Jade plant

About Jade plant

The jade plant is a slow, long-lived South African succulent that builds a thick brown trunk and branches topped with glossy, fleshy oval leaves, so an old one looks like a little tree (NC State, Clemson). It wants a sunny window and very little water, tolerates a cramped pot for years, and can outlive its owner; mature plants grown outdoors in warm climates cover themselves in starry white-pink flowers, though it rarely blooms indoors.

Hardy outdoors only in zones 11-12 (NC State, Penn State); it is grown indoors everywhere and can summer outdoors in part shade once nights stay above about 50 F, coming back in before the first frost (Penn State, Clemson).

When to plant

Timing is counted from your average last spring frost (and first fall frost). Sow & Tell works out the actual dates for your ZIP code.

Usually bought as a nursery plant or started from a stem or leaf cutting, which root easily in dry succulent mix (Clemson, NC State).

Growing it indoors

• Light: Wants at least 4 hours of direct sun a day, ideally a south window; in low light it grows leggy and pale, and NC State suggests some afternoon shade indoors in summer (Clemson, Penn State).
• Water: Penn State waters only when the mix is completely dry, then thoroughly; Clemson keeps it a little moister in spring and summer and lets it dry out fully between waterings in winter. Keep water off the leaves, never let the pot stand in water, and let the mix dry after repotting (Clemson).
• Humidity: Ordinary dry room air is fine; no misting needed (Iowa State on succulents).
• Temperature: Clemson gives 50-55 F nights and 65-75 F days (MU Extension suggests 65 F nights); keep it away from winter drafts and cold glass.
• Feeding: Clemson feeds a liquid houseplant fertilizer once every 3-4 months; Penn State says a balanced liquid fertilizer 2-3 times in spring and summer; both say wait 4 months after repotting before feeding.
• Repotting: Every 2-3 years as new growth starts in spring, though it is happy root-bound for years; move a top-heavy plant into a wide, heavy pot and go easy on water afterward (Penn State, Clemson).

Soil

A very well-drained cactus mix, or 1 part sterilized potting soil, 1 part sphagnum peat and 3 parts coarse sand, in a clay pot with a drainage hole (Clemson, Penn State).

Pot in a very well-drained cactus mix, or 1 part potting soil, 1 part peat and 3 parts coarse sand, in a pot with a drainage hole (Clemson, Penn State).

Feeding

• Spring and summer, while it is growing: balanced liquid houseplant fertilizer. Penn State feeds 2-3 times over spring and summer; Clemson feeds once every 3-4 months. Water first, and wait 4 months after repotting before the first feeding.
• Fall and winter: none. No feeding while it rests and the mix is kept drier (Clemson, MU Extension).

Overfeeding gives leggy, weak growth; a lean, sunny, dry jade is a sturdy one (Penn State).

Varieties (15)

Pests to watch for

Mealybugs, Twospotted spider mite, Scale insects, Aphids

Diseases and problems

Root and crown rot

In the kitchen

Safety: NC State lists no human poisoning for jade plant, but it flags it as a problem for cats, dogs and horses, so keep it where pets can't chew it.

Pets: Toxic to dogs, cats and horses (ASPCA, listed under its old name Crassula argentea): the toxic principle is unknown; signs are vomiting, depression and incoordination.