Pruning a jade that already has a few branches will encourage more growth and help to balance the symmetry of the plant. Simply snip off or pinch off the newly sprouted leaves on the end of each branch.
Yes, you should prune your jade plant regularly as part of your general care routine. It's common for them drop older leaves and thin out in the middle as they age. What is this? If they're never trimmed, over time they can become thin and scraggly looking, or out of control and overgrown.
Shorten Leggy Stems
If an entire plant is leggy, you can cut up to one-third of each stem just above a node to encourage bushier growth. Avoid overfertilizing and provide bright indirect sunlight. You may also have a healthy stem that is much longer than the others and skews the general symmetry.
A healthy jade has erect stems and firm foliage that points outward, upward, or slightly downward. But when a plant is under stress, the young, soft stems may droop, and the foliage may hang limply, like fallen dominoes.
A wider pot also creates a broader base for the plant and helps to counter a top heavy succulent. The jade we brought in from the Sensory Garden was flopping due to excessive growth toward the sun. Turning the pot periodically would have solved the problem.
John recommends repotting a jade plant that's dropping its leaves due to overwatering. It's a simple job that doesn't take long: Gently remove the jade plant from its container, retaining a good-sized root system.
The most common reasons for a jade plant falling over would be underwatering, overwatering, high temperature, lack of sunlight, being top heavy, too much nutrients, too much repotting and of course not using proper fast/well draining succulent soil.
How to Water Jade Plants. Jade plants are succulents (they hold water in their leaves), so they don't do well when sitting in constantly moist soil, so let the top 1 to 2 inches of soil dry out between waterings. Indoors, this will probably mean watering once every 2 to 3 weeks—but be sure to check regularly!
Changes to the leaves are the first sign of an overwatered jade plant. Leaves can turn yellow and droop, and may eventually brown and drop off. Other signs include the leaves and stem becoming squishy and soft. The whole plant may also appear droopy.
It's best to water a jade plant from the top. Watering from the bottom is a dangerous habit to get into. When the water soaks up from the bottom, it's much harder to tell how wet the soil is.
Instead of fully watering your jade plant during colder weather, mist your plant with a spray bottle. During the summertime when fully watering the plant, make sure the jade is placed in a drainage pot, so that excess water can escape and the roots do not drown.
If you give the plant too much water, the leaves will look unhealthy. And if you forget to water it for a long period of time and the soil goes dry, the leaves will also become wrinkled.
For upward growth, trim all side shoots by no more than half. For outward growth, shorten the trunk by one-third. You should prune new branches only at the tips of the shoots. Relief pruning is also necessary when the branches of older trees begin to droop.
To encourage health, harmony and thriving business, place the Jade plant in the east direction. And if you wish to promote creativity and children's luck, it is recommended to set it in the west direction. Keeping it either in the southeast corner of the room or your desk is highly favourable and auspicious.
Shriveled or wrinkled leaves are signs of a thirsty plant in need of more frequent or deeper waterings. Waterlogged and squishy leaves indicates that the plant is getting too much water. Leaf drop is a symptom of watering issues, too.
It is a drought-tolerant plant that does not require frequent watering and can go without water for days or weeks. Considering their native habitats and growth, they don't need to be watered very often.
Wrinkled Leaves on Jade: Overwatering
Often, a wrinkly jade plant with yellow leaves is an indication of overwatering. If the roots are beginning to rot, the plant may die if you don't address the problem as soon as possible. You may be able to save a plant with root rot by repotting the jade in fresh potting soil.
Traditionally, jade plants grow well as indoor plants in bright but indirect light or outdoors in full or partial sun, but they cannot survive freezing temperatures. If you live in cooler zones, you can still grow these succulents outside, but they must be brought indoors before any chance of frost creeps in.
Repotting a Jade Plant
It's time to transplant when the roots begin to encircle the rootball or new growth is stunted. Your jade plant appears to be thriving, but it looks as if it has settled in the container. This is not a problem. Some gardeners prefer to adjust this by adding soil to the bottom of the pot.
Jade plants, if properly cared for, can live as long as a century!
What are the disadvantages of Jade plants. The only disadvantage of the Jade plant is that the leaves of the plant can tend to hold onto excessive water. Due to this, they become soft and mushy and fall off the plant.
Jade plants dropping leaves can be a sign of stress or poor health in jade plants. It can be caused by many factors, including too much or too little water or light, temperature stress, fertilizer, or pests. If you think your jade plant is dropping its leaves due to stress or poor health, don't worry.
Remove the plant from the pot and change the soil, if draining water from the pot and clearing drainage holes does not correct the problem. Gently remove the saturated soil from the roots of the jade plant. Refill the pot with fresh, moist soil and position your jade plant to its original growing position.