Jade Plant
Crassula ovata
Family Crassulaceae
Grown slowly in a sunny window, a jade plant thickens from cutting into a miniature tree with a real woody-looking trunk — a bonsai you never have to wire. These are pass-down plants: jades routinely outlast apartments, jobs, and sometimes their original owners.
Contentment shows in its color — sun-touched leaves take on red edges — and a happy old jade may even flower in winter. Keep it away from nibbling cats and dogs, park it on the brightest sill you own, and start an heirloom.
Bright light with some direct sun
Low water
Slow growth
None winter chill
From the print shop
Growing jade plant? Hang it.
Our Plant Library collection carries jade plant — Crassula ovata, print Nº 250, “Jade Plant.”
526 designsfrom $12.99white or black backgroundmatte poster, unframed
Will it thrive where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what jade plant actually needs.
Hardy inZones 10-11Jade Plant · Common problems
Common jade plant problems
Jade Plant · Growing & propagation
Growing jade plant
- Light
- Bright light with some direct sun
- Water
- Low
Wrinkled leaves say water; drop leaves say drowning
Soil- Cactus mix, unglazed pot helps · pH 6.0 - 7.0
Fertilizer- Monthly half-strength spring-summer
Pruning- Spring
Pinch to shape; every pruned piece propagates.
Spacing- One per pot
How to plant & propagate jade plant
- Propagate
- Stem/leaf cuttings, division, or pups
Jade Plant · Calculators & field guides
A little help in the garden.
Jade Plant · Yearly calendar
The jade plant year, month by month
Jan
BloomDecember to February
BloomPruneBloomDecember to February
PruneMarch to May
What each band means
- Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.
- Prune — shape it now — cuts heal cleanly and structure is visible.
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
Jade Plant · Ecology & uses
Ecology & uses
Crassula ovata
Jade Plant in the garden system
Moisture- Upland / dry
Deer- Browsed
Protect young plants
Origin- Introduced
What jade plant is grown for
! Some parts toxic — see notesToxic to cats/dogs
Use- Heirloom bonsai feel
- Use
- Sunny sills
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
Jade Plant · Varieties & cultivars
Choosing a jade plant variety
'Gollum' (tubular leaves); 'Hummel's Sunset' (gold edges); standard
Sources & plant identity
Know what you’re growing.
See where the knowledge comes from.
Jade Plant
Crassula ovata
The plant, at a glance.
- Botanical name
- Crassula ovata
- Plant family
- Crassulaceae
- Growth habit
- Succulent · Perennial
- Origin
- Introduced
- USDA plant symbol
- CROV3
- Invasive risk
- Low
Hardiness, size and timing vary with your cultivar, soil and climate.
Rooted in research.
University extension research, brought together with hands-on growing experience at Story Thyme Farms.
for Jade Plant
Research from these sources
Publisher marks identify sources, not sponsorship or endorsement.
Questions
Jade Plant questions, answered straight.
Is jade plant safe for kids and pets?
With care. Toxic to cats/dogs Site it accordingly if children or pets roam the garden. This is general reference, not medical or veterinary advice — call a vet or poison control if something has actually been eaten.
How do you propagate jade plant?
Stem/leaf cuttings, division, or pups.
Elsewhere
Where jade plant sits in the library.
Monstera
Golden Pothos
Snake Plant
Heartleaf Philodendron