How's my jade (crassula ovata) doing? :D
About September or so last year I was working for Plant Nite and took home one of the demo pieces I did one night. It had 6 small jade plants crammed into a glass globe. I repotted them into a re-purposed wooden box with a liner and kept them on my office desk which has florescent lights and a skylight on the weekends. Then over the winter I took them home and repotted them a second time, splitting the 6 plants into 2 groups of 3. I used my own mix of cactus soil w/50% perlite and course sand. They were in plastic pots at that time. They didn't do much over the winter and I decided to actually repot them again into proper terracotta pots, keeping the same mix and topping them with aquarium rock to keep it looking neat.
I brought them into my office and they've been sitting on a west north-west facing window since about January.
When I got them, they were about 3" tall and very dark, emerald green with purple edging.
Have a look today:
Plant #1 Top Down View
Plant # 1 Side View
Plant #2 Top Down View
Plant #2 Side View
So, how are they doing? Their leaves have become very broad and there is almost always a new growth pair of leaves once the current one folds out. I have not pruned them in any way, as I'm waiting to see how they grow. Any splitting that's been done (as you can see on Plant #2 side view) is completely natural. They are not yet too top heavy so I have not worried about prunning. The bottom stems are just starting to get thick and sturdy.
I water them about every ~2-3ish weeks depending. The office environment is very dry so in the terracotta the soil usually dried out completely before I give it a good soak. I also feel the leaves and if they feel like they're starting to lose their plumpness I also water. The last three weeks have been very rainy and gloomy here in Mass. and today was the first gorgeously sunny day in some time, so I wanted to get some good, full sun pictures. Also, I've seen no sun burning on any of the leaves.
Thanks, all! Hoping I can bring these guys up to be big woody jade trees :D
Comments (12)
rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoJenna (Massachusetts 6a)
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Jade tree (Crassula ovata & arborescens) as bonsai ... pics
Comments (72)Hi Ben.. I live in a 3rd story apartment in London Over the past few years I have been growing some Crassula to provide partial window screening.. My original plan was to have them shaped something like African savannah trees. It has sort of worked.. Although not strictly savannah like, this one has turn out best I think.. One problem I have is the older leaves tend to fold down, which is not bad, but not so savannah like. I would prefer if they were more horizontal. Any advice on that? Great page by the way, there are many useful tips here.. Ian...See MoreHAVE: Several Crassula Ovata (Jade plants) 4 trade!
Comments (1)Hello! I'd love have one or more of your Jade plants if any are left. Would you be willing to trade for organic herbal soaps, lotions, toiletries or soy candles? I can make a soy candle in the scent of your choice if you'd like. Please let me know. Thanks! Pamela pamela -at- fohho -dot- c o m...See MoreHow often does my Jade (Crassula ovata) need water?
Comments (0)The common Jade plant, Crassula ovata, is one member of a large family of plants, the Crassulaceae. Most members are from the old world, although a few are from the Western Hemisphere. This FAQ will discuss the Jade plants, and other similar species can be treated similarly. Crassulas are generally succulents, and will usually grow a new plant from a single leaf. Few are frost tolerant, although temps. just above freezing will promote bloom. They grow outside only in a few areas of the US and Europe, so the focus here is on Jades as houseplants. When days grow short and nights are cool, Jade plants in habitat receive most of their yearly rain and also do the majority of their growing. Often times the Jades in the house also react by shedding copious amounts of leaves, leading many people to water their plant. This is to be avoided because the result can be a sudden collapse of the plant. Always allowing the plant to get very dry before watering thoroughly will keep the plant healthy. The dropping of leaves just before new growth begins is normal. To encourage bloom, allow the plant to go without water around the time of the first frost. When the days get short, withhold the water completely and let the plant withstand the cool nights. Several weeks of this dry, cold treatment followed by regular watering will result in blossoms around the shortest day of the year. Regular watering, or nights too warm, and the plant will remain healthy, but bloomless. Propagating many of the Crassulas involves detatching a healthy leaf and placing it on suitable soil. Out of the sun, but in bright light, about a month later roots will form. Watering while the plant is forming roots is unnecessary and can be deleterious if the plant starts to rot. Without roots, the water is wasted as the plant has no means to transport it into the leaf. Stems laid or planted in the soil also will root, the only requirement is that they be sound. Rooting is also easiest when days are shortest, Nov/Dec in the Northern Hemisphere. A yearly cycle for an indoor Jade is usually growth in the early spring, and the plant gets regular water (dilute fertilizer if desired), summer when there is little growth visible and the plant should be allowed to go very dry between waterings. In the fall, around the Equinox, the nights lengthen and cool, and if the plant experiences the cool then water should be withheld, and expect leaf drop as well as some of the branches. If the plant is indoors, it still will likely shed in preparation for the main growing season- the late fall/early winter. When new growth shows (after bloom if the plant flowers), water and fertilizer can be given, but always allow the plant to dry before drenching it thoroughly....See MoreMy Collection of Jades - Crassula Ovatas so far (Need ID Help too!!)
