Crassula Ovata Care ~ Money Tree | Jade Plant

Money Plant – Crassula Ovata Care – Where it all started

Yes, this is the Money plant, or Money Tree or Money Penny Plant or Jade plant but more specifically this is Crassula Ovata. The plant that started my obsession with houseplants at the age of probably 10 years old. I think I got a cutting from my Grandmother and I loved watching it grow nice and big on my windowsill and it really started my interest in horticulture and houseplants in general, since then I think I have always had a least one houseplant growing in my home.

So coming up I want to give you the care guide for this plant, light and water requirements PLUS the one big thing you absolutely mustn’t do if you don’t want to kill your money plant. Trust me this is from experience!

I’ve always known it as the money plant personally but over the years of learning about houseplants it’s become quite obvious that there are many, many plants that have been nicknamed “the money plant” and you can easily guess why, if you are a commercial grower naming something money plant or lucky Bamboo etc. will obviously encourage sales if there is a helpful myth that you will come into money if you grow this plant, or it will bring you luck if you grow this plant and keep it healthy, so unsurprisingly over the years quite a few growers have wanted in on the action and so there are several versions of these names for all different types of plant. For this one, the jade plant is probably most common and as I’ve mentioned Crassula Ovata is the correct one for this plant.

Crassula is a genus of succulent that is native to South Africa and I have grown quite a few Crassula over the years and still do have a few different ones right now, Crassula perforata, is a fun and interesting one, I’ll link my review of that one at the end of the video, Crassula sarmentosa 'Calico Kitten' is one of my favourites that goes an amazing deep red in the direct sun and is great for projects and displays because it hangs very well and looks fantastic, Crassula arborescens ssp. undulatifolia is another great one with beautifully curled leaves and looks stunning as a big bushy plant and super easy to care for as they all are because they are native to South Africa as I’ve said they live in harsh direct sun with little nutrition and baking heat so they have all evolved to be very drought tolerant and will take a certain amount of full sun too due to their thick protective leaves, in the summer watering once per week is enough, wait until it nearly dries out completely before watering again, a bright sunny spot will be great for this plant, keep it away from your pets because they can be toxic for them if eaten, but there is one thing that the money plant and all the other Crassula’s can’t handle but more so the money plant and that is too much water around the base especially through the winter when it’s not actively growing these jade plants grow these thick trunk’s as they mature that draws up the moisture to its big fleshy leaves and stores it’s water reserves in its leaves and trunk, which is why it can handle being dry for long periods because it has a reserve that it can call on, but the problem comes if you give it too much water around the base, where the soil contacts the main trunk if that gets too damp for too long then the rot can set in, and once the main truck starts to rot the plant is lost, because slowly each part of the plant will die back and apart from taking cuttings from the parts of the plant that is currently still alive there is nothing you can do, it’s already too late, So what can we do to avoid this?

As with many succulents, you can put gravel on the surface of the pot which not only looks quite nice but it acts like a barrier between the base of the plant and the damp soil so the wet can’t sit on the base and so drains down into the soil better, you can also just aim the water from the watering can a little further out and try not to soak the base too much, it’s ok if it gets a little wet, just try to avoid soaking it.

So if you avoid this mistake you can enjoy your jade plant for many years to come, they can live for generations! As these plants are a sign of prosperity within the Chinese community you can often see some massive old Jade plants that have been in the family for generations and passed down to the sons and daughters in turn, so if you’ve been given one as a gift or just bought one recently if you treat it right you could have a life-long companion in the humble money tree!

[johannabarton]

Hello, really been enjoying your videos so thank you for that. My question for you is how to properly prune or cut back my jade? I got one from a friend, its got long stems, very leggy. I'm relatively new to plant care so cutting back a very slow growing jade makes me nervous!! Oh and how to propagate the cuttings? If you made a video that'd be excellent. Thanks so much!!