Trailing Jade plants are often seen crawling through rocks, around trees, throughout roots, and across the forest ground. They are also excellent as indoor or outdoor houseplants as long as you know how to take care of them properly for healthy growth.
This article covers:
- What Trailing Jade is and what it looks like
- How to care for it include the right amount of light and water
- Common problems and what you can do to prevent and treat them
Let’s begin!
Table of Contents
What is a Trailing Jade Plant?
Trailing jade is a perennial epiphyte plant species native to South America that does well in high moisture areas and tropical areas. Its scientific name is Peperomia rotundifolia.
There are over 1000 Peperomia species related to Trailing Jade, but this one looks much different than the rest.
It has lengthy soft stems with round leaves that are shaped like teardrops. The leaves are known for attractively growing outward away from the large stems. The stems often intermingle and the round leaves are thick, soft, and succulent.
The leaves are semi-dark green in color and very round with light green veins interspersed.
Trailing Jade can also produce small flowers, but they are not known for being highly attractive. The main reason people like Trailing Jade plants are the rounded leaves and sprawling nature of the plant.
They are also known for being easy to care for with the right humidity and light.
To learn more about the characteristics and properties of Trailing Jade check out this cool video:
How to Care for Trailing Jade Plants
To care for Trailing Jade for healthy growth and attractive color, you have to know what to do. It isn’t hard to keep them healthy, fast-growing, and luscious when you know the right conditions to keep them.
Let’s look at the right amount of light, water, humidity, and other factors to ensure you keep your Trailing Jade healthy and happy for years to come.
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Light
As a succulent, Trailing Jade plants need a good amount of light. However, it doesn’t prefer prolonged amounts of direct sunlight. It is usually best to give it full sun or partial shade.
They do well on windowsills as long as they aren’t in the sun all day long. Midday sun can scorch the leaves and harm the plant.
We recommend East or West-facing windows for best results, but South-facing windows can work well too. During the Summer, you may have to move the plant back a little to ensure that the sunlight is not too direct.
When it gets too much sun it causes harm to the leaves and burns the stems.
Water
Water is one of the most important factors for any plant, and Trailing Jade is no exception. While it loves humidity, overwatering is a major concern for this type of plant because it is succulent with small roots.
The soil should always dry out at the first top 1 or two inches before you water again. You can do this by feeling the soil with your finger and watering it when it is dry up to the second knuckle.
Every time you water, make sure that you do so completely until all the soil is moist, but not flooded. Watering will be less during the Fall and Winter and more during the Summer.
Usually, you will want to water once every week but could be as little as once every 2 weeks.
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Soil
Trailing Jade will do best with well-draining soil so that it does not become flooded or overwatered quite as easily. Peat-based soil works well and you can make your own mixture using two portions of peat combined with one portion of sand or perlite.
You will want to make sure that the mixture is aerated enough and that water drains out the bottom fairly quickly.
If you want to buy your own mix, then you just want to choose something sandy and well-draining. To keep it rich in nutrients, you can also fertilize it during the Spring months.
This is when it is growing the fastest and you can dilute liquid fertilizer and apply it every 2 weeks. Then, during the Summer lower it to once a month and cease fertilization during the Fall and Winter.
Temperature and Humidity
The best temperature range for Trailing Jade plants is between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. This is great for keeping it green and luscious, which also means it’s perfect for indoor houseplant growth.
The main thing, though, is to always ensure that it doesn’t have to endure temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
During the growing season, particularly the warmest months, you want to spray the leaves with water to keep the humidity high enough for a happy Trailing Jade plant. It is also better to grow it around other house plants because it increases the moisture content of the air.
While it is usually fine in normal humidity levels for home interiors, if you live in an extra dry region, you may have to invest in a humidifier.
General Maintenance
Trailing Jade does require occasional pruning to stay attractive, grow healthily, and sprawl the way most people want it to. When the growth gets out of control, you can pinch the stem tips to keep the appearance perfect for your room.
You can also use pruning to collect cutting that can be used for propagation.
Trailing Jade plants rarely, if ever, require repotting unless it develops root rot. However, it can be healthy for the growth of the plant to change out the soil occasionally, once every year or two.
If it does grow too large for a pot, it is easy to transplant without causing any significant damage to the root system.
The roots are very small though, so be careful and ensure that you do not water them too much.
How to Propagate Trailing Jade
It is rather easy to propagate Trailing Jade, like it is for most other succulents. All you have to do is collect cuttings. You can use either a stem or a leaf as a cutting from another Trailing Jade plant.
Stem cuttings will grow significantly faster than leaf cuttings though, so keep that in mind.
After taking the cutting, you want to let it dry out on a clean towel in a dry place for a few days. This will prevent rot, which will cause issues with the plant from the get-go so you will likely have to try again.
Then, place the cuttings in sandy soil that drain very well. If necessary, adding perlite can help a lot.
Before watering, you want to give the house plant time to take root. Check for signs like white strings emitting outward from the base of the cutting.
Once this happens, you do need to water the new plant to ensure it has the nutrients and H20 it needs to live and survive the propagation.
Common Problems With Trailing Jade
There are some common problems to keep an eye out for, but they are usually not substantial and easy to remedy. However, it is still a good idea to know what to look for and how to address these problems if you do encounter them.
Pests
Trailing Jade plants can attract some troubling and bothersome pests. The most common pest for this species of plant is mealybugs. They are easy to identify by their white, cotton-like substance around the leaf and stem areas.
To address this issue, you first need to remove the substance by wiping it clean with rubbing alcohol. Then, continue with a neem oil treatment for the next few weeks to make sure you get rid of the pests and prevent a return.
Shriveled Leaves
There are a few common causes of shriveled leaves, but the most common cause with Trailing Jade plants is overwatering. This can cause root rot and shriveled leaves. If this is the case, then you need to water less often.
Make sure that the first inch or two of soil is dry before watering. If your Trailing jade plant has root rot, then you will need to repot and remove the rotting roots before putting it back into new well-draining soil.
Yellow Leaves
Yellow or fading leaves are often caused by too much or too harsh direct sunlight. It often goes away rapidly once you move it to a partially shaded area, but sometimes the leaves become scorched and will stay yellow or even brown.
If this is the case, then you may need to prune them off and wait a while before the plant fully recovers.
Final Thoughts on Trailing Jade Plant
Trailing Jade plants have lovely round leaves that look like tear drops growing perpendicular to the thick stems. This is a wonderful plant for new house plant enthusiasts and experienced plant aficionados alike. Just be sure not to overwater or give it too much sunlight and it should be healthy and green without too much effort!