Jade Plants, also known as Money Plants or Lucky Plants, are popular succulents that are believed to bring luck to their owner. So we can totally understand the desire to create more of them through propagation. They aren’t that difficult to propagate if you know all the right steps so soon you’ll have plenty of new Jade Plants before you know it.
In this article we will guide you through the complete Jade Plant propagation process; from the best way to propagate, step by step method as well as our top tips for success.
Why propagate a Jade Plant?
Jade Plants don’t always grow how we want them to! They can sometimes end up quite leggy, grow sideways or even just become too big for the desired space. If this happens, pruning is the best way to keep your Jade Plant looking fresh and fitting into the space. But instead of just throwing away those incredible cuttings, why not propagate them and create new plants.
You may also have no other option but to propagate your Jade Plant out of necessity if it’s starting to die. Propagating part of the healthy plant can help keep some of your beloved Jade Plant alive.
And lastly, our favourite reason to propagate your Jade Plant; get new plants without having to spend any more money! Buying houseplants can be expensive so propagating the ones you already have lets you expand your collection or gift cuttings to friends and family.
Jade Plant Propagation Methods
The best way to propagate your Jade Plant is through stem cuttings. Whilst you can grow Jade Plants from seed cultivation, we like to leave this to the professionals. The process is lengthy and is often unsuccessful. You can also propagate only single leaves of your Jade Plant as you would other succulent plants. Although this isn’t as successful as stem cutting propagation, it can still work well given the right environment.
How to propagate a Jade Plant through stem cuttings
Check your plant to make sure it is healthy.
You should only ever propagate a healthy plant. This is because any issues with your mother plant will transfer onto your cuttings and harm your success at propagation. Avoid using any part of the plant that is looking a little wilted, yellow or dry.
Make the cut(s)
Now that you’ve chosen the section(s) of the stem that you want to propagate, you need to cut it off! Use clean scissors/ shears or a knife to make the cut across the main stem. Don’t ever rip the stem off your Jade Plant as this can harm both the parent plant and the cutting.
Remove any lower leaves
As you’ll be placing your stem cutting in water you want to carefully remove any leaves on the lower part of the cutting that may end up sitting in the water. This is because they will start to rot and release bacteria into the water which can harm your cutting.
Place your cuttings in water
Make sure the water is room temperature as you don’t want to shock/burn your cuttings. Place the cutting into the water so that one-third of it is submerged. If you place any more of the cutting into the water you risk it rotting.
Change out the water every few days
It’s important that you keep the water fresh to keep it free from bacteria.
Be patient
Now that your Jade Plant cutting is happily in the water, there’s nothing left to do but continue to switch out the water and be patient. You might need to wait several weeks for anything to happen but as long as the environment is right, all you’ll need is patience.
Plant your Jade Plant cuttings into potting mix
Use a high-quality potting mix to make sure your plant is getting the right balance of nutrients. For Jade Plants, we also recommend getting a well-draining mix including perlite to help avoid issues caused by accidental overwatering as they can be quite sensitive to this.
Resume usual Jade Plant care
Keep a close eye on your plant for a few weeks as this is when any issues might crop up.
How to propagate a Jade Plant through leaf cuttings
Propagating with leaf cuttings can be done by removing individual leaves from your Jade Plant.
Some leaves will come straight off with a gentle tug, while others may require a sharp knife to remove them. Just never rip the leaves off as this can damage the tissue.
Remove a few of the leaves to give you the best chance that one of them will be successful. Once you have removed the leaf from the plant, leave it in a warm dry place to callous over.
After the leaf has calloused over, prepare a new pot with fresh high-quality potting mix. Moisten the soil slightly and place the leaf on top of the potting mix. Press it down slightly so that it is sitting firmly in the soil, but not covered.
Use a spray bottle to mist your leaves when the soil is dry but don’t let the soil ever get soggy. You also want to make sure that the leaves aren’t soggy enough to rot. Keep the leaves in a bright spot, but stay away from any direct light as this can burn the cuttings.
After a few weeks of care, the leaves should start to grow little roots. After that, you should see small leaves starting to grow out of the cuttings. Keep the leaves in the pot for a few weeks and only repot them when the original leaf starts to wilt. This is a sign that your plant is ready to let go of the nutrients from the leaf.
And there you have it, your Jade Plant propagated through a leaf cutting.
Jade Plant Propagation FAQs
When is the best time of year to propagate a Jade Plant?
Ideally, when propagating through stem cuttings, spring is the best time to make the cut. By doing it in spring/early summer, you’re giving your plant a good few months of sunny, warm weather to help it through the propagation.
Can I propagate my Jade Plant from just one single leaf?
Yes! This is one of the greatest things about Jade Plants as it is possible to propagate them through just a single leaf. We have outlined the entire process above.
How long will it take for my Jade Plant cutting to grow new roots?
Propagating Jade Plant plants can be fairly speedy but often it can take several months for roots to grow so you’ll need to be patient. Root growth on stem cuttings is unpredictable but just make sure you’re changing out the water regularly and keeping your Jade Plant in a nice warm environment and you should start to see new roots growing soon!
You can choose a heat pad to ensure your cuttings are in the ideal environment for root growth and it’s a good idea to use a digital thermometer to keep track of temperature fluctuations too.
Help, my Jade Plant has become soft and mushy.
A soft leaf or stem cutting means it’s starting to rot. Try to cut away the soft part of your cutting and see if there is enough left to continue the propagation. If this has happened to a leaf cutting, then unfortunately there is no saving it.
This type of rot will usually happen if the leaf cutting has been watered too much, or if too much of the stem cutting has been submerged in water that has become stagnant.
We hope you’ve found this complete guide to Jade Plant propagation useful. It can be a little scary cutting the beautiful stems off your mother plant to propagate but the end result is definitely worth it for sure!
Check out our full Jade Plant Care Guide for more information on caring for your new plants after propagation.
