Jade Plant | The Prosperity and Friendship Plant
The Jade Plant is a beautiful and highly symbolic succulent.
I was drawn to this plant mostly for its significance and symbolism.
My first Jade Plant was a housewarming gift from a friend of mine. At the time I didn’t associate that specific plant to its meaning. I didn’t know Jade Plants were typically gifted to friends moving to a new house as a symbol of prosperity and friendship. I had no idea!
Only recently, as I adopted a big and troubled Jade Plant from a garage sale, I learned more about its meaning and benefits.
Then, three months ago I became completely fascinated by Jade Plants; I went to visit a friend of mine and I noticed she had a new massive Jade Plant in her Dining Room corner. She told me she had inherited it from her mom moving to a smaller home. It used to be her grandma’s…That Jade Plant was 60 years old! (That’s the plant in this article feature picture). It looked stunning to me! I had never seen such an old houseplant before!
So, I started digging for more information on Jade Plants. Not so much on how to care for them, (as it is very easy to do), but more about their symbolism and benefits.
Its scientific name is Crassula