Propagating jade plants from leaves is an easy process because the leaves of this plant hold the full capacity to grow into a plant. The jade plant, when propagated via soil, propagates in less time as compared to when propagated via seeds. These plants look very nice in a house setting, indoor plant setting, or in a garden which is why they are found around the globe and in houses of all sorts of ethnicities.
In this article, we will take you through a simple process of propagating jade plants from leaves, so let us get started.
Contents
How To Propagate Jade Plants From Leaves Easily?
You can propagate jade plants from leaves easily by collecting and replanting cuttings in the soil. This is the plainest way of explaining the propagation process of the jade plants. Soil propagation works great for multiplying jade plants in a short time.
Propagated plants grow much faster than those grown from seeds because a part of the plant, when grown separately, has gone through all the initial growing processes that the seeds will have to go through, consuming time. So if you are looking to propagate the jade plants for yourself, or your home, or to gift it to someone you love, that is how the plant is going to multiply with success.
1. Pick The Right Time
The best time to grow the jade plants is early spring, and that is because these succulents go dormant in the winter so the growing season starts from early spring and ends in early fall. In this time the succulent will grow according to its genetics, and this is a key determiner that the plant is going to have the right light and temperature to develop.
Alternatively, you can plant the jade plants whenever and ensure they are given a mild temperature and a good water intake. This allows the jade plants to grow on their own when their needs are carefully met. You will be able to see their growth in the seasons of summer, spring, and fall, whereas in the winter season, the plants will become dormant; however, their leaves and stems will retain their shape.
2. Collect the Jade Plant Cuttings
The beginning step in the process is to collect the cuttings from a favorable and mature mother Jade plant, and when you are picking so, you must make sure that you don’t go astray and pick the wrong leaf.
A mother plant is chosen on the basis of its physically seen traits, which include shape, size, flower, fruit, and especially the leaf formation together with its overall health and resistance to infection and infestation. Normally a cutting will consist of stems and leaves, including flowers and fruits if they are present, but in this case, we will only consider a leaf cutting.
Leaves of the jade plant are totally competent for growing into a full jade plant. They are also very handy cuttings but also delicate, so you must handle them carefully. When you see a favorable mother plant, snip some healthy-looking leaves off of it for propagation; in short, picking so will help you in the plant’s overall health just as it is growing, so cut the leaf from the stem, to start the propagation.
3. Place it in Some Water
Make sure that you do not barren the plant and leave some for the original plant as well. Keep these leaves in a damp environment until they are ready to be planted. This will help in retaining moisture inside them.
In the soil medium, the roots grow well and aid in the formation of the plant and its parts. The second thing about growing cuttings in water is that they boost the nutrition system of the plant, giving it extra life and health. The only downside to using water is that until the roots are formed, you need to change the water every two days so that the water does not get dirty and does not kill the plant.
In short, you must now remember that it is better to grow the jade plants in water than soil only when the cutting includes a stem and a few leaves, and at this stage, you must keep it in water to see the roots of the leaves. The stem grows well in the water and grows the roots, after which it can be transferred to a soil medium.
4. Use Growth Hormone
After collecting the cutting, the next step includes the use of growth or rooting hormone. These come in a powder; as the name suggests, they aid in the plant’s growth from whatever cutting they are being grown. In this case, the leaves will each be dipped in the powder from their ends and heavily coated with the powder. The powder will stick onto the open stalk of the leaf and find itself in the nutrition stream of the leaf.
From here, the powder will go up and boost the growth mechanism of the leaf and, consequently, the plant when inside the soil. Now this step is not necessary but is highly recommended. This is because the leaf may find it difficult to propagate and may just give up, so these hormones will ensure that it does not happen, and the roots start growing.
5. Plant the Cutting in the Soil
Right after the cutting is dipped in the growth hormone, it should be placed inside the soil. Now this soil can be in a pot or in a garden patch, depending on where you want to keep the plant. The jade plant and its leaves look great in a pot of either terracotta or gray color. Make sure that the pot that you select for the plant is big enough and wide to handle the growth of the jade plant.
If you are planting the cutting in the soil, you would only need to prepare something in the soil that is moist. Before planting the cutting, water the soil, and this is what will ensure that it is moist and has the ability to develop. Make a shallow hole inside it, more like a poke, and place the cutting in it, and now you should gather the soil on the sides so that the cutting does not fall on the side. Lightly pat the soil around the cutting to ensure it’s settled.
6. Position the Plant Pot
If you chose the pot to plant your jade plant, find a good spot for it. A growing jade plant does not prefer direct sunlight, so find a place accordingly. A cool and dry place near the window, on a shelf, or on the side table, with indirect sunlight will be the best place for your jade plant to grow via propagation. Finding a place with no sunlight may also work for the jade plant as they could be better fans of the sunlight.
As you grow this plant, you will notice that they are thriving as these succulent plants have dark green leaves with white and pink flowers, making them stand out. This is why you must aim to keep them growing and give them the right care, so keeping them in the house or near you is also a sign of health and prosperity, so a lot of people also like gifting these plants to their friends and family members.
7. Take Care of the Plant
Our last step is to take care of the jade plant you have recently started growing. It is a peculiar plant that does not require much attention and does not require the normal conditions other plants enjoy.
These plants do not like direct sunlight because it dries them out so make sure their position is planned accordingly. These plants also do not like to be generously watered as overwatering them can cause root rot, ultimately destroying the whole plant.
The Jade plant takes about a year to grow a few inches, and this is because, naturally, the plant has slow growth. The jade plant belongs to the family of succulents, and they are also very slow growers naturally.
The growth process also depends on other things as well. This includes the conditions in which the plant was propagated, what techniques were used, and what are the current conditions of the plant. If they are fulfilled and maintained well, the succulent may grow at the most optimal rate according to its genetics.
However, be sure that you have adjusted the right needs for your plant, because you may see it not growing, and it is probably because the plant is getting less water than required or vice versa. Water plays a very important role in the jade plant’s growth.
Any problems or delays in the required amount of water will result in a fluctuation in plant growth. Other than the reasons why your plant may be behind in growth are less sunlight, extreme temperatures, or wrong propagation. Even after fixing the water issue, the plant does not regain its growth, and you should try to fix the other issues pressed here.
Conclusion
As we come to the end of this article, you see that we discussed the steps of how one can propagate the jade plants for indoor keeping, but in case something was missed, here is a short review for you:
- You can propagate jade plants from leaves by collecting and replanting plant cuttings in the soil.
- Jade plants are succulents with white and pink flowers and dark green leaves with narrow margins.
- Growth hormones help the plant cutting to pick up the pace and boost the growth in new growing plants.
- The jade plants do not like direct sunlight and prefer partial to no sunlight when growing.
- Overwatering the jade plants can cause their roots to form rot, which will eventually kill the entire plant.
Here we come to the end of the article about propagating jade plants, and we hope this article was informative and helpful for you, so happy gardening.
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