making it ideal for plants that prefer dry surroundings. This quick-draining soil keeps your Jade Plant healthy by preventing overwatering.
How Do You Grow Jade Plants?
- Because jade plants grow top-heavy and fall over, choose a broad, durable pot with a modest depth.
- Use soil that drains well, as excess moisture might promote fungal diseases like as root rot. An all-purpose potting mix will work, but you will need to add more perlite to increase drainage. A 2:1 potting mix-to-perlite ratio is ideal. Use a pre-made succulent or cactus potting mix instead.
- Do not water a jade plant immediately after planting it. Waiting several days to a week between waterings allows the roots to settle and recuperate from any harm.
Older jade plants may have a thick, scaly trunk, giving them a traditional tree-like look.
Fertilizing your Jade Plant
A Jade Plant, like many other succulents and cacti, does not require extensive fertilization. It does not grow quickly, so you will not have to fertilize it every month, but it needs a small amount of fertilizer to thrive. You may encourage the growth of your Jade Plant by fertilizing it twice a year: once in the spring and once in the summer. When fertilizing your Jade Plant, make sure to dilute the fertilizer with water; otherwise, it will be too concentrated for your plant.
Fertilizing your Jade Plant in the winter
When your Jade Plant is dormant and not developing (as quickly) in the winter, you should not fertilize it. The fertilizer will not be used by your Jade Plant, and it will remain in the pot. This may cause the soil to become excessively salty over time, potentially killing your plant.
Is your Jade Plant toxic for pets?
Some plants are hazardous to both pets and humans, so keep them away from pets and small children. You’ve probably wondered if your Jade Plant is poisonous to pets and small children.
Unfortunately, your Jade Plant is harmful to your pets and little children, so keep it away from them. Because the sap of the Jade Plant includes rubber, it is extremely hazardous to pets. If your pet consumes your plant by accident, it might induce vomiting, depression, and heart problems. It is also mildly harmful to humans, causing vomiting and diarrhea.
If you have pets or little children, you should keep this plant away from them and keep a watch out for these signs. If you observe your pets eating this plant, contact your veterinarian immediately to avoid additional harm.
Conclusion
We’ve looked at how to care for your Jade Plant in our plant care guide. We’ve discussed how to water your Jade Plant, the optimal sunlight exposure for your Jade Plant, the best soil for your Jade Plant, how to properly feed your Jade Plant, and whether or not your Jade Plant is poisonous to your pets and children. The Jade plant is a lovely succulent that will thrive in any light spot in your home. If you want a houseplant that can grow large and live a long time, the Jade Plant is the plant for you.
Thank you for taking the time to read my content! I hope this information is useful in keeping your plants healthy and lovely!
