The Crassula arborescens plant, which is also known as the Silver Jade Plant, Chinese Jade, Money Plant, Beestebul, and Silver Dollar Plant, is a beautiful ornamental succulent plant. Its common name Money Plant and Silver Dollar Plant refer to the shape of its leaves that look similar to the one-dollar coin. In Chinese culture, Silver Jade Plant has a lot of significance. Silver Jade Plant is considered a plant that will bring in money and good fortune. In some Chinese communities, this plant is given as a gift to someone who you want to wish luck. This is a slow-growing succulent plant, mostly grown for ornamental uses.
The Silver Jade Plant grows upward, and its stem divides into multiple branches that overlap one another. Sometimes this plant is also called the Crassula Tree, because of its branches and height. It can be 5 feet tall, and 5 feet wide if it is provided optimal conditions and is given proper space to grow outside. In indoor plantations, it can only reach 3 to 4 feet tall and 4 feet wide depending upon the space that you provide it. Its leaves have a beautiful coin-like round appearance, each leaf has grey color in it, while the edges of every leaf are purple to reddish pink.
It is one of the easiest to grow succulent plants that can survive the harshest summers in outdoor settings. It may need protection from the frost, as it can damage its leaves if it stays on them for a long time. Below is a complete care guide related to the Crassula arborescens or Jade Plant.
OVERVIEW
| Common Name | Silver Jade Plant, Chinese Jade, Chinese Money Plant, Beestebul, and Silver Dollar Plant |
| Scientific Name | Crassula arborescens |
| Genus, Family | Crassula, Crassulaceae |
| Size, Type | 5 feet tall and 4 to 5 feet wide. Succulent shrub |
| Color of stem, leaves, and flowers | Round coin-like leaves of grey, green and purple-pink color. Star-like small Pink and White flowers. |
| Flowering Season | Spring in most areas, late spring in very cold areas. |
| Perennial/Annual | Perennial evergreen plant. |
| Hardiness | USDA Zone 10 – 11 |
| Temperature range | Thrives at a moderately warm temperature, cold can be damaging for the plant. |
| Sunlight | Full sunlight exposure is required for proper growth, low light exposure can cause several problems and restrict the growth of the plant as well. |
| Growth Rate | A slow-growing plant |
Lineage
The Silver Jade Plant is scientifically known as the Crassula arborescens. It belongs to the Crassula genus and is a member of the Crassulaceae family of succulent plants. Like most other members of its family, it can survive the hot climates but can quickly die if exposed to extreme cold conditions.
Appearance
This is a comparatively large succulent plant, and it can grow up to 5 feet tall and 5 feet wide if the conditions are favorable. Not only this, but it also forms multiple branches that erect from the main stem, and make it look like a small tree. The Silver Jade Plant is known for its unique leaf shape. It has coin-shaped leaves that overlap each other to create a beautiful appearance. Its leaves have green, grey color, and pink to purple color is seen on the edges of these leaves. The Silver Jade Plant is a flowering plant and it grows small beautiful flowers of white and pink colors.
Flowering
The Silver Jade Plant is a flowering succulent plant and it grows beautiful pink and white leaves on its branches during the spring season. In some areas, due to different weather conditions, flowering can also happen late as well. To see the entire plant bloom properly, you must keep the plant under full sunlight. Without proper access to sunlight, its flowers will not grow and would not last as long as they should last.
Natural Habitat
Crassula arborescens or Silver Jade Plant is succulent and like all other succulent plants, it is native to the desert areas. Harsh and hot climates are its natural habitat. Silver Jade Plant can survive in the desert without water for a very long time, as it has adaptations to survive in the summer in desert areas. It has bulky thick leaves and branches that are capable of storing water. This stored water is utilized when there is a shortage of water in the desert. Silver Jade Plant is native to South African desert areas. But now it is grown worldwide in controlled environments.
FUN FACTS
- The Silver Jade Plant is also known as the succulent tree, or Crassula Tree, because of its multi-branched appearance that resembles the tree branches.
- It is also known as the Money Plant or Chinese Jade plant and is known to bring good luck or money to home. There are a lot of myths attached to the Silver Jade Plant.
- This is a flowering plant and grows a lot of flowers during the flowering season. The Silver Jade Plant has pink and white flowers.
- Crassula arborescens is a member of the Crassulaceae family of succulent plants.
- Leaves of the Crassula arborescens plant have a similar appearance to the dollar coins and that is why it is also known as the Silver Dollar Plant.
