A Spilling Jade Plant is going to be quite a sight as compared to the one that’s growing upward or in all directions!
Spilling jade plant can be an amazing addition to hanging baskets, where you can see its stems hanging down with those fleshy leaves! If you don’t know how to train one for the job, we have the best tips!
Spilling Jade Plant – How to Make it Achieve that Look
Using these tricks, you can achieve a more flowing, draping appearance for jade plants that are otherwise known to have an upright posture.
1. Picking the Right Jade for the Job
Not every jade has a spreading habit, and it is essential to pick one that grows in a horizontal manner. Crassula ovata ‘Hummel’s Sunset,’ and Crassula arborescens subsp. undulatifolia, both, have a beautiful sprawling habit.
Portulacaria afra varieties and Jade plant vine (Kleinia petraea) are also a great options for this purpose.
2. Pick the Right Container
Refrain from using deeper containers. Instead, use a shallow and wide pot that will encourage outward growth, making the jade plant branches hang over the sides naturally, as they grow and age.
Hanging baskets are also a great choice as they allow the stems to droop down easily.
3. Train Early
As the jade plant grows and matures, its stems become rigid, which makes it hard to train them over time. Start early, when the plant is still young and growing with more flexible stems.
Also, prune regularly—trim upright and taller stems, which will trick them to spread outwards, and grow more horizontally. Pinching at the young stage is also a great idea to promote more side growth for a drooping and bushy appearance.
4. Use Gravity and Light to Your Advantage
Positioning the plant in the right manner is important to make the stems droop downwards. You can start this by tilting the pot to one side—this will make the stems grow outwards.
You can also position the container in a way that it gets light from one side. This will make the stems reach toward the light source, making them grow lengthy and droop in the process.
5. Add Supports and Weights
Use soft cotton strings and tie them gently to the stems, extending them to one side. This will stretch the stems as they grow, making them lengthy and hang down over time.
Another trick is to tie small weight like pebbles at the end of the cotton strings, and then tying them to the stems. Hang them outside the pot to train the branches to have a drooping appearance over the pot’s edges.
Spilling Jade Plant – Aftercare
Always allow the topsoil to go dry between waterings. This will make the stems strong over time, which will make them get a permanent drooping shape (Overwatering will make the branches mushy, which will prevent them from establishing with a rigid growth). Make sure it gets a minimum of 4-6 hours of direct sunlight every day.
Also, feed the plant with a balanced liquid feed, once in 6-8 weeks, after diluting it to 1/4 of its strength to support the growth.
