Houseplant Help: How to Propagate Jade Plant

Once you discover that your elegant little easy-care jade succulent (‌Crassula ovata‌) is reputed to bring you financial good fortune, you are very likely to want more than one. Don't run out to the garden store! Jade plants, like most succulents, propagate easily, and rooting a stem cutting or even a leaf will give you a clone of the parent plant.

There are a few different ways to propagate a jade plant, using either a leaf or a stem cutting. Ready to make more jade plants? These simple steps cover all of these options.

You can propagate a jade plant in one of four ways: rooting a stem cutting in water or soil, or rooting a leaf in water or soil. I have used all four methods, so take it from me: if it's your first time, go for the cutting in water. It's the fastest method, and it's so fun to watch all the little roots pop out. Rooting a stem in soil also is reliable but is slower, and the new roots are all under the soil.

Leaves are another great propagation option since a jade plant has so many of them. If you want to root a leaf, the soil method is best, because standing a leaf up in water isn't easy.

A jade plant grows in the shape of a little tree, but you don't need to take a stem cutting from the central "trunk." Any of the longer branches will be just fine. The cutting should be at least 4 inches long so it's easy to stand up in a glass of water. Cut the stem with garden scissors or sharp pruners.

You want the stem of the cutting — the part that goes in water — to be free of leaves. So the second step is to remove each leaf on the stem section. This also encourages rooting because roots will sprout from those same leaf nodes. If desired, you can use any removed leaves to propagate on their own.

The jade plant is a succulent, with the classic fat stem used for storing water. If you immediately plop it into a glass of water, it could rot. Instead, let the cutting dry out for a few days. The cut end will callous over and crinkle up a bit.

If you're using the water method, put the cutting into a glass or jar of water. Use something transparent so you can observe the roots as they grow. Place the container in an area with indirect sunlight and watch for the roots to emerge. Change the water every week. In no time at all, roots will appear.

If you're using the soil method, skip ahead to step 5.

‌If using the water method:‌ Move the cutting to soil after the roots are 3 to 4 inches long. Add a few inches of succulent potting soil to a small pot, moisten the soil, then sit the cutting's roots onto the soil. Add more soil and gently press the soil around the stem. Place the pot in a location with indirect light and allow the plant to establish.

‌If using the soil method:‌ Fill a small pot with succulent potting soil. Poke a hole in the soil with a finger, then slip the cut end of the cutting into the soil. Keep the pot in an indirect sun area and add water when the soil is dry.

Remove as many leaves as you want to create new jade plants, plus a few more. While virtually all stem cuttings root, the success rate is slightly lower for leaves. Using your fingers, twist each leaf gently to tear it away from the stem. Be sure to get the entire leaf, including the small pointed section attached to the stem.

Set the leaves in a warm, dry place for a few days so that the ends that were attached to the stem form a callous. As with the stems, this prevents rotting.

Fill a small pot with succulent potting soil. Lay the leaves flat on the top of the soil, giving a bit of room to each. Mist the soil and leaves with plain water to dampen the surface of the soil. Place the pot indirect sun, and mist again when the soil has dried — typically every 2 to 3 days. In 3 to 4 weeks, the leaves will root and begin to grow tiny jade plants from the cut ends. Carefully transplant these in individual pots with succulent potting soil. And there you have it — a new jade plant!