Crassula Ovata - Care

Care

As a succulent, C. ovata requires normal watering when the soil is dry in the summer, and very little watering in the winter. Overwatering will cause it to lose its leaves (it is easy to identify overwatering by the characteristic crinkling look of the fallen leaves) and eventually the stem will rot away. Though it can survive overwatering, it is best to keep it on a 10-20 day cycle in the summer, and even less (up to a month dry) in the winter. Letting the soil dry between waterings is essential for a healthy plant.

It will grow in full sun to light shade. However, it does not tolerate extreme heat or overexposure to direct sun very well, showing damage ranging from scorched leaves to loss of foliage and rotting stems. Most of the common species will tolerate a limited degree of frost, but overexposure to cold weather will kill them.

The jade plant benefits from pruning, which should be done in the spring, before the growing season. Pruning can be done over a period of a few weeks, and involves cutting stems back to a lateral branch. The purpose of pruning is twofold: for a top-heavy succulent, it is important that its trunk be able to support the weight of its leaves, and pruning encourages the trunk to grow in size; pruning also encourages root growth. Calluses should form on new cuts after a few days and new growth should emerge from the stump within a few weeks of the cut.