How to take care of this houseplant?
Hi all! I had a problem with this plant. It was a big tree, but then started to go bad and died. I managed to take several stems and put them in water. One of the stem gave some roots. Now I am going to plant it in soil, but I am not sure what I was doing wrong before, that it went bad. Maybe someone here will give me some advice. Thank you in advance.
This is Crassula. It is a diverse and extensive genus of succulent plants, with about 350 species. It is native to South Africa, and is common as a houseplant worldwide. Probably the most well known is the Jade plant (Crassula ovata) or friendship tree, lucky plant, or money tree. These plants were once thought to bring good luck to their owners so were often given as housewarming gifts.
In warm climates it grows into a shrub. Many other Crassula species are much smaller. Some are miniatures and creeping ground covers.
The jade plant is also known for its ease of propagation, which can be spurred by clippings or even stray leaves which fall from the plant.
The jade plant is well known for its bonsai capabilities, since it forms a bonsai very easily when pruning is done correctly. Many who learn bonsai begin with a jade plant, since they are durable, easy to put through the bonsai process, and attractive.
this plant is ready to survive long dry periods, so the main thing is not to give it too much water. Mabe that’s what you did wrong. From the end of October till the end of February there is so little light that the plant hardly needs any water. Maybe once or twice in this period you can put the plant on a dish with some water on it, so that only the bottom part of the pot will absorb some water. This should be sufficient.
Because Crassula grow slowly it is not necessary to feed it much. A little manure for indoor plants a few times per year is enough.
Another important point is the light. Full sunshine; a place on the south side of your house; on the window-sill. This is ideal to be sure that the colour of the leaves stays beautiful, and that the leaves grow very near, closely stacked on each other. Many species can even be placed outside during summer. But beware of sun burnt, specially in the first weeks after putting them outside.
It is important that the soil can drain the water immediately, so good drainage is a must. You can easily mix 15-20% of sand through the soil.
Hope this info will help! 🙂
You can read information about this plant, growing tips and interesting facts here on our website – Crassula ovata or Jade plant
Thank you very much for your answers! This is how my Crassula ovata (Jade plant) looks now. It has been a bit over a year. I think it is time to re-plant it to a slightly bigger pot this spring! 🙂
