Crassula ovata at the Botanical Garden of Crete

Credit: Monstera

Crassula ovata at the Botanical Garden of Crete

Credit: Monstera

Flowers of crassula ovata at the Parc de la Tête d'Or botanical garden in Lyon

Credit: Liliane Roubaudi

Crassula ovata in flower at the Parc de la Tête d'Or botanical garden in Lyon

Credit: Liliane Roubaudi

Crassula ovata: the jade tree will make you rich and happy

Crassula ovata or jade tree is a plant of the Crassulaceae family native to South Africa and Mozambique. But it's in Asia that it's most popular! In China, Korea and Vietnam, it symbolizes happiness, prosperity and longevity.

How to recognize the jade tree, Crassula ovata?

Crassula ovata is a succulent shrub with a bushy habit. The largest specimens can reach three meters in height.

The jade tree grows from a hairless, brown trunk. It lignifies and branches strongly over the years.

The branches bear fleshy, oval, spatulate leaves. Blades are bright green. In some varieties, the margin is highlighted with a red border. Crassula ovata is often confused with Crassula arborescens. However, a glance at the leaves is enough to differentiate the two species. The foliage of Crassula ovata is the color of jade, while that of Crassula arborescens is as gray as a silver coin.

Crassula ovata flowers in autumn. Umbels of white or pale pink flowers bloom at the tips of the leaves.

The jade tree may not be enough to make you a billionaire. But it can certainly make your cat or dog sick. The plant is toxic to animals when ingested. It causes vomiting and a slowing of the heartbeat.

Our maintenance tips

Your Crassula ovata needs only two things: abundant watering and plenty of light. Don't hesitate to take your plant outside in summer to enjoy the sunny days!

Watering

Only water your Jade tree when the substrate is dry. If you're not sure what your plant needs, observe it: when it's thirsty, its leaves become hollow and stunted.

Avoid tap water, which is often too hard. Instead, use room-temperature rainwater or demineralized water.

Thirty minutes after watering, empty any stagnant water from the saucer or planter to prevent root rot.

Spray

Crassula ovata grow in arid regions and do not like humidity. No need to spray them.

Repotting

In spring, transfer your Crassula ovata to a larger pot, so that it can continue to grow.

Choose a pierced terracotta or plastic pot. The latter has the advantage of retaining moisture longer. Place a layer of clay balls at the bottom (about a quarter of the way up). Top up with special potting soil for cacti or fat plants. You can also mix ordinary substrate with sand or perlite.

Plant your succulent and tamp down to eliminate air pockets. Then water for the first time.

Fertilization

You can stimulate the development of your plant during its growth phase, in spring and summer, with fertilizer.

If you want to stimulate the growth of your Crassula ovata, mix a liquid fertilizer for cacti and succulents with the water when watering.

Cleaning

To promote photosynthesis, remove any dust that accumulates on the leaves with a feather duster or a clean, damp cloth.

Prune

Remove dry leaves. They exhaust the plant and slow its growth. If you use an instrument (pruning shears, scissors), make sure it's clean.

If you wish to control the development or shape of your plant, you can work on it. Just be sure to cut between two nodes or at the base of the trunk.

Always use a clean, sharp tool (pair of scissors, pruning shears).

Plantation

Once the last spring frosts have passed, you can plant.

Where's the best place to plant your Jade tree? A sunny spot at the top of a slope, to encourage rainwater drainage.

Dig a large hole to give the roots room to spread out. As for repotting, place a layer of gravel at the bottom, followed by a layer of substrate. Place your plant in the center and cover with soil, possibly enriched with leaf compost. Press down to eliminate air pockets and water.

Cutting

Cutting is carried out during the strong growth phase, generally in spring and early summer.

Using disinfected and sharpened pruning shears or scissors, remove a ten-centimeter stem (two leaf levels).

To allow the graft to heal, lay it flat in a ventilated room, out of direct sunlight, for two days.

Prepare a pierced terracotta pot. Block the hole with a pebble and lay a bed of gravel. Pour in a substrate composed of one third potting soil, one third soil and one third sand to promote drainage. Plant your offshoot, tamp it down and add a layer of sand to the surface.

Place your new succulent in a bright room, but without direct sunlight and with a temperature of at least 18 degrees.

Between two applications of water, check that the substrate has dried out, as you would with a mature plant.

Disease / Threat

Mealybugs

Information

Family	Crassulaceae - Crassulaceae
Type	Crassula - Crassula
Species	Crassula ovata - Crassula ovata
Lifecycle	Perennial
Foliage	Evergreen
Exposures	Sun Half-shade
Substrat	Sandy soil
Planting methods	Open ground In pots
Categories	Shrub Interior Succulent
Tags	Beginner Increvable Small pot
Origin	South Africa
Hardiness (USDA)	11a
Leaf color
Flower colors