Jade plant or Crassula ovata is one the easiest to grow succulent plants. You can use the stem or leaf to propagate it, and make new plants to enjoy, or give to your loved ones. The stem cuttings will grow easily even if you don’t have a green thumb.
As long as the stem is fresh and not totally damaged you can propagate it. All you need to do is to follow a simple technique which I will describe on the following lines. Enjoy!
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Everything starts with the right cut of the stem
The fastest way to grow a jade plant is to start with a stem cutting. You can use any size of cuttings from small to huge ones. But can you still do it with a broken stem? As mentioned, based on my experience, you can. You can still propagate a jade plant cuttings from a broken stem. As long as the rest of the stem is healthy and fresh, it can grow into a new plant again.
The first step you can do is to take the healthy part of the stem by cutting and separating the broken part. But make sure that your cutting tool is clean and free from any debris that could cause damage to the cutting, or other undesirable effect. If you want to do stuff like a pro, get this inexpensive universal garden cutter from Amazon, one which I personally use.
Leaf joints are where the roots will grow
If possible, retain at least 1-3 inches of the healthy part of the stem. This will allow it to have enough space for the roots to grow. Normally, the stem has sets of leaves attached to it. My recommendation is to remove a few sets of leaves. The more leaves you remove; the more leaf joints you have.
Doing this will increase your chances of growing more roots later on. The leaf joints are where the roots will grow. The propagation success rate, in this case, will be higher than if you kept all the leaves on. After cutting the broken stem from the healthy part of the stem, just let the bottom part of the stem to callus. This will take two to three days. During this process, I usually put the cutting on the clean paper towel.
At this phase, avoid watering the cutting. Just let the lower end of the cutting to callus. After several days (as soon as the cutting has callused), you can then transfer it into the top of a succulent soil mix (check my favorite one on Amazon, if you decide to buy I will earn a small commission since it is an affiliate link, which will help me to continue this website). That’s it. All you have to do is to wait for the miracle of nature to happen. The cutting will grow into a whole new plant.
How to Grow Jade Plants in General?
What I like the most about jade plants is that they are easy and quick to grow especially if you propagate using the stem. However, because jade plants are succulent plants, they need appropriate care. This is because these plants have special needs that needed to be attended to.
But don’t worry. As mentioned, caring for jade plants is super easy. Below are the things you need to remember to successfully grow a jade plant.
Reminder # 1: Appropriate Sunlight
Another thing that I like about jade plants is that they are great outdoor plants. They can survive in full sun. You can even expose these plants in the direct sunlight for four or more hours. Another bonus is that jade plants can also survive indoor. As long as you provide them access to light, they can thrive.
Reminder # 2: Enough Water
Like other succulent varieties, jade plants need water. But make sure you are not over-watering them. Just keep the soil moist but not totally wet. During the summer or hot season, they need more water than in winter or cold season. So I suggest that you water more during summer and reduce the amount of water and the watering frequency in winter.
Reminder # 3: Appropriate Temperature
In my experience, jade plants can thrive in warm areas. However, they are growing best in temperatures between 65-70 Fahrenheit during summer. In winter, they can stand cool 50 degrees Fahrenheit. If you are living in areas that have a 4-season cycle, then you should be mindful of the appropriate temperature for your succulents.
Reminder # 4: Appropriate Soil
As you might already know, succulent plants don’t grow well in compact soil. What they need is a fast-draining soil that has an ideal pH level. So if you are trying to nourish your jade plant and make it last for a long period of time, use the appropriate type of soil. Click here to view my recommended succulent soil mix on Amazon.
Reminder # 5: Fertilizer
It is true that succulents don’t need a super nutritious soil. But this does not mean that they don’t need an extra source of nutrients at all. In fact, they need to be fertilized during the growing season. During this period, it is important to give your jade plants the right fertilizer (click here to view my recommended succulent fertilizer on Amazon * this is an affiliate link, I may earn a small commission if you decide to purchase the fertilizer, which allows me to continue running the website).
Re-potting a Jade Plant
Plants grow bigger every year, and Jade Plant is no exception. The day will come when the original pot is too small for your beloved plant, and you need to give it more space to grow and thrive. The best season to to do this is in summer or warm season in general. Fortunately, re-potting jade plants is easy. Anybody can do it, following the 4 simple steps I will just describe.
- The first step is to make sure that the soil is dry. This is the reason why the warm season is the best time to change a pot of your jade plant, since the soil is usually drier in warm and dry weather,
- The second step is to gently remove the pot and make sure that the roots are free from the old soil. It is also important to remove all the dead roots if there are any.
- You can now place the jade plant in the new pot. Then fill the pot with fast-draining soil.
- After re-potting the jade plant, leave it for several days preferably one week without water. Then begin slight watering the plant. This will avoid root rot or other issues related to watering it too early, or simply putting in too much water…
Final Thoughts
Just like other succulent plants, jade plants have special needs. Some of the common needs of jade plants are appropriate light, temperature, soil, water, etc. Failure to provide these needs may result in many issues.
Further, jade plants are also susceptible to diseases and issues. Fungi, insects, over and under watering are some of them. So make sure to monitor your jade plant every now and then to keep it safe and healthy. If you do things well, however, Jade Plant is easy to grow from a broken stem, and you can always grow some new plants for your home, garden, or for your friends…
FAQ
Q: Can you root a jade plant in water?
A: Although jade plants are hardy succulents, they cannot root in water. They need soil for their roots to grow.
Q: How do I make my jade plant bushy?
A: You can make a jade plant bushy by removing the growing tip. The pinch site will grow new sprouts. But do this in your young jade plants. It does not work well in a grown jade plant.
Q: Do jade plants need direct sunlight?
A: Jade plants grow well in direct sunlight but they can also thrive indoors as long as they get light they need. While indoor, you can place them near the south-facing windows.
Q: Do jade plants clean the air?
A: Yes, jade plants help clean the air by absorbing toxic chemicals or VOCs. They are not only good for aesthetic purposes but also for health.
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