Can anyone tell me how to get a mature jade plant to bloom? I recently had a disagreement with a friend about how to get one to bloom. I've read that they need the shortened days of fall and winter, without supplemental light. Like an unlit sun room. Also that one needs to drastically decrease watering, and a period of coolness helps. Well, an acquaintance says that only the decreased watering is necessary. As I haven't gotten mine to bloom yet, I'm not really sure what to believe. I would appreciate any advice.
Well I have the Jade plant in front of a West-facing window, and if we are getting any sunlight that day, so is the jade plant. It is very healthy without any sign of etiolation, so there must be something else to it methinks.
From what I read they are very fickle bloomers. They do bloom in winter, but I only found one site that attributed that to short days. (Couldn't hurt to make sure they had uninterrupted darkness at night though.) Most of what I read indicated that strong light and a difference between night and day temps may have more to do with it. So maybe try brighter light and turn down the thermostat at night.
Ones with cupped (upward facing), red-edged leaves of a lighter green than those with dark green, horizontal, more narrow leaves are also the ones that bloom heavily. In California and Hawaii it is the first type of foliage that is borne by plants growing (and flowering) outdoors. One might call this sun foliage vs. shade foliage. If yours has the shade foliage, common among specimens grown indoors in this region, it may not flower much--if at all--until you give it enough light to start getting some of the sun foliage characters. At any rate, plants with the sun foliage look more cheerful, even if light exposure isn't actually a factor in flowering of these. If yours has the sun/outdoor type of leaves than you know it is getting plenty of light, if not then maybe it isn't getting as much as you think.
Well, those are definitely some things that I did not know. I would classify mine as a shade-leaf type. It is dark green, without the red edge, and yet the leaves are quite broad. I do have one that has much smaller leaves, is lighter green with red edge. They are both in the same South-facing window however. Both spend the summers outdoors in dappled sun/shade, and the smaller does go lighter, and the edges more red. The other seems to stay the same. I have also heard that they need to be quite mature before they bloom. Well, anyway, thank you very much for the info. I'm a real jade plant afficionado, and yet there doesn't seem to be that much info out there other than the basics :)
I didn't realize a jade plant would bloom. I've had mine for about 10 or more years and after moving last year and putting it where it gets the morning sun, and not watered as much as before, it had never bloomed. What a glorious site! Now I am not sure what to do know that the blooms are fading. Just pinch them off? Thanks, properpearl
I have had success with crassula (Jade) blooms , probably by default....but cool nights, lots of daylight and usually budding by Dec., I have blooms throughout January.
Say K Baron, you live fairly close to me (Victoria). What exactly do you mean by "cool nights and lots of daylight"? Do you have a greenhouse? I am interested, as I have a very mature Jade that I would like to try to get to bloom, but everyone seems to have slightly conflicting advice.
Hey P. call it luck, however every year without fail, when I place the jade from out of doors into a bright window for the winter months, the plants buds in Dec. and blooms Jan/Feb. The day time temps are usually around 18 Celcius, and night time ranges down to 15 C..... this has been my success with blooms for Jades' indoors. Perhaps because I temper my plants out of doors from March to November....this has helped???? Oh, and water sparingly, I ussually fertilize once a year in the late spring...when the plants are outside, temperatures are + 20C. so the roots can take the moisture without rotting....and dry out quicker.... The plants in the green house have a wider range of temp.daily over the winter months, as I keep the heat at minimum, sunshine greatly increases the temps, and results so far are fewer blooms? I am no scientist.... Does this help?
So, let me get this straight. You have one that you winter in the house, with the temp.'s that you mentioned, and some that you winter in the greenhouse? The one that winters in the house blooms better than the gh one? Also, you summer yours outside? I do as well, but not from March onward. Where do you place the plant that you don't have to worry about late frosts? In the greenhouse? I usually put mine outside in June, when the nights have warmed up, but perhaps cool night are just the ticket. I bring it in late September, but again perhaps I should leave it out for longer. I do have to be concerned about late frosts here in Victoria, and these can occur right into April. Forgive all of the questions, but you live close, and are having success, so I'm very curious as to what exactly you are doing.
Ok...maybe the cool nights do help...but of the 80 jades that I have, the largest and oldest (14 years...) seem to always bloom ...placed outside, the deck cover keeps the freeze at bay from late March to early Nov., excluding last years deep freeze...remember to temper the foliage to sun, or be ready for scorched leaves that turn silvery grey and not too pleasing to the eye.... Since Feb 28th., I currently have 30 jade cuttings planted outside in the garden, up against the house, with plenty of southern exposure, these were not tempered, because of the weak sunshine...
