What Is the Jade Plant? A Detailed Guide to the Jade Plant

Many people like growing plants indoors, but they are not especially familiar with the correct ways to care for them. Today we will briefly introduce how to grow the jade plant and what to pay attention to, so let us take a look together.

Introduction to the Jade Plant

The jade plant, also known as jade tree, Crassula arborescens, glass plant, eight treasures, kanqing, wintergreen, and fleshy evergreen, Latin scientific name: Jadeplant, of the family Crassulaceae and the genus Crassula, also called yanzizhang, jingtianshu, glass plant, eight treasures, kanqing, wintergreen, fleshy evergreen, and fat baby. It likes a warm, dry, and sunny environment. It is not cold-tolerant, fears strong light, and tolerates slight shade. A fertile, well-drained sandy loam soil is best. In winter the temperature should not be lower than 7°C. The jade plant is native to southern Africa and can be used as an ornamental houseplant.

How to Grow the Jade Plant

1. Temperature

The suitable growing temperature for the jade plant is 20-30°C. Spring and autumn are the suitable growing seasons. In summer, when temperatures are high, it should be shaded or placed under tree shade to avoid direct strong sunlight. When the temperature exceeds 38°C, growth slows or it enters a brief dormancy. In winter it should be moved into a greenhouse or placed in a sunny spot indoors, with the room temperature kept at 7-10°C, and never lower than 5°C. If it drops below 0°C, it will freeze and die. During the growing season, except for shading needed during the hot summer, it should always be placed in a spot with plenty of sunlight.

2. Humidity

During the growing season, water the jade plant once every 2-3 days, but do not let the potting soil become too wet, and especially do not let water accumulate. In the hot summer, watering must be strictly controlled and ventilation increased, otherwise leaf drop is likely. In winter, watering should be reduced, and the potting soil is best kept slightly dry. After autumn begins, watering should be gradually reduced. When grown outdoors, avoid heavy rain washing over it, otherwise too much water accumulates at the roots and can easily cause root rot and death.

3. Fertilizing

During the growing season, apply topdressing, generally 2 to 3 times a month with diluted decomposed cake liquid fertilizer. When changing soil or before planting, apply enough base fertilizer. Decomposed organic fertilizers such as chicken manure, pigeon manure, bone meal, night soil and urine, and various cake fertilizers can all be mixed into the potting soil as base fertilizer. To keep the plant shape full, fertilizer and water should not be excessive, so as to avoid leggy growth.

4. Propagation

The jade plant is commonly propagated by cuttings. During the growing season, cut a plump, solid terminal branch 8-10 cm long, let it dry slightly, then insert it into a sand bed; it roots about 3 weeks after insertion. Single-leaf cuttings can also be used; after cutting the leaf, wait for it to dry, then insert it into a sand bed. It roots about 4 weeks after insertion, and when the roots are 2-3 cm long, pot it up.

5. Pruning

The jade plant can be pruned according to individual preference. If you like a round, full canopy, prune away leggy branches and branches that are too overlapping and crowded, so that the outer canopy is full and the inner branches are properly spaced. If the plant is old, with thick old stems and a canopy that is not very round, it can be pruned or styled as a stump bonsai, cutting away some branches and leaves according to the shaping needs. The jade plant is very easy to grow; the main thing is to give it more sun. Do not water it too much.

Notes on Growing the Jade Plant

Summer:

1. Strengthen air convection so that the heat inside the plant can be released;

2. Place the jade plant in a semi-shaded spot, or give it 50% shade;

3. Mist the jade plant appropriately, 2 to 3 times a day.

Winter:

1. In winter, move the jade plant indoors to a bright spot for care;

2. Outdoors, it can be wrapped in plastic film to overwinter, but every two days at noon, when the temperature is higher, the film must be opened to let it breathe.

That is all for the introduction to how to grow the jade plant. I believe that after reading this, everyone has gained some understanding of how to grow the jade plant. If any friends want to grow the jade plant, you can refer to the relevant points I have introduced.