Jade Plants and Crassulas

How to choose a jade plant

For a long-lived specimen, the jade plant (Crassula ovata) is the one: glossy green oval leaves, a trunk that thickens with age, about 1m tall and 80cm wide, and starry white to pink flowers in winter on mature plants. Gollum jade has tubular leaves with a red-rimmed cup at the tip, to about 80cm, and Bluebird jade has blue-grey leaves edged in red. Ripple jade (Crassula arborescens undulatifolia) carries wavy silver-blue leaves on a shrub to 80cm and is the most elegant of the group in a pot. The small crassulas are for bowls and rock gardens: Tom Thumb and Buddha's Temple stack their leaves in columns 15cm to 20cm high, watch chain plant forms a tangle of braided stems, and Purple Dragon is a low spreader with purple-backed leaves that tolerates more shade than the rest.

Where jade plants work

Full sun to bright light with sharp drainage. Jade plants grow outdoors across most of Australia, in rockeries, dry borders, gravel gardens, on balconies and in pots at a sunny front door, and they handle coastal wind and reflected heat. Light frost marks the leaves but rarely kills an established plant; in Canberra, the tablelands and frosty inland towns, grow them in pots that can move under cover. In the humid north keep them in the airiest spot with morning sun, because wet leaves and still air invite rot. Indoors they need a windowsill in direct sun or they stretch. They mix naturally with the agaves, aloes and echeverias in our wider succulents range and with other rockery plants.

Planting and spacing

Use a cactus and succulent mix in pots, or mound the planting spot if your soil is heavy. Space the shrubby forms 60cm to 80cm apart and the small crassulas 20cm to 30cm. A terracotta pot slightly smaller than you think keeps the roots dry and the plant compact. Water once at planting, then wait until the mix is dry right through.

Care basics

Water every two to three weeks in summer and about monthly in winter, less in a cool room. Wrinkled leaves mean thirst; soft yellow leaves mean too much water. Feed once in spring with a slow-release fertiliser at half rate. Prune in spring to shape, and plant the prunings: a jade stem left to dry for a few days roots in dry mix in a month, which is how most jade plants in Australia came to be. Mealybugs are the usual pest; dab them with methylated spirits. Jade plants are mildly toxic to dogs and cats if eaten, so place them with that in mind. The ripple jade guide covers the care of the group in more detail.

Common questions

How often should I water a jade plant?

When the mix has dried right through: every two to three weeks in warm weather, monthly in winter. Err on the dry side; jade plants store water in their leaves.

Why is my jade plant dropping leaves?

Usually overwatering or a sudden move from bright light to shade. Let it dry out and give it more sun. Leaves that drop and root where they land are a sign of a healthy plant.

Will a jade plant flower?

Yes, once it is several years old and grown in full sun with a cool, dry winter. Small white or pink star flowers appear in late winter.

Can I grow a jade plant indoors?

Only in a window that gets direct sun for several hours a day. Elsewhere indoors the stems stretch and the plant weakens.