How to plant and maintain the jade tree? The step-by-step guide

2023-04-29 12:06:02

Do you like indoor plants that are resistant and easy to grow? The jade tree may be a good choice for you! If you do not know how to plant or maintain this succulent, we guide you in this article, step by step.

Jade tree. Source: spm

To get new jade plants, just plant cuttings. It only takes a few minutes.

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Plant the stem of Crassula ovata

If you know someone who has a large jade plant, you can ask them to cut a stem to use as a cutting. It is best to take a thick stem with healthy leaves. Use clean pruning shears when cutting the stem, and be sure to keep a few inches between the leaves and the bottom of the stem. This way, you won’t have to remove the leaves when you go to plant your cutting. Here are the steps to follow to plant the cutting and successfully root it.

1. Allow the cutting scar to air dry in a dry place until a thin scab forms at the site of the cut. So you can get a healthy plant. Note that the larger the cutting, the longer it will need to dry out;
2. Sprinkle the stem with a rooting hormone. This is a mixture of plant hormones that promote the growth of cuttings;
3. Fill a pot with special potting soil for succulents. If you want to use your own potting soil, no problem! Just try to add a handful of sand to aid drainage. Do not use regular potting soil for your cutting, as it is too heavy for the cutting to root. Make sure the pot contains a drainage hole to help water run off;
4. Make a hole in the ground with a pencil or your finger;
5. Place the stem in the hole, making sure the rooting hormone is covered;
6. Tamp the soil around the stem;
7. Place your pot in a sunny location, but not in direct sunlight. New shoots will appear following 4 weeks.

While rooting your cutting, avoid watering it. This can rot the stem and kill your plant. If you want to transfer your crassula to a larger pot, wait until it has developed roots.

Plant the crassula ovata leaf

Instead of the stem, you can also plant a crassula leaf. Here’s how you can do it.

1. Take a leaf with a stem fragment from a healthy, mature crassula. Without the stem, the cutting may not root;
2. Let the cutting rest in a dry, warm place until the cutting dries and heals;
3. Sprinkle a rooting hormone, also called rooting hormone, on the cutting. This helps the cuttings root better in the soil;
4. Plant the cutting in a potting mix made up of equal parts soil and perlite. You don’t need to bury the whole cutting in the potting mix;
5. Place your pot in a warm, bright place;

After a few days, new shoots will appear.

The Money Plant. Source: spm

To successfully care for indoor plants, four parameters must be taken into account: water, temperature, light and fertilizers.

How do I know if my jade tree needs water?

Be careful when watering your plant. Don’t be heavy handed! If your plant is overwatered, its roots may rot. Watering once a week is sufficient. Moreover, succulents are not greedy in water. Their fleshy leaves help store water. They can then resist watering omissions. In winter, limit watering to once a month. If you are watering your plant from below, remember to remove excess water from the saucer.

Before watering your plant, first check if it needs water. For that, here is what you can do:

1. Stick your finger into the soil. If it still feels damp, don’t water your plant. But if you feel that the soil is dry, in this case, hydrate the substrate of your crassula.
2. Check the appearance of the foliage. If the leaves are swollen, it means your plant is overwatered. But if its leaves are shriveled, it means that your plant lacks water and therefore needs to be watered. Choose non-calcareous or filtered water. Tap water contains salts and minerals that can harm your plant.

According Madison Moulton, gardening expert, healthy leaves are green, shiny and plump. If the edges are starting to look shriveled, it means your plant is under-watered. Indeed, when the soil is dry, the leaves store little water. This explains the crumpled appearance of the leaves. This lucky tree certainly grows in warm regions, but keep in mind that even if the crassula does not need a lot of water or frequent watering, it cannot go long periods without water.

Water the jade tree. Source: spm

Where to place the tree of luck?

The crassula ovata likes light. Moreover, a lack of light may retard the growth of your plant. Avoid exposing it to direct sunlight. You risk burning the foliage of your plant, if it is still young. As for mature plants, they are likely to develop red tips on their leaves. The jade tree needs partial shade exposure between 4 to 6 hours a day. Place your plant in a bright spot. Moreover, the light encourages the flowering of the crassula ovata. Note that getting this succulent plant to flower is not easy. Only mature varieties can flower. If your crassula is still young, you will have to wait a few years before you see small white flowers appear in the form of stars.

Also, the jade tree fears cold and frost. During the day, it prefers a temperature between 18 and 24°C. At night, the crassula tolerates a temperature between 10 and 13°C.

When should I prune my succulent?

Regular pruning of the jade tree is not necessary. Prune the crassula if it does not grow uniformly, or if it is infected with pests. Pruning can also help your plant grow vigorously. Prune your crassula in the spring, before new growth appears, or immediately following flowering.

When to fertilize the jade tree?

The jade tree only needs to be fertilized once a year. In winter, the crassula enters a dormant period. When plants are in a period of vegetative rest, their growth slows down. They can then do without fertilizer. Plant growth resumes in the spring. That said, fertilize your plant during its vegetative growth period. This lasts from early spring to early fall.

Should crassula be repotted?

When the jade plant grows, its roots also grow. The pot can then become cramped for your plant. Hence the usefulness of repotting it. Moreover, young plants need to be repotted every 2 or 3 years and older plants every 4 or 5 years. To do this, it is recommended to:

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1. Repot the crassula in a pot slightly larger than its starting pot.
2. Use a fresh and draining soil. You can also buy a special soil for succulents or cacti. The soil should be neutral or slightly acidic. It must also be draining to prevent stagnation of humidity, and thus avoid rot.
3. Add perlite to the potting mix to promote drainage, or choose a terracotta or clay pot, to wick away excess moisture.
4. Carry out the repotting at the beginning of the growth period of the crassula, that is, in early spring.

To keep your crassula ovata for a long time, also pay attention to the attacks of mealybugs on the foliage of your plant. It is these pests that the crassula fears the most. Scale insects usually lodge under the leaves of the jade tree. You can remove them using a cotton swab or a cloth dipped in rubbing alcohol.

Thanks to this practical guide, you will succeed in planting and caring for the money plant. This houseplant will be able to develop healthily, and even last a long time!

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