Am I Taking Good Care Of My Jade Plant?

Did you place your jade plant in a spot where it can get at least 4 hours or more of indirect sunlight?

Is your jade plant planted in well-drained potting soil for succulents and cacti?

Do you keep it in a warm room, with temperatures consistently above 55 °F?

Do you water your jade plant only when the top inch of the soil is dry during the growing period?

Do you water your jade plant often during the dormancy period?

Did you feed your jade plant?

Do you keep your jade plant free of pests and diseases?

Move your jade plant to a sunnier location. They need full sun to grow properly. If they do not have full sun, they may become stunted and leggy. South-facing windows are a good choice for jade plants.

Repot your jade plant. A well-drained succulent mix is best, with an ideal pH of around 6.0 (slightly acidic). Alternatively, an all-purpose potting mix will work, though you will want to mix in additional perlite to improve drainage. A 2:1 ratio of potting mix to perlite is good.

Warm up your room. Jade plants grow best at room temperatures at about 65° to 75°F, but prefer slightly cooler temperatures at night and in the winter, down to 55°F. Jade plant is not frost tolerant, so if you keep yours outdoors during the summer, be sure to bring it inside once temperatures begin to fall to around 50°F (10°C) in autumn.

During the summer and spring, jade plants should be watered often so the soil is moist but not wet, making sure drainage is immaculate. You should water your jade plant when the top of the soil is just dry to the touch. This means that you could end up watering it once or twice a month—it depends on how quickly the soil dries out. Jade plants can be sensitive to salts in tap water, so water with filtered or distilled water.

In the fall and winter, when the plant goes dormant, it will slow its growth. During this time, it doesn't need much water. Water it even less often than in the spring and summer, allowing the soil to dry out fully between waterings. Well-established jades may not need more than one or two waterings throughout the entire dormancy period.

Feed your jade plant with a controlled-release fertilizer at the beginning of the season or weekly with a weak liquid solution. Use a balanced 20-20-20 fertilizer at one-quarter strength on mature plants, and a fertilizer with less nitrogen on young plants.

Good job! You are taking good care of your jade plant.

Indoor plants like jades are usually safe from pests, but keep an eye on small insects like aphids, mealybugs or scales. If the pests do appear, use a spray bottle of water or wipe the insects off gently with a bit of rubbing alcohol on a paper towel or cotton swab. Also, maintain good watering practices to avoid root rot and other fungal problems.