How to grow a Jade Plant (Crassula ovata 'Gollum') well? Latest care methods explained
The Jade Plant is also known as Crassula ovata 'Gollum', 'Horn Tree', 'Horseshoe Jade', 'Horseshoe Red', etc. It is a succulent of the genus Crassula in the family Crassulaceae, grown mainly for its foliage, with emerald-green leaves that stay evergreen all year round. It is mostly used as a decorative piece for offices, living rooms and balconies, and a small number are used to make succulent bonsai. As an ideal small indoor foliage plant, it is a very popular premium choice. Let's take a look below at how to grow a Jade Plant well!
Growth habits of the Jade Plant
The Jade Plant originates from South Africa and is a horticultural variety; it can now be cultivated in many places around the world. The plant is shrub-like with many branches, with a distinct, round stem whose surface is yellow-brown or gray-brown, and in winter the edges of its cross-sections turn red. It likes a warm, dry environment with plenty of sunlight, tolerates drought and partial shade, and is not cold-hardy. Apart from avoiding scorching sun exposure during the high heat of midsummer, it should be given sufficient light in all other seasons.
Propagation methods for the Jade Plant
1. Leaf cuttings: Twist off mature, healthy tubular leaves from the middle and lower part of the plant, insert the base slightly at an angle into the medium with most of the leaf left exposed. Coarse sand sterilized with boiling water can be used as the medium. You can insert them at the edge of a flower pot, making full use of the leaves of other plants to shade the initial tubular leaves, using the “dappled light through flowers” to create a natural scattered-light environment and reduce water loss from the cutting leaves. At the same time, be sure to keep the water level above the surface of the potting soil; if it is dry, roots will not be induced.
2. Stem cuttings: Cut healthy, thick stems as cuttings, and remove the lower leaves first before cutting. After cutting, wait until the wound shrivels before inserting the cutting; this effectively prevents stem rot during rooting. If rot appears at the base, cut off the rotten part, let it dry, and then insert it. The best time for cuttings is spring or autumn, avoiding the humid, stuffy dog days and the cold, low-temperature winter.
3. Air layering: Soak a seedling block in water, then cut it open but not all the way through, and wrap it around the part that has aerial roots. Wrap it well and tie it firmly with a dark or black plastic bag, which helps with insulation and heat absorption and prevents sunlight from scorching the roots; use a syringe to add water. To prevent it from being top-heavy, a support can be set up for protection, and later when adding water, just add a small amount of diluted liquid fertilizer. Generally after 2 to 3 months it can be separated from the mother plant; when exposed roots are observed, cut it off, and coat the cut with sulfur powder, plant ash or cigarette ash.
How to grow a Jade Plant well?
1. Soil: The Jade Plant likes loose, breathable, light acidic soil, such as leaf mold soil or peat soil. You can also mix your own growing medium with a slightly acidic pH. Do not use heavy soil directly for cultivation.
2. Watering: When watering the Jade Plant normally, be sure the water is weakly acidic. In summer, during the dormant period, water less or even not at all; during the growing season you can spray the leaves to increase humidity, but be careful never to water too much.
3. Fertilizing: The Jade Plant does not have high fertilizer requirements; applying an appropriate amount of a full-element organic fertilizer once a month is enough.
4. Light: The Jade Plant needs sufficient sunlight for its leaf color to be vivid and its plant shape to be more compact and attractive. With too little sunlight, the leaf color becomes pale and green, the leaves are arranged loosely and stretched out, and the branches are very tender.
5. Repotting: The Jade Plant is a medium-to-large plant. As it grows, it can be repotted once every few years, and the pot diameter can be 2 to 3 cun larger than the plant diameter, which promotes plant growth. The medium must be dry before watering, and a slow-release fertilizer can be applied.