Blog article by Michelle Davis
In March of 2014, a very dear friend gave me a cutting of her huge jade plant, Crassula ovata, actually a 4 to 5-foot tree, that she had on her west-facing front porch. She had planted the cutting in a 12-inch ceramic pot with a good drainage hole and had used a bagged succulent soil mix. Her own jade plant was in a 24-inch plastic container that would occasionally catch strong wind gusts and topple over. Pieces of her plant would break off, and she would pot them in a new pot or just stick them back in the soil of the existing container. I don’t think she ever added new soil or gave it any fertilizer. She would water it occasionally and take a look at it on days mail arrived, as it was close to her front porch mailbox. A Japanese maple planted nearby shielded her tree from scorching sun during Central Valley summers. It was cared for by neglect, and fortunately, jade plants survive on that.
Plant sales and plant exchanges often have jade plant cuttings. These are easy plants to grow. Take the cutting and trim it to the size you want, let the cut end dry out and callous over for a few days, and then stick the cut end in moist sand or succulent/cacti soil. Roots will develop over a few weeks, and the plant can be left in the container it had been place or transplanted. I have even seen neighbors place them directly in the soil under the protection of their home’s foundation. One neighbor has one plant facing the north, about a foot from the front of the house, and another facing the east, both partially covered by eaves. Both are thriving and pruned to resemble short lollipops.
Plants can be easily pruned to a desired shape. Many truly neglected jade plants could use a trim. The goal for healthy container jade plants is to have the branches all within the confines of the size of the pot. This is ideally done during spring or early summer, but this is not set in stone. No more than about 30% of the plant should be removed, and cuts should be made close to the leaf junctions (nodes). If made further up from a leaf node, the branch will die back to the node. Often, after pruning, 2 branches will take off from the cut node area, something to keep in mind when trying to reshape an overgrown plant .
During the hotter months, water enough to keep the soil a little bit moist, not saturated, and during the colder months, about once a month. If the leaves start dropping or looking wrinkled, and it has been a while since watering, give it water, but don’t let it sit in a tray with the drained water. Root rot does occur. Light is recommended to be indirect, bright, and at least 6 hours a day, and temperature above 45 degrees. Placement near a south or west-facing window is ideal. You will know a jade plant is getting enough light if the leaves have a little bit of a red edge. Remember, these plants can live upwards of 70 years. Also, know that, like many succulents, they are toxic to pets. My plant sits under my front porch facing south. I still haven’t seen any white or pink flowers yet, but maybe one day? I can enjoy my neighbors’ blooming jade plants for now.