Have you ever tried Propagating Jade Plant from Just a Leaf? Sounds too good to be true, but it works pretty well. Find out how!
All you need is a full fallen leaf for a brand-new jade plant! The process is easy and especially great if you don’t want to buy but still want a beautiful Crassula ovata. So, here’s how to propagate it from individual leaves to birth a lush new jade plant for your collection!
Best Time to Propagate Jade Plant From Leaf
Crassula ovata, commonly known as the jade plant or money tree, is a petite succulent from South Africa with tiny white and pink winter blooms. It grows actively in summer, making it the best time to propagate, as warmth helps the plant root faster.
In mild winter climes like USDA Zone 8, it can also be grown early to mid-fall. But as roots emerge, it’s best to move indoors before frost arrives. However, in frost-free regions, such as USDA 9-11, it can be propagated all year round from leaves but needs to be moved to cooler spaces during peak summers or when there’s much humidity.
If growing indoors, mimic its ideal warm conditions to coax it into sprouting roots. Patience is key in this procedure, as a new plant takes anywhere from a few weeks to months to grow. Typically, you’ll see signs of roots within 4 weeks, and then, in about 8 weeks, you’ll have a fresh plantlet coming up.
Pro Tip: Make sure the propagating place remains dry, and there are no downpours or high humidity.
Propagating Jade Plant From Leaf
1. Pluck Leaves from Parent Plant
Look for a healthy jade plant specimen. Simply twist a leaf right off its stem using your hand, or grab a sharp, clean pair of pruning shears and cut a leaf as close to the stem as possible. You need ample leaf tissue taken closest from the node to help it form roots.
Once you have collected the leaves, identify any damaged or broken leaves and remove them. Place the remaining all on a dry paper towel in a spot where they can receive warm, indirect sunlight. Direct sunlight is a big no, as the leaves could get burnt!
Allow the leaves to callus for 2 days! If it’s a wet season, wait a little more, 2-3 days. This allows the cut ends to form scabs and harden, which will prevent the moisture from entering the leaf tissue and causing rot.
2. Spread Leaves Evenly Onto Soil
Once the cut ends of your leaves have hardened and healed, fill a wide, shallow tray, window box, or container with a succulent mix or a hundred percent coconut coir. Since the process needs dry soil, this gives you a light, airy medium with good drainage. You could also go with a blend of potting soil with composted bark.
After evenly spreading the soil in the tray, moisten the medium by misting water on it, but don’t make it soggy. Then, lay the leaves flat, ensuring the calloused ends are touching the soil but not buried, and move the container to a spot with indirect light.
Now, you may be tempted to keep watering and meddling with this container, but do not reach for your plant mister! You want it barely moist and then dry but never too soggy and wet. Especially with succulents like jade plants, which already store water in their leaves.
3. Pot Up Your Jade Babies!
Within 2-4 weeks, your leaves will start developing roots, or at least you’ll see the signs. In a couple of months, you will see jade plantlets grow roots and poke their little heads out of the soil! And if it’s summer and growing conditions are warm, in four months, they will be ready to transplant. If the growing conditions are not ideal, you may need to wait up to 5-6 months to plant them in individual pots separately.
Ensure that the pots have ample drainage to avoid waterlogging—a jade plant’s biggest foe! holes. Either stick to the same medium or mix two parts of cactus soil with one part perlite and one part pumice. You can also make your DIY succulent mix by learning from these recipes.
Once planted, position your jade plants in a spot that receives partial sunlight, give them a good soak, and read our jade plant growing guide.
So, that’s the end of how to propagate your jade with a single leaf. Try it out and let us know how it goes for you in the comments below!