How do you 'temper' your jades? I know that you have to slowly adjust them to the hot rays of summer, but I always seem to get scorching even so, and that shows on the plant for a year or more. 80 jades, wow. Do you have one called Kapiti Sunset? Saw that one online, and have been pining for one ever since. Well, methinks that I should be leaving mine out for longer in the fall, perhaps moving it to a more sheltered location, and then putting it out a bit earlier in the spring. It's always been a challenge to find the right location. I've always put in under a tree with dappled sun/shade, but the tree has grown and it is too dim. After that, all I have is full sun, which can scorch mighty quick. It's too big to move back and forth. Plant and pot must weigh as much as 75 pounds. Thanks for indulging my questions, and any further advice would sure be appreciated...
Chester -- do you keep your jades in the kitchen all winter?? I read on a site that jades need a night/day cycle in the winter months to bloom, in addition to the sparse watering. I moved my plant out of the living room, where the lights are always on at night, and into the office (where I hardly go at night) and then mine bloomed. It took two years of this "cycle", but that was the ticket for me. It sits in a southeast facing window. I hope this helps.
Chester, Tempering the Crassulas is best when you provide some filtering , and I mentioned that I planted some against the house in late Feb. with no scorching, call it luck with no freezing... A covered deck , cloth or similar should work, it takes weeks and weeks to temper and ready them for under direct sun. Remember that Crassulas grow best under a canopy shade. This clue is based on actual visits to groves of them near Santa Barbera along the valleys with Quercus (Garry Oaks). I always remember the blooms arrive in Dec. and I know that I haven't watered in many weeks prior ...Hope this helps.
Yes, I do keep mine in the kitchen. I have a very small house, and don't have a spare bedroom or other room that I could keep cooler, and dark at night. We do have the heat completely off at night through the winter, and the temp. drops quite a bit, but I can't do anything about the overhead lights... I was thinking of trying to adjust mine to sun on my patio (from 1:00 pm onward), but now I'm not too sure. It really enjoyed being in dappled sun/shade under a tree, but there might be too much shade now the tree has grown. Well, I do appreciate all of the suggestions. Always nice to hear some other ideas from Jade growers.
Looks like this thread is dead, but in case anyone is lurking .... My jade is over thirty years old if its a day and never bloomed until this week. I moved to this house last year; maybe that has something to do with it. The plant sat outside all summer under the North wall of the house where it got bright indirect light all day and then direct sunlight in the late afternoon. I probably brought it in the first week of October. A small branch that had broken off sat on the ground all summer on the East side of the house. I picked that branch up only a couple of days ago and brought it in and sat it on kitchen counter. I noticed yesterday that the little branch had flower buds on it. Shocked, I looked at the big plant and it is covered with buds as well. The big plant is in a large East window in the kitchen. Not sure what the secret is, but I think it might have had something to do with exposure to the cool/cold nights while still outside.
I agree with the diurnal temperature range. What does a 30 year old Jade look like? Any chance of a picture?
OK folks, I will try and figure out how to upload a picture, but sorry, you are going to have to wait just a little bit. The buds haven't changed much since I first noticed them; so it might take a while for them to actually open up. I will take a picture now and then again once they have opened up. I don't think it will be too spectacular tho; just kinda small, white florets (clusters) at the ends of the stems. When I have both pics I will post them.
Well, I am in the same boat... mine are about to bloom, but it may take a few weeks...as they have usually bloomed in the past during December....here is the mother plant...all 2 metres tall and quite happy after a summer pruning...
OK, a friend familiar with plants said it could take a long time for flowers to open in a Jade and so I decided to upload a couple of pictures of what it looks like at this stage. Please note that my Jade survived as long as it did in spite of the care/neglect I gave it; not because of it. It rarely got outside until the last 2 years. This spring I heavily pruned away any branches that drooped down before putting it out. edit to add: the little branch lying on the pot soil is the one that had laid on the ground all summer. It also has buds on it. Not sure what I am going to do with it yet. I have many jades now as every time a branch or leaf falls they root up. I have given many away to neighbours and passers by.
I have a jade plant which is 5/6 years old and it is covered in tiny white flowers. I water it once a week in summer and once every 2 weeks in winter. I didn't know these plants can flower. I have 2 Jade plants in 2 tubs which are close to eachother but only one has flowered. It is in sun most of the time.
