Jade Plant Care Indoors: Water, Light, Pruning, Propagation

Jade plant care indoors is mostly about sun and restraint with water: give it a south or west window with at least four hours of direct light, grow it in a gritty cactus mix in a heavy pot with drainage, and water deeply only when the soil is completely dry. Feed lightly in summer, prune in spring to shape it, and keep it out of cold drafts.

Crassula ovata, also called money plant, friendship tree or lucky plant, comes from the dry hills of South Africa. It grows into a thick-stemmed miniature tree, can live for decades, and is one of the easiest plants to propagate. A well-grown jade has shiny, plump leaves edged with red; a struggling one goes leggy, drops leaves or turns mushy.

Jade plant care at a glance

Light

Jade plants love sun. The ideal indoor spot is right in a south-facing window, or a west window with afternoon sun. An east window can work if it's very bright. With good sun the leaves stay compact and develop red edges; in low light the stems stretch, the gaps between leaves get longer and the plant starts to lean.

Turn the pot every week or two so the plant grows evenly. If you move a jade from a dim room into full sun, do it over a week or two, as the leaves can scorch. Jades enjoy a summer outdoors in a sunny, sheltered spot, but bring them in before nights drop below about 10°C.

Short of sunny windows? A small LED grow light helps a lot. See grow lights for houseplants.

Watering

Jades store water in thick leaves and stems, so they cope with drought far better than with wet soil.

1. Check the soil all the way down. A wooden skewer pushed to the bottom should come out dry.
2. Water slowly and thoroughly until it drains out of the bottom.
3. Let it drain and empty the saucer.
4. Wait until it's completely dry again.

In a sunny window that's usually every two to three weeks in spring and summer and every four to six weeks in winter. The leaves are a good guide: firm and plump means fine; slightly soft or wrinkled means water; soft, yellow or translucent means too much. Our overwatered plant signs guide explains the differences in detail.

Soil and pots

Use a cactus and succulent mix with extra grit, or one part peat-free compost to one part pumice or perlite. Jades become top-heavy as they grow, so a heavy terracotta or ceramic pot only slightly wider than the root ball helps stop them toppling and lets the soil dry quickly. Use the soil mix calculator to work out quantities.

Temperature

Normal room temperatures are fine. A cooler winter spot (10–13°C) with less water is good for the plant and can trigger the small, star-shaped white or pink flowers that mature jades produce in late winter. Keep it well above freezing and away from frosty glass and radiators.

Feeding

Feed once a month from spring to late summer with a cactus fertiliser or a balanced fertiliser at half strength. Don't feed in winter or right after repotting. The fertilizer dilution calculator measures half strength.

Pruning and shaping

Pruning makes a jade thicker and more tree-like. Do it in spring or early summer.

1. Decide on the shape you want. Most people aim for a single thick trunk with a branching crown.
2. Cut just above a pair of leaves (a node) with clean, sharp secateurs.
3. Two new shoots usually grow from below each cut within a few weeks.
4. Remove weak, crossing or downward-growing branches.
5. Remove the lowest leaves on the trunk to show it off, if you like.

Don't remove more than about a third of the plant in one year. Keep the cuttings, as they root easily.

Propagating jade plants

Stem cuttings (fastest)

1. Cut a stem 8 to 15 cm long.
2. Remove the lower leaves and let the cutting dry for three to seven days until the cut end calluses.
3. Push it 2 to 3 cm into dry gritty mix.
4. Water lightly after a week and then only when dry. Roots form in two to four weeks.

Leaf cuttings

Twist off a whole, healthy leaf, let it callus for a few days, and lay it on gritty mix. Tiny roots and a new shoot appear in a few weeks. It's slower but you can make many plants from one.

See how to propagate houseplants for other methods.

Repotting

Jades like being slightly root-bound. Repot every two to four years in spring, going up only 2 to 5 cm in pot size. Let the soil dry before repotting, tease off old soil, check for rot, and wait a week before watering so any damaged roots can heal. The repotting pot size calculator helps you choose.

Common jade plant problems

Mealybugs on jade plants

Jades are one of the plants mealybugs like most, as the bugs hide where leaves meet the stem. Check those joints regularly. Dab bugs with 70% isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab. Some jades are sensitive to oil sprays, so test one leaf first.

Jade plant varieties

Jade plant care checklist

• ☐ Sunniest window, turned every couple of weeks
• ☐ Gritty mix in a heavy pot with a hole
• ☐ Water deeply only when fully dry
• ☐ Water monthly or less in winter
• ☐ Feed monthly at half strength in summer
• ☐ Prune in spring to shape
• ☐ Check leaf joints for mealybugs
• ☐ Keep away from pets

Sources and further reading

• Royal Horticultural Society: Crassula ovata, for cultivation and hardiness.
• University of Wisconsin Extension: Jade plant, for light, watering and propagation.
• ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants list, for pet safety.

More sun-loving plants: aloe vera plant care and succulent care indoors.