This are questions of maximizing growth potential of my jade plants.

I have six healthy jade plants. As everyone knows, jade plants are notoriously slow growers, and should never have "wet feet" as too much water will kill the plant. So, I am trying to determine the absolute best time to re-water my jade plants.

Here are my assumptions: A. On a soil moisture scale of 1 to 10, with the soil being "wet" from 7-10; "moist" ranked at 5-9; and "dry" from 1-4. B. Jade plants need to dry out before watering again.

Here are my questions:
1. How long should the soil remain dry between re-waterings?
2. Are moisture soil probes effective?
3. Is a 12-4-8 liquid fertilizer a good choice?
4. Is fertilizer most effective once a month during April to October growing season?
5. Where can I go for some tips on effective pruning of jade plants?

1. You can water as soon as the soil is dry but Jades tell you when they are thirsty with some physical changes: The leave will be less shiny and feel ever so slightly soft.

2. No, moisture probes are wildly inaccurate. They measure moisture by sending an electrical current through the soil between the probes - in theory, the wetter the soil, the more electrical conductivity (the meter reads wet) and the dryer the soil, the less (the meter reads dry). But, high mineral content, fertilizer residue and dirty contacts will also affect the conductivity, giving you a false reading of too wet or too dry.

A more accurate way to gage moisture in the soil is to lift the pot. If your Jades are in plastic containers, the pot will be light weight and top heavy when it needs water. Or, use a bamboo skewer. Poke it into the soil to the bottom of the pot, leave it for a minute and pull it out. You can feel/see the moisture along the length of the skewer and even tell how far down in the pot the moisture is.

3. and 4. I fertilize my plants about once a year in spring. I always use something balanced (10-10-10) and usually use a slow release so my plants have the benefit of a couple months of fertilizer. If I use a liquid fertilizer, it is mixed at half strength but still happens just once a year. The fertilizer manufacturers have done a good job of making us think our plants need constant feeding. Its not true.

5. Jades take well to pruning. They will grow new branches at the point where you cut so plan accordingly. You can cut them back to literal stubs and they will grow back from there.

Just a note: A well grown Jade in plenty of light will have red leaf edges and short internodal lengths.

Great suggestions. Each of my six plants were looking "tired," as they were lighter green, and growth had stalled to almost nothing. I re-potted all of them three weeks ago. Now, with the larger pots and soil, they have turned a waxy, deep green, and new growth is everywhere.

I've been watering my jade plants once per week, and they've been doing well. But, I thought that perhaps I could stretch the watering to two weeks. I will keep your idea of watching for the signs of dehydration before I water them again. I know you aren't supposed to let them completely dry out. I am only trying to fine tune the length between waterings.

Looks like my new soil moisture probe was a $9.95 waste. Lesson learned. I will try the bamboo skewer right away. I will stay with the 12-4-8 fertilizer, and look to fertilize only 1x per year. My goal is the get the plants about a foot taller, along with an increase in leaves to give them a fuller look.

Thanks Daisyl for the detailed response. MAAB, your 50 year old jade plant is a monster! Very impressive! It looks so happy in that corner of your home.

All good.....thanks again.

Mark, keep us posted and add some photos. We love photos. Good luck with your Jades. Look at the package of soil you used to make sure it doesn't already have a built-in supply of nutrents. That could take care of year one.

MABB, you should really start your own thread but, as you are here.... My advise would be the same as it was for Mark.

Thanks Daisyl.

Yes, the soil I am utilizing is for succulents, drains quickly, and has a ton of nutritional value. I tossed in some perlite, too.

I will send some photos, likely near the end of the growing season.

MABB's 50-year-old jade is breathtaking.

6 jade plants are featured below. As of today (Monday), it's been a full week since the last watering. 5 of 6 plants are dry based on the visual test. Soil looks dry, and the leaves are not wrinkled.

As far as the feel test, the topsoil feels completely dry, and slightly damp 2 inches below the soil. The leaves and branches feel firm, and don't seem to be drying out.

The moisture meter is still giving consistent readings, and 4 of the plants are at 2.25 (Dry is 1 to 4). The other two plants are 1.5 (Dry) and 5.5 ( Moist).

