When To Repot Jade Plants
Jade plants are a beautiful variety of the succulent family. They can grow relatively quickly, they’re easy to propagate, they can be pruned into amazing beautiful shapes but when is it time to repot a Jade plant? How do you know? Also how do you know which are the best pots for Jade plants? Well it’s really quite simple, let’s take a look first at when to repot Jade plants.
Jade plants put out lots of new growth, and when their pot becomes too small this growth will slow down. This can be one of the key indications that your plant is ready for a new pot. You can also look at the plants general appearance. Does it look like it’s bursting out of the pot? Are there new stems coming up from all areas of the soil? Is it difficult to get a moisture probe or your finger in the potting mix? If you’re answering yes to these questions then it really seems like it’s time to repot your Jade plant.
If you’re still really not sure then try taking your Jade plant out of its pot and look at the root system. Is the pot filled primarily with roots? Are they wrapped around again and again? If so then yes it is time to repot your Jade plant.
Typically a Jade plant will only need repotting once a year to once every two or three years when the plant is young, however as it matures you can normally extend the plant. There’s no rule of thumb and rather you should do whatever your plant seems to need.
Time Of Year To Repot A Jade Plant
Now you’ve learnt when to repot a Jade plant in terms of when it needs repotting, it’s important to learn what time of year you can repot your plant and how best to go about it.
The best time of year would be the spring or summer, that way your plant has plenty of time to adjust to its new surroundings and start growing into it’s new pot during the growing seasons. Although you may not actually kill your houseplant if you do it in winter, it’s better not to make any changes to your plant during the cooler months. That includes fertilising and pruning. Instead just continue caring for your plant, helping it to get as much bright indirect light as possible and watering it when it dries out.
How To Repot A Jade Plant
As well as when to repot Jade plants, it’s useful to know how to repot Jade plants. These plants are repotted just like any other similar plant but we’ll go through the steps to make sure you know what you’re doing.
When taking your plant out of its original pot you don’t want to just grab the stem and yank as this can damage the pot. Instead tip the pot on its side and gently work your plant out. If your plant is potted in a plastic container you can squeeze or massage the sides of the pot to loosen the soil and work it away from the edges. If it seems stuck you can use a spoon, chopstick, knife (not sharp) or any other similar appliance to work at the soil around the edge of the pot to loosen it up. As the plant starts to become free from its pot you can very carefully pull the plant out by its stem, if your plant coming out easily don’t just pull harder! Loosen the soil instead.
Once you have your plant it’s time for repotting. If your roots are absolutely bursting out of the soil then you may want to choose a pot two sizes up, otherwise just go one size up. Fill the extra space at the bottom with new potting mix, we would recommend using a specialised cactus and succulent mix with added perlite. Then place your plant into its pot and gradually full the spaces around the side with the appropriate potting mix.
Hopefully we’ve helped you to not only know when to repot Jade plants, but also how to. If you’re interested in any of our other Jade plant articles then take a look at:
It’s important to know when to repot Jade plants, rather than just letting your plant burst out of its pot. A lot of looking after houseplants is about anticipating the plants needs and reacting to what its showing you. A Jade plant is no exception and as it’s a super beautiful plant it deserves the utmost care.
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Do you water or fertilize the plant after repotting?