Comments (28)Thanks Erica!! Jades weren't always the top of my priority in my collection, but once they are established, they are very beautiful and faithful growers. Unyieldingly showing great colors and shapes. The variegated breeds are much more tender, I still keep them under lights. When they burn, they really sulk for months. All the photos were taken this past weekend, so to answer your question, these are all their current state now. I believe the 'Red Horn Tree' can get even redder with colder temps and higher light. I think mine has quite a while to go.. This is how mine looks during the winter when I first got it. What is your more moisture retentive mix? I have a similar issue with my 'Skinny Finger' jade and my 'Break Dancer' jade. Now I lose the bark, and I replace it with rich loam, pumice and growstones. So my mix comprises of Turface, Grit, Pumice, Growstones and Loam (I love the fox farm ones). If I want it to retain more moisture, I just add more loam and turface. Almost immediately I see the jades react faster and hold tighter in the new mix. In the winter, since most of my plants were under lights, I kept them in nursery trays, and I water the tray every few days when its bone dry - because we usually have the heater on. The bottom watering method works really well on cuttings as it encourages the roots to dig deeper, and at the same time it doesn't wet the surface soil causing rot at the stem. If you have some budget, try investing in a seedling mat and do the bottom watering method - give bright filtered light (aka behind a window is good enough). My cuttings grow relatively well when all these conditions are ideal. btw - I went to theBrooklyn Botanical Garden Sale, it was MAYHEM! Even on the members day. There weren't much C&S in general, but if you love plants, there were an array of collections. My highlight was seeing a couple drag home the massive $40 jade plant and a couple of giant cacti....See More
mesembs
6 years agorina_Ontario,Canada 5a
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoJenna
Sunlight will loose quite a bit of intensity passing thru the glass. And many windows are low E/UV protection. It may be very bright to us, but not as intense as we think to plants - definitely not in our zones IMO.
I keep all succulents outdoors as soon as it is warm enough. They stay in full sun from sunrise 'till sunset. Few succulents do not need so much sun, so they are in location where there is mostly morning sun.
Aquarium gravel will work, sometimes it could be bigger than ideal. As grains are getting bigger, there will be more difference in size between soil and grit and it may loose some of the drainage. Many of us use chicken grit - these particles are very close in size to perlite (or pumice and turface if using), especially if sifted (I sift or at least rinse perlite):
You said: ..."I used my own mix of cactus soil w/50% perlite and course sand"... If I understand correctly, there is 50% C&S soil, and other 50% is made of perlite and grit. I think that's pretty good - personally, I wouldn't be afraid of using less soil (if any) and more of the other 2 ingredients. Doesn't mean you need to change your mix, as long as it is draining well and doesn't stay wet for too long.
Your plants look nice - uniform growth, shiny leaves and they are not 'bending' toward light source. I see new growth everywhere. The reddish color will be there in more sunlight - but they do not look light-hungry (etiolated, discolored) now. If you have garden or terrace or balcony, maybe you can keep 1 pot indoors and 1 outdoors, to see if any difference. If you do that, make sure that plant going outdoors as acclimatized to sunlight - they will definitely get sunburn if not (difference between strong light indoors and direct sunlight outdoors is quite big - sunburn happens same to plants as to ppl :).
socks
6 years ago
greenclaws UK, Zone 8a
6 years agoJenna (Massachusetts 6a)
6 years ago
bunkfree_4a_canada
6 years agoThey look good :) not stretched out and gangly like mine were before I knew how to take care of succulents. Egads.
Do you have a south window available? I've grown mIne mostly indoors, and they can still colour up in a window :)
here's couple pics of one of mine from last summer. I cut up the octopus above and made many new little plants.
The one above got those huge leaves when I had the cutting in my kitchen away from all windows/light. Once I moved it into the south window, it coloured up beautifully and the leaves grew in more compact.
Below, the same plant, today (after a long winter, where is the sun already?!?). She needs a little haircut, I think.
Kd
Jenna (Massachusetts 6a)
6 years agobunkfree_4a_canada
6 years agorina_Ontario,Canada 5a
6 years agoJenna
Sometimes, even shadier spot outdoors gives more intense light to plant than light thru the windows. And fresh air is very good for plants too.
I kept mine under light during winter (no natural light in that area of basement) and they stayed colored a bit. But most are just about green:
Jenna (Massachusetts 6a)Original Author