Jade plants, also known as Crassula ovata or money plants, are popular succulents prized for their resilience and ease of care. Jade plants require little maintenance indoors and can live up to 70 years if given the right care. This plant can grow up to six feet in height, although it grows slowly, gaining only two inches in height a year. If you want to multiply your jade plant to expand your succulent collection, you’ve come to the right place. Here are the two most popular methods for propagating a jade plant: in water or soil.
How To Propagate A Jade Plant In Water
Propagating jade plants in water is a straightforward method that requires minimal materials and effort. Here’s a step-by-step guide to successfully propagate your jade plant in water:
Step 1: Select healthy cuttings
Choose a healthy jade plant stem with no signs of damage or disease. Use clean, sharp scissors or pruning shears to take a cutting about 2-3 inches long.
Step 2: Remove lower leaves
Gently remove the lower leaves from the cutting, leaving a bare stem at the bottom. This will prevent rotting when the cutting is placed in water.
Step 3: Prepare A Container
Fill a clean glass or jar with water, ensuring that the bottom nodes of the cutting will be submerged in water while the upper part remains above the waterline.
Step 4: Place The Cutting In Water
Carefully insert the prepared cutting into the water-filled container, ensuring that the bare stem is submerged while the leaves remain above the water level.
Step 5: Provide lndirect Light
Place the container in a bright location with indirect sunlight. Avoid placing it in direct sunlight, as this can cause the water to heat up and promote algae growth.
Step 6: Change Water Regularly
Replace the water in the container every few days to prevent stagnation and ensure the cutting has a fresh water supply.
Step 7: Monitor Root Growth
Over time, you’ll notice tiny roots emerging from the nodes of the cutting. Once the roots are about 1-2 inches long, your jade plant cutting is ready to be transferred to soil.
Step 8: Transplanting
Carefully remove the cutting from the water and plant it in well-draining succulent soil. Water the newly planted cutting lightly and place it in a bright location with indirect sunlight.
Step 9: Maintain moisture
Keep the soil lightly moist but not soggy, allowing it to dry out between watering to prevent root rot.
Step 10: Monitor Growth
Continue to care for your propagated jade plant as it establishes itself in its new soil environment. With proper care and patience, your cutting will grow into a healthy and thriving jade plant.
How To Propagate A Jade Plant In Soil
Propagating jade plants in soil is another effective method that encourages robust root growth and establishes healthy new plants. After selecting healthy cuttings, you can follow the below guide to regrow a new jade plant:
Step 1: Callous Over
Allow the cut end of the jade plant cutting to callous over for a few days in a dry, shaded area. This helps prevent rotting when the cutting is planted in soil.
Step 2: Prepare Potting Mix
Fill a small pot with well-draining succulent or cactus soil. You can also mix perlite or coarse sand into regular potting soil to improve drainage.
Step 3: Plant The Cutting
Once the cutting has calloused over, insert the cut end into the prepared potting mix, burying it about 1 inch deep.
Step 4: Provide Indirect Light
Place the potted cutting in a bright location with indirect sunlight. Avoid placing it in direct sunlight, as this can cause stress and damage to the cutting.
Step 4: Water Sparingly
Water the soil lightly to moisten it, ensuring it’s not waterlogged. Allow the soil to dry out between watering to prevent overwatering and root rot.
Step 5: Monitor Growth
Over the next few weeks, the cutting will begin to establish roots and grow new leaves. Continue to provide proper care by maintaining soil moisture and providing indirect sunlight.
Step 6: Transplanting
Once the cutting has established a healthy root system and grown several new leaves, you can transplant it into a larger pot with well-draining soil to support further growth.
How To Take Care Of A Jade Plant
1. Light
Jade plants require a lot of light, six hours or more per day of bright indirect sunlight. The kind of light matters, especially for young jade plants because direct sunshine can be too intense and cause the leaves to burn and shrivel. But insufficient light can also be problematic. Instead of keeping a lush, bushy appearance in low light, the jade plant will have lanky growth that makes it fragile and eventually topple over.
2. Soil
A combination of sand, potting soil, and perlite or pumice is the best potting medium for jade plants. You can also mix perlite or sand into regular potting soil to improve drainage.
3. Water
A jade plant’s requirements for watering change with the seasons. The jade plant typically goes dormant in the winter and develops vigorously in the spring and summer. Summertime brings higher temperatures and increased plant activity, so give the plant more frequent waterings. The soil should be kept just barely moist—it shouldn’t be left soggy or soaked.
4. Fertilizer
Feed your jade plant once a week with a dilute liquid solution or once a season with a controlled-release fertilizer for the best results. For mature plants, use a balanced 20-20-20 fertilizer at quarter strength. For young plants, use a fertilizer with less nitrogen.
5. Pruning
Although jade plants can be clipped any time of year, spring through early summer is the ideal season to do it because this is when their growth is most strong. Pruning is beneficial to most jade plants at least once a year, but you can prune more often to help shape the plant.
Whether you choose to propagate your jade plant in water or soil, the key is to provide the right conditions for root growth and establish healthy new plants. By following the step-by-step guides and care tips provided in this guide, you can successfully propagate and care for your jade plant, watching it thrive and flourish in your home.
