Thick evergreen leaves that store their own water, and, on a plant that feels truly settled, a rare scatter of summer flowers that bees make straight for. The jade plant (Crassula ovata) asks almost nothing of its keeper and trims readily into a bonsai shape; water as little as you dare, and it will live for years.
| Name | Crassula ovata |
|---|---|
| Family | Crassulaceae |
| Type | bonsai, succulent plant |
| Height | 1 ½ feet (50 cm) |
| Exposure | well-lit |
| Soil | light, well-drained |
| Foliage | evergreen |
| Flowering | summer |
Caring for it is something anyone can succeed in, even though to keep it beautiful these tips will be very useful.
The jade plant is native to South Africa and adapts well to mild climates.
It is preferable to grow your jade plant indoors if you expect freezing over the winter. Indeed, the slightest frost would kill it.
Jade plants can be propagated by preparing cuttings from young stems.
It is usually quite easy to get the jade plant to sprout roots.
Although caring for jade plants is straightforward, a few tips will help you grow a very nice, long-living plant:
Jade plant flowers in summer, and its flowers are great for pollinating insects like bees. However, it’s a pretty rare occurrence and the jade tree must feel very much at home before blooming!
To grow a jade plant as a bonsai, a few pruning tips are applicable:
The jade plant can grow to be quite dense, so its root system must be well developed to counter the weight of its leaves and branches.
If you restrict the watering, you’ll force the roots to delve deeper for moisture, thus making them grow.
In any case, it is important to wait for the soil to have dried well before watering, in which case it is also better to water once rarely with a significant amount instead of many moderate sessions.
Leaves from succulents are loaded with water. If they start collapsing, it shows that they need more water.
Watering is the single thing that decides whether a jade plant thrives or rots. The rhythm changes through the year, and in every case the soil must have dried out first.
| Period | Watering frequency | Point to check |
|---|---|---|
| During the blooming | 1 to 2 waterings a week | Only water once the soil has dried well |
| Outside the blooming season | 1 to 2 waterings a fortnight | Restricted watering drives roots deeper |
| Winter | 1 light watering a month | That is largely enough |
| Any time leaves collapse | Water more generously | Soft, collapsing leaves mean thirst |
Better one rare, generous watering than many moderate sessions, since rot from excess water is the plant’s main enemy.
The jade plant resists most diseases and parasites very well, normally you won’t need to treat it.
You might occasionally encounter scale insects (also called mealybugs), but they’re easy to get rid of.
However, its main enemy is rot due to excess watering.
Mealybugs hide as small white cottony tufts in the leaf axils and along the undersides, so dab each one with a cotton bud dipped in surgical spirit.
A few Jade plants were identified or bred by passionate growers, and they host beautiful colors and shapes that are at times surprising.
Beyond the plain green species, a handful of named jade plants turn up regularly in garden centres and succulent catalogues. The table below sets out how they differ in leaf shape, colouring and overall bulk, so you can pick the one that suits your windowsill or bonsai pot.
| Variety | Leaf form | Leaf colouring | Habit | Grown for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ‘Hummel’s Sunset’ | Flat, oval | Golden yellow, red margins | Medium, bushy | Brightest colour in strong light |
| ‘Lemon & Lime’ | Flat, oval | Green with yellow striping | Medium | Soft two-tone variegation |
| ‘Variegata’ | Flat, oval | Green and cream | Medium | Lighting up a shaded shelf |
| ‘ET’s Fingers’ | Tubular, flared tips | Green with red tips | Medium | Unusual finger-like shape |
| ‘Crosby’s Compact’ | Small, oval | Green with deep red margins | Dwarf, dense | Small pots and dish gardens |
| ‘Gollum’ | Tubular, hollowed tips | Green, red rims | Medium, upright | Sculptural novelty and bonsai |
| ‘Hobbit’ | Rolled, spoon-like | Green, red edges | Compact | Windowsill curiosity, bonsai |
| ‘Tricolor’ | Flat, oval | Green, cream stripes, pink edge | Medium | Variegated foliage interest |
| ‘Obliqua’ | Broad, pointed | Plain green | Tall, tree-like | Classic trunked specimen |
Native to South Africa, the jade tree is a very beautiful succulent with particularly appealing leaves.
With its reduced need for care, it poses practically no difficulty to the caretaker and is easily trimmed to a bonsai shape.
Although excess water is what most often kills it, it also likes having alot of light, but not scorching direct sun, as when behind a window.
You can set it in a pot or a garden box, along edges or on rocky ground.
Collect fallen or broken leaves and arrange them on cactus potting mix. Ensure moisture by spraying or misting from time to time and you’ll see new jade tree seedlings sprout!