Growing Requirements for The Silver Jade Plant
| Soil | Nutrient-rich soil that is slightly acidic or neutral and is also well-draining. |
| Sun | Needs full sunlight exposure to grow, better to keep in a bright environment. |
| Water | Can store water in its organs, which is why less frequent watering would not kill the plant, but for proper growth, a watering schedule should be prepared and followed. |
| Fertilizer | Use compost mixture in the soil, check the soil for nutrients deficiency and use the fertilizers. |
Soil Requirements
The Crassula arborescens – Silver Jade Plant is a succulent plant, it naturally grows in the desert where sand is the major component of the soil. So, if you are growing it at home, or in a garden, you must add a lot of sand to the soil. For example, if you are using common soil for plantation, you must add a lot of sand to it for better growth results. You can add four cups of sand and two cups of soil, one cup of pumice or perlite, one cup of compost, and mulch. Make sure to evenly distribute all these elements in the potting soil. Once the soil has been prepared, you can plant the Silver Jade Plants into this soil. These are a few must-have qualities in the soil that you should look for before planting the Silver Jade Plant.
1. The soil must be neutral or slightly acidic.
2. It should be porous and well-draining. You can make the soil porous and well-draining by adding sand and pumice or perlite. Soil should not hold water in it, otherwise, the roots on the Silver Jade Plant could get damaged.
3. Soil should contain all the required nutrients for the growth of the Silver Jade Plant. A soil with a deficiency of nutrients would not allow the plant to reach its maximum growth potential. It would restrict its growth and make sure that the plant grows at a faster rate and stays healthy all the time. You should use nutrient-rich soil. You can add compost and fertilizer to help the soil become nutrient-rich.
Sunlight Requirements
Succulent plants need plenty of sunlight to grow. If your Silver Jade plant is not receiving the required sunlight, it would not grow as fast as it should be. Also, it would create multiple problems for the plant even if it has fully grown. Low light exposure can cause a delay in flowering, discoloration of leaves, wilting of flowers and leaves. In some cases, it can also lead to the death of the plant as well. That is why it is important to keep this plant under full sunlight. Here are some recommendations related to sunlight requirements for the Silver Jade Plant.
1. Make sure to keep your indoor plant in a place where it receives plenty of sunlight daily. If you have a window that opens east, it would be the best place to keep it.
2. If you have planted it outdoors, make sure it is not under the shade of other trees or any kind of shade.
Temperature Requirements
The Silver Jade Plant can survive hot climates but it is sensitive to cold climates and weather. It requires protection if it is grown in a cold region. It may also require protection from the hot sun during the summer. It can be planted in the USDA zone 10 to 11. The Crassula arborescens or Silver Jade Plant thrives at moderately warm temperatures. Cold temperatures can cause the leaves of the Silver Jade Plant to wilt, and this condition for the long term can lead to the death of the plant. That is why, if you are growing the Silver Jade Plant in a cold region, you must keep it indoors during the winter.
Water Requirements
The Silver Jade Plant is a succulent plant and it can store water in its leaves, branches, and stem. That is why it can survive without water for a very long term. But extreme water shortages can kill this plant as well. That is why you should water the Silver Jade Plant regularly after scheduled intervals. To prepare a watering schedule, you should consider climate, weather, season, plant age, height, size, temperature, and other factors that might impact the amount of water in the soil. Watering once every 8 to 10 days during summer and 15 days during the winter.
Fertilizers Requirements
If the soil in which you have planted the Silver Jade Plant is not nutrient-rich, then you will have to provide nutrients from the outside. For example, you can add fertilizer to the potting soil, or you can create a mixture of fertilizer and water to fertilizer your plant. You can provide this mixture to your plant once every month or every 40 days. Fertilization from outside would help the plant grow quickly and reach its potential height.
Repotting
The Silver Jade Plant requires repotting once every year, as it grows slowly and consistently. It can outgrow the pot it is kept. You should prepare a new and bigger pot first. After that has been prepared, you can uproot and replant the Silver Jade Plant in the new pot. Be careful during this process and try not to damage the roots of this plant.
Pruning
The Crassula arborescens – Silver Jade Plant is a slow-growing plant and that is why it only requires pruning once every year. The best time to prune the Silver Jade Plant is before the spring. This will not only help control the spread of your plant but will also allow you to shape your plant as you want. Use a sharp knife to cut the branches and leaves that are dead or excessive. After pruning, provide water to the plant and allow it to regenerate new leaves.
Propagation
The most common way to propagate the Silver Jade Plant is using the cuttings from a mature stem. To do this, you will have to select a mature plant and take cuttings from it. To take cuttings, you should use a sterile sharp knife and cut healthy branches as cuttings. Once the cuttings have been taken, you should place them in the rooting hormone. They will take some time to grow roots. Once the roots start to appear, you can get the Silver Jade Plant cuttings out of the rooting hormone and plant them in a planting pot.
Problems
This plant is usually attacked by common pests and plant pathogens such as aphids, spider mites, and mealybugs. You can easily get rid of them using pesticides or using cleaning methods. You can spray or use detergent water to clean your plant. These pathogens can spread to other plants as well if they are not properly contained. To protect your plants, you should wash all your plants with detergent water.
