Provide Jade Plants with Benign Neglect

Jade plants are more often killed by kindness, meaning too much water and fertilizer, than a lack of attention. Increase your success with a bit of benign neglect.

Grow jade plants in a cool draft-free location within 4 feet of the sunniest window available. They prefer daytime temperatures in the mid 60’s to mid 70’s with cooler temperatures throughout the winter and at night.

In winter, water plants thoroughly when the top few inches of soil start to dry. During the warmer, brighter and longer days of summer you will need to water a bit more often, keeping the soil just slightly moist. Pour off excess water that collects in the saucer to avoid root rot.

A spring and summer fertilization is usually sufficient. And don’t be anxious to repot jades. They have a small root system compared to their top growth and prefer to be potbound.

A bit more information: Jade plants are native to the Cape Providence of South Africa. They are hardy in zones 10 and 11 and are grown outdoors year round in southern Florida and California. For more on the care of these succulents, read the NC State Extension publication Indoor Plant Selection and Care.