Jade plants (Crassula ovata) are beautiful succulents coveted for their arboreal and plump, glossy leaves. In order for this beautiful plant to shine in all its natural glory, though, it’s important to keep it healthy—and luckily, this species is relatively low maintenance.
However, even the most resilient houseplants can lose their luster. If your jade plant is looking under the weather, you might need to make some necessary changes to its daily care. Here, we tapped gardening and houseplant experts for their advice on how to revive a jade plant, including how to identify common symptoms and tips for nurturing it back to its full, succulent self.
How to Tell If Jade Plant Is Unhealthy
There are certain signals that your jade plant is struggling and in need of a helping hand. These include:
- Yellowing, browning, or shriveling leaves
- Leaf drop
- Branches breaking or drooping
- Mushy stems or leaves
- Lack of growth
- White fluff on leaves
How to Revive From Overwatering
A jade plant’s leaves will reveal if it’s being overwatered. “At first, there may be a bit of wilt since the leaves are losing more moisture than the plant can take up,” says Justin Hancock, a horticulturist at Costa Farms. Then, the leaves may start to become yellow or drop. In severe cases, rot can set in and cause the stems to become soft and mushy.
If a jade plant has only been overwatered once or twice, placing it in a bright spot and adjusting the watering schedule may be all it needs to recover, says Hancock. Warm, ample light will give jade plants more energy, too.
Otherwise, if it’s a more severe case, you’ll need to go deeper. “Overwatered plants are often root-logged,” says Marcus Bridgewater, founder of Garden Marcus and author of How to Grow. “To fix this, I pull the plant out of its planter, cut away any blackened roots, and then repot the plant in some drier soil.”
How to Revive from Underwatering
Wrinkled or dropping leaves mean that your jade plant needs extra hydration. To fix this, Hancock recommends watering your plant more regularly—or giving it a light trim.
However, if it’s completely dried out, your jade plant could benefit from a good soak. “I put water in a container, place the planter with the jade plant in it, and let it sit to soak up water from the bottom of the planter,” Bridgewater says. “When the soil is moist at the top of the planter, I know the plant has been thoroughly hydrated.”
A bottom-watering soak should last around 10 to 15 minutes. This technique also requires the planter to have drainage holes. After your jade plant dries out from the soak, continue to water it more regularly in the coming weeks.
How to Revive From Inadequate Light
Jade plants are native to the sandy slopes of South Africa and thus thrive in warm, bright conditions. So, if you’re noticing a lack of growth, it could just need a sunnier spot—but don’t shock the plant by moving it outside right away. “The leaves can suffer unsightly sunburn,” says Hancock. “Just like people, leaves that aren’t used to [it] can suffer when they go directly from shade into the sun.”
Instead, Hancock suggests acclimating the plant by leaving it outside for an hour at first, then gradually leaving it out longer over a week or two. That way, the jade plant can slowly build up its tolerance. If you want to keep yours indoors, Bridgwater suggests using a grow light.
How to Revive from Pests
Finding white fluff of fuzz on your jade plant? It could be a sign of pests. “If this happens, I try to separate the plant from my other plants, then I wipe it down with some neem oil or my personal pest spray concoction,” Bridgewater says.
Tips to Keep Jade Plants Healthy
Andrey Nikitin / GETTY IMAGES
To prevent future issues, it’s important to create optimal growing conditions for your jade plant.
Fertilize Appropriately
A general-purpose fertilizer that’s formulated for houseplants will help your jade plant grow faster, Hancock says. “You can fertilize as little as once per year, or as frequently as the directions on the product packaging recommend,” he says. “It’s really up to you and how fast you want your plant to grow.”
Don’t fertilize your jade plant more than the packaging recommends, either in terms of frequency or the amount you use. “Too much fertilizer can damage the roots and potentially kill the plant,” Hancock says.
Avoid Unwelcome Temperature Changes
Like most houseplants, sudden changes in temperature make jade plants unhappy. “Keep it away from heating vents, air conditioning vents, or other sources of hot or cold drafts,” Hancock says. “Drafty air can stress the plant, causing leaves to go yellow and drop prematurely.”
Otherwise, average household temperatures and humidity levels bode well for jade plants.
Use an LED Light If Needed
For the most part, you don’t need to be afraid of too much light for jade plants. Bright light from unobstructed south, east, or west-facing windows works great. “It doesn’t need natural light to thrive, though—a jade plant can be just as happy under a strong LED lamp or in a bright room augmented by an LED,” says Hancock.
Jade plants can also tolerate medium-light conditions around three to five feet away from a window. Anything less, though, is a no-go. “It’s much slower growing in less light and can be more susceptible to problems, like under or overwatering,” adds Hancock.
Keep Soil Dry and Well-Draining
Well-draining soil and drainage holes are always a good idea for jade plants, as these measures can help prevent root rot, says Bridgewater. The soil should completely dry out in between watering—around every two to three weeks—though it depends on the conditions of your home.
