Jade plant care
Crassula ovata is the most forgiving plant on this site and the most commonly overwatered. It will survive months of neglect and die in three weeks of kindness.
Light
Bright and direct. Jade grows compact and glossy in four or more hours of direct sun; it grows leggy and weak in anything less. A south or west windowsill is right. Outdoors in summer, acclimatise it gradually or the leaves will scorch and drop.
Watering
Treat it like a succulent, because it is one. Soak the pot, let the soil dry completely, then wait another few days. In summer that is roughly every two to three weeks; in winter, once a month or less.
The leaves are the gauge: firm and plump means it has water; slightly soft and wrinkled means it is ready. Do not water on a calendar — water on the leaf.
Soil and pot
Gritty, fast-draining mix with a drainage hole. A jade in ordinary potting soil in a pot without drainage will rot at the base, usually in winter when evaporation is slowest.
Jade makes a thick trunk over years and becomes top-heavy. A heavier pot prevents tipping. Repot every two or three years in spring, not annually.
What is actually wrong
- Leaves dropping while still green and firm — usually a sudden change: moved, cold draught, or overwatered once. Jades sulk by dropping leaves and recover.
- Leaves shrivelled and soft — thirsty. Water thoroughly.
- Soft dark brown stem at soil level — rot. Stop watering, let the soil dry completely, and cut back to firm tissue if the rot is advancing. Cuttings root easily, so a rotting jade can still be saved from its healthy top growth.
- White crust on the soil surface — mineral salts from tap water and fertiliser. Flush the pot with a long slow watering and let it drain, or repot.
- Leggy with wide gaps between leaves — not enough light. Prune it back in spring; it branches from the cut.