How long should the plants stay this way? I'm thinking another day or two, but your thoughts are welcome.

Feedback is encouraged.

DaisyI said:

MABB, you should really start your own thread but, as you are here.... My advise would be the same as it was for Mark.

I split that one off to it's own thread.

Thanks Calif_Sue

I water mine when the leaves start to feel ever so slightly soft. I don't know how wet/dry the soil is, just what the plant tells me.

DaisyL: Thanks for the insight. Today, at sunset, I noticed that about 10% of the leaves have started to develop very small "concave" indentations.

That looks to me as if the leaves are just beginning to lose moisture. They are still firm and green, and the surface soil is dry. But, it's still a bit damp as I dig a finger into the soil. Numerous gardening sites have said not to allow the jades to get completely dry, as it could damage the root system.

I will check them again in the morning in the manner you suggested. I will also use the moisture meter as a final measurement tool. Based on the trend over the past week, five of the plants should be reading 1.5 or less. That would put it at the bottom (1-4) of the "dry" category.

I'm thinking 9 days might be the limit for these jade plants before re-watering.

This has been a good experiment, and a great framework for how I should be watering the plants long into the future. Thanks again for your words of support.

A little feedback goes a long way.

For comparison, here is my Jade. The pot is terracotta, 10 inches wide and 6 inches tall. It is in my greenhouse (think HOT). I water every couple weeks.

That is one impressive Jade. Well done on the pruning/bonsai trimming. That's got to be an award winner! Blue ribbon for sure! If you have it in your greenhouse with all that humidity, I can see how you could go 2 weeks with no water.

I fear that if I waited two weeks, the air conditioning in my home would have my jade plants so dried out, they might never recover.

I've grew 3 Jade plants outdoors in Florida years ago, and they grew at an incredible rate. Indoor jades seem to grow at a glacial pace.

May I ask the age of your jade?

My greenhouse, at least on this end, is cactus only. I live in the high desert so very low humidity, but tempertures often get to 100 degrees inside the GH on sunny days (south west sun no shade cloth). Its 5 or 6 years old, there are 3 plants in the pot and its never been pruned or shaped. It is a mini-jade (Crassula ovata 'minima' - at least that's what it was labeled).

That's interesting, as I've read that Jade plants originated in South Africa.

Every article I've read say Jade's love arid, sunny and dry desert-like conditions.

What a contrast. My indoor jade plants have to be pruned. Otherwise, they don't branch out well. I've had many of plants grow straight up, until they can't support the weight, and they fall over. On a positive note, Jade's propagate so easily, it's snap to cut and re-plant with great success. So, pruning is the only way I can give them a fuller, bushier look.

Five or six years is great news. I am hopeful all my Jade's will achieve the size and fullness that I see in your plants in that timeframe.

Your Jade looks fantastic, and the pot is really unique, too.

@MarksJadePlants

I love jade plants! I have two mutant babies

Here is what I have got from 4+ years of having them:
1. How long should the soil remain dry between re-waterings?
Until the leaves are not flimsy or squishy when touching them (easier to do on the mutant ogre ear relatives)
2. Are moisture soil probes effective?
Yes, but not accurate.
3. Is a 12-4-8 liquid fertilizer a good choice?
I would dilute it to around 1/4 the amount of fertilizer to the same amount of water, fertilize ever year or so. I have not fertilized mine...
4. Is fertilizer most effective once a month during April to October growing season?
Yes. Do not fertilize during dormancy -- It's like someone trying to feed you snacks while you sleep.
5. Where can I go for some tips on effective pruning of jade plants?
I pinch off the tips once in a while... I usually just let them do what they want.

I find that not pruning is best, or pruning every two+ years, to see what they look like over time. Pinching very frequently I find, slows down the growth. They will branch naturally, but it can take a long time.

If you feel too impatient to do so, If you look between the leaf/stem, you can try finding the axillary buds. If one stem has big axillary buds, than it's probably trying to branch.

Have a great day,
Sedumzz

Good tips. Thanks Sedumzz.

i really like Jade Plants, as they look like little oak trees. Very cool, and pretty straightforward to maintain.

I am at the point right now determining when to re-water. I'm in my 8th day. Some of the leaves are developing a very small concave slope, but the leaves and branches are still solid. Not flimsy or squishy as you describe It seems they are almost ready to re-water.

I've been using a moisture prob, and it's been accurate so far. The key is keeping the probe in the soil for 4 minutes per probe/8 minutes per potted plant, which is really inconvenient. I'm really only using it as a reference point, or a base line for future waterings. Soil moisture probs are like "watching grass grow." LOL!

The thoughts on the fertilizer are welcome. I was under the assumption that I should use fertilizer 1x per month during the growing season. Your input is appreciated.

I've discovered that pinching off new growth helps with the branching. Bi-annual pruning is likely the direction I will take.

Good advice thanks again.

Ok, this message goes to Sedumzz, and DaisyL:

Again, thanks for the practical advise. As I continue my obsessive/compulsive testing the Soil/Moisture content meter, I am quickly concluding that both of you are right. The Soil/Moisture content can be very inaccurate. The eyeball and feel test works very well.

I used the moisture meter today, and I have different readings. Why? It's because I tested them in different spots than my original test area. Here's what I am learning. You can moisture test every pot, in two locations, but the moisture is only measured in that 1/4 inch area surrounding the moisture probe. Move two inches to the left or right, and you get different readings.

So, in my case, moisture evaporation is inconsistent in each pot. Sure, they are following a trendline, which is helpful. But gardners cannot count on 2 single tests to establish when the next watering is needed.

Common sense and experience trumps technology again!

Thanks again.

MarksJadePlants said:That's interesting, as I've read that Jade plants originated in South Africa.

Every article I've read say Jade's love arid, sunny and dry desert-like conditions.

Arid, sunny and dry, that's what mine gets. Its a little shaded in the afternoon or it would be redder.

MarksJadePlants said:
What a contrast. My indoor jade plants have to be pruned. Otherwise, they don't branch out well. I've had many of plants grow straight up, until they can't support the weight, and they fall over. On a positive note, Jade's propagate so easily, it's snap to cut and re-plant with great success. So, pruning is the only way I can give them a fuller, bushier look.

That should be telling you, although your Jades look great, they aren't getting as much direct sun as they would like.

Yes, you are right.

They get indirect light all day long. But, direct sunlight is limited to roughly 4-5 hours in the afternoon. I got zero direct sunlight until 12 noon. Then, all the pots get direct light by 1 pm. By 4 pm, I've got to shift the pots to the opposite side of the windowsill to get any additional direct sunlight. Plus, I have 8/9 plants per pot due to all the proliferation. So, that limits sun exposure, too.

Unfortunately, that's all the sun they get. I've re-potted to a larger pot, replaced soil with fast draining type, added perlite and at some point, I will lightly fertilize once per year.

My father used to say, "You can't worry about what you cannot control." Wise words.

I am hopeful I can get them to grow a bit more, fill out, and be healthy.

DaisyL and Sedumzz, and all that are following this thread:

Quick update, and once again, your advice has proven correct.

I am on day 12 of the last watering. As you know, I am testing how far I should go before the next watering without endangering growth or harming any of the plants.

You were right, as none of my 6 jade plants have shown anything near what you described. No wilting, no shriveled, yellow or fallen leaves, and no soft, weak or droopy branches. The soil is dry on the top layer, and the feel test indicates dry soil 2" below the surface. Even the moisture meter indicates dry soil.

The issues with the moisture meter readings continue, as they show inconsistent/slow water evaporation of the soil in two plants. My eagerness to re-water has been consistent all week. But, I'm happy to say I've followed your advice, and held back watering with no adverse effects on the jade plants.

I've learned a few things, and I apologize in advance for "stating the obvious:"

1. Larger plant pots need more time for soil to dry.
2. Ceramic pots need more time for soil to dry than terra-cotta pots.

This website has been a great help, as a little experience and common sense is something I can always use.

Thanks again,

Mark