Put it in a shady spot that gets a little morning sun, then after a week put it in a sunnier spot, then after a week do so again. It should be fully acclimated in the fourth week.

Alternatively, some shade cloth above it will accelerate that process, in that you can put it out for a week or two, and then put it in full sun for most of the day, until, if you want, put it in a full-sun-all-day spot.

They can get sunburned, as you've found out, but it's only a temporarily-ugly situation.

Make sure you water it consistently and well when you're acclimatizing it.

I have had good luck with a double layer of shade cloth for the first month (April in Seattle) and a single layer for the rest of the summer. Some sun shade is necessary to keep my jade plant leaves intact and yield flowers in the winter. My jade also does well all summer in mottled shade under trees, although leaf production is less and it doesn't flower in winter.

I have tried the sun conditioning technique used by cactusmcharris, but without much success. I find that that the older leaves never adapt to direct sun, even after months of conditioning. During the conditioning period outside, the growing young leaves adapt to increasing sun, but the older leaves burn once the shade cloth is removed, unless they are shaded by the new growth. My jade is too lanky for the new leaves to shade the old.

Nevertheless, I repeat the same experiment every three years, when I remove the shade cloth after a few months of conditioning (due to my poor memory!) and fry the jade again...

In addition to the gradual acclimation to a sunny site as already described, when a heat wave is expected, rig temporary shade. Another option: Move the plant to a more protected site.

I have read the putting it in a south facing window is best. But my neighbor has a tree that blocks the sun during the spring and summer. So putting it out side would be better. Is filtered sun better than direct sun?

sunnydog where are you located? Full, all day sun in South Carolina is different than full all-day sun in Arizona different than full, all-day sun in Minnesota. I find all my houseplants do better when I get them outside for the summer. I am in NJ and unfortunately except for a small kitchen window on the south do not have good inside locations for my hobby. Any increase in sun should be gradual. Full sun outside is much brighter than full sun even next to a bright south window. Best to start them in a protected shady spot outside and gradually increase the sunlight exposure. Sun is much more intense in the middle of the day so start them off with more and more morning sun but shade during the hottest part of the day. They can take and thrive in full, all day sun once acclimated. Even if some leaves are burned they usually grow a LOT of new leaves when growing happy so any damaged ones can be removed. .

I had this problem with my tri-color jade. It was doing fine and then it got burned a few months later. I found out it also had to do with the angle of the sun later in the summer; thanks to another garden member...Josh

a potted plant.. is NOT a plant in nature ...

a full sun plant.. in nature.. is NOT equivalent to a full sun plant.. IN A POT ...

see the difference.. its all about being potted ...

houseplants in pots ... go in shade ... maybe some direct light in morn or dusk ... but NEVER during the heat of the day ... the pot just cant hold enough water.. properly.. for the plant not to burn .. the pot itself.. can get too hot.. and most things dont like hot roots ...

besides... after half a year in the darkness of the house.. bright outdoor shade is more than enough ... there is no real need to put them directly in sunshine ...

many options above.. of how to create shade ... i just use the north side of the house ...

BTW .. jade is the one houseplant..that i dont move.. nor take outside ... its not solid enough in the media for the moving.. nor wind ... but then.. i wouldnt claim to grow them with vigor.. lol ...

good luck

ken

what is the minimum temperature outside I should have to move my indoor jade outside?

(ps- I cannot for the life of me figure out how to start a new thread, which is why I am piggy-backing on this one. apologies.)

I wait until nighttime temps are staying around 50*F consistently. And I keep them in full sun (contrary to some statements above :) That is pretty well same with just about all succulents I have.

Ellen, do you know any local gardeners? In my zone, we can put things outside April 15 this year. I learned from people who grow in my area what the appropriate date is, it changes from year to year. It used to be Easter but it's gotten below 0C once or twice since then and it will again tonight.

I've been doing the transition dance with some of my plants, shuffling them in and out of the house when freezing temperatures are expected and just keep a close eye on the forecast with my local news weather app. I live in Oklahoma though; we have some of the best meteorologists in the country and the most cutting edge weather monitoring technology so I'm not sure if everyone has that luxury of a weather app where they live.

There is also a list of Last frost dates (and also First frost dates) available for different locations. I rather pay attention to temps overnight, since I wouldn't want to take plants in and out, and perhaps miss to protect them on sudden cold night/day - that is because I have many plats. If I had just few, I would probably make sure of minimum temps requirements for each plant and take them out earlier or later. Many will be OK in lower temps, but 50*F (approx. 10*C) is safe for most pants. Biggest problem could be wet soil/potting mix and sudden cold night/day.

ETA:
Here is one of the links where you can look up -FIRST and LAST FROST DATES- by zip code for USA. I am sure lists are available for other countries; this one lists Canada's provinces too (using Postal code). It also shows how long is the growing season (in days) and also altitude of location. There are lists available by zone too, but this may be, possibly, closer to each location.

Not all of my plants do the hokey pokey. Just a handful that I especially want to have as much sun as possible. I play favorites.

Ellenr22....to start a new thread first open the main page of the cactus and succulent forum in the usual way, then write a thread title in the appropriate box, and write your question in the bigger box, press ‘post’ to add it to the top of the page of threads...see pic below, ask if you get stuck! Gill.