I’ve always admired jade plants, and my daughter fell in love with this one when we were out yesterday. For $10, I couldn’t say no. But all I know is that they need lots of sun, are slow growing, and (I think?) need pruning from time to time. What’s your best tips for a thriving plant? Or any favorite resources to learn more about jades.
You got it all correct! I would add they don’t need a lot of water. Their leaves store a lot of water so water when the soil is completely dry!
1 likeFollow Planta schedule except monitory when it actually needs water. Planta can only guess. Snooze if necessary. I would also NEVER mist any plant. Doesn’t help with humidity. Only attracts viruses
4 likesA great way to check if it needs water is to stick a wooden skewer in the pot all the way to the bottom, leave it in for a minute, and if it comes out dry and clean, it’s time to water
3 likes Thanks everyone for the tips!
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It’s definitely an elephant bush. Their needs are similar, but I definitely suggest comparing Planta’s notes on it to the app’s notes on jade plants. They’re similar succulents, but each one can have different needs, like more sun than the other; more water, etc. My best tip is to frankly neglect it. Don’t worry about not watering it enough unless the leaves are changing. Make sure it gets plenty of light and avoids air vents or heaters, that the pot it’s in has drainage holes, and that the soil completely dries up between waterings. Yours looks very healthy so far, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it unless it suddenly changes. Good luck!
1 like Thank you for all the suggestions. It started dropping leaves like crazy for a couple weeks. I waited it out hoping it was just adjusting to a new environment, and finally a few days ago it stopped, and hasn’t lost one since. 🤞 I do have it near an air vent, so I will relocate!
1 like No problem! Jades are my absolute favorite. Mine’s been passed down from my abuela, actually. She gave a cutting of her original jade (which is probably about 50 years old now, and looks more like one big shrub or a very short tree in my aunt’s house) to each of her daughters so they’d all have a piece of her home in theirs. They’ve since given them to their daughters and it’s started a fun to tradition in my family.
0 likes Oh! And as for tips: - rotate the pot from time to time (about once every 1-3 months) so there’s more even distribution of light. Helps keep it from getting too heavy on one side - it’s ready to repot when the roots are poking out of the drainage holes at the bottom or gotten so bushy that the circumference of it is a lot larger than the circumference of the pot - I don’t know about elephant bushes, but as for your jades, mine likes to have the leaves gently wiped and have the soil cleared on any dried or fallen leaves about once every 3 months. Essentially gently dusting them with something as simple as a tissue from time to time helps the leaves absorb light better. I can’t recommend any specific websites, sadly, but I’ve figured most of this out through about 10 years of trial and error with my 30 year old Jade. I can only really speak from my experience here, but I’ve seen similar suggestions online, so I don’t think casually browsing articles about jade care could hurt!
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