Jade Plant
Crassula ovata
Through the year 🗓️
☀️ Summer now
Loves heat and sun; water when the leaves lose a little of their gloss.
🍂 Fall
Cut water back sharply. Cooler, drier conditions set up its winter rest.
❄️ Winter
A cool (50–60 °F), dry rest encourages spring flowers; water sparingly.
🌱 Spring
Wake-up season: increase water slowly and prune for shape before new growth hardens.
The details
Light & placement
- Light
- Bright light with 4+ hrs of direct sun
- Ideal PPFD
- 300–600 µmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹
- Grow-light distance
- 12–18 in below LED
Water & feed
- Watering method
- Soak-and-dry: water at the base, let it drain, then let the soil dry fully. Reduce sharply in winter.
- Fertilizer
- Cactus/succulent or balanced feed at ½ strength, every 4–6 wks in spring–summer; none in winter.
Home & habit
- Soil
- Fast-draining cactus/succulent mix; pH 6.0–6.5
- Humidity
- Low (30–50%)
- Temperature
- 65–75 °F (tolerates cool winters)
- Mature size
- 2–3 ft (slow-growing)
- Repotting
- Every 2–3 yrs; prefers a heavy pot
- Propagation
- Stem or single-leaf cuttings (let cut ends callus 2–3 days first); division.
When something looks wrong
- Overwatering signs
- Soft, mushy, yellowing leaves that drop easily; stem rot
- Underwatering signs
- Wrinkled, shriveled, puckered leaves
- Common pests
- Mealybugs, scale, spider mites
Common problems 🩺
The usual suspects when Jade Plant looks unhappy. Most houseplant trouble is watering or light, not disease — see all plant problems if you are not sure which plant is the culprit.
Wrinkled, shrivelled leaves
Likely cause
Underwatering — unusual for a jade, but it does drink in summer.
What to do
Water thoroughly and let it drain; the leaves firm back up in a few days.
Soft, yellow, dropping leaves
Likely cause
Overwatering. Jade rots fast in wet soil.
What to do
Let the soil dry out fully, use gritty mix, and water only when the leaves start to soften.
Leggy, stretched growth
Likely cause
Not enough light.
What to do
Give it several hours of direct sun; it grows thick and tree-like in bright light.
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