What to Do When a Jade Plant Grows Aerial Roots? A Few Simple Tips to Make It Thrive

The jade plant is a flower that many people love very much. It likes a warm, dry environment with plenty of light, its leaves are fairly thick and fleshy, and it stays evergreen all year round, so it looks great placed on a balcony or a south-facing windowsill. But many people find that as they grow their jade plant, it gradually develops white aerial roots, and its leaves are no longer growing as vigorously as before. What exactly is going on?

A jade plant will not produce aerial roots when its growing conditions are good. If aerial roots appear at its stem nodes, it is very likely that the potting soil has been dry for a long time, and the lack of water causes the aerial roots to grow. It is also possible that the jade plant's roots have rotted for various reasons. These are the two situations that cause it.

Aerial roots caused by a lack of water in the jade plant's potting soil

In many cases, a jade plant grows aerial roots because of a lack of water. If the jade plant's potting soil stays dry for a long time, it becomes very difficult for the jade plant's roots to absorb water from the soil, or they may even fail to absorb any water at all, so the jade plant cannot meet its normal water requirements. In order to absorb more water to sustain the jade plant's growth, its stem nodes have no choice but to grow aerial roots, so that the aerial roots can absorb moisture from the air.

So, if the jade plant grew aerial roots because its soil was too dry and it had not been watered for a long time, then at this point it is recommended that you water the jade plant in time and provide it with the water it needs for growth.

Aerial roots from root rot in the jade plant

Besides growing aerial roots because the soil is too dry and lacking water, a jade plant may also grow aerial roots because its roots have rotted. If the jade plant's roots rot, it can no longer absorb water from the soil through its roots to sustain its growth. At this point, the still-healthy stem node sections of the jade plant will grow aerial roots to provide the jade plant with water so that it can keep growing.

At this point, you can take it out of the pot in time and remove the bad roots, so that the jade plant can continue to grow normally.

A jade plant will not normally produce aerial roots. If aerial roots do appear, you can judge based on the condition of your own jade plant, find out the cause, and deal with it according to the cause.