The Jade Plant

The Jade Plant (Crassula argentea) originated in South Africa, but has been cultivated as a house plant in Europe and America for over a hundred years. Generally, it is a very easy and productive plant to grow, provided its needs are understood and met. Jades, and all other Crassulas are succulent plants, in that they have the ability to store water in it's leaves, stems, and roots. Jade plants are best grown in very bright sunlight with low humidity, however if the plant is accustomed to dimmer light, you must move it into the sun in stages. Jades will sunburn if they are not used to the full sun. Jades are best grown between 55F at night and 75-80F during the day, however they will tolerate temperatures down to 40F. They should be repotted every two to three years. Use a well drained commercial potting soil mixed equally with sharp builder sand, and a scoop of bone meal added. The optimum soil ph is 6.5.

Jade plants have an active and a dormant growing cycle. Watering and feeding are determined by the cycle. During the spring and summer months keep the soil slightly moist . Water liberally, approximately once per week but allow for slight drying between watering. Remove any excess water from pot saucer. Fertilize with a 10-20-10 or 5-10-5 ratio soluble plant food every two weeks. African violet food works very well for most succulents. Keep plant dry during the winter months as plant has a slight dormancy. Do not fertilize from November through March. Typically, all healthy Jades will bloom, usually around Christmas, in the northern hemisphere. Blooming is triggered by the natural shortening of the days. If your plant is in a room which usually has lights turned on at night, it will more than likely fail to bloom for you. Try to find a suitable, naturally lighted place for the Jade sometime in early October, along with your Christmas cactus. Your plant will do the rest for you!

• Mealy bugs will be evident by their white cotton like covering. They are usually found in stem axis areas, or on the underside of leaves. If there are only a few, dip a q-tip in alcohol, and use it to remove the insect and cocoon. If it is a major infestation, it might be best to discard the plant. There are insecticides which will kill mealy bugs, but be certain that it is safe for use on Crassulas, because some of them aren't!
  
• Root mealy bugs are obviously found on the roots.duh! Once again, noticeable by their cottony covering. They are very tough to control, and can infest an entire plant collection rapidly. The only total success I had with these varmints was to totally drench the soil with diazinon, and repeat in 2 weeks... I don't recommend this at all, toss the plant.
  
• Scale are related to mealy bugs. They have a waxy shell that protects them from most insecticides, so you are faced with hand picking or scraping them off. This is pretty easy if there aren't to many. Spider mites aren't a common occurrence on Jades, but it happens! You will find very fine webs across the bottom of the leaves, or hold a white piece of paper below the plant, and give the branch a sharp rap. If there are mites, you'll see scurrying little specks on the paper. You can usually take care of spider mites by giving the plant a bath with insecticidal soapy water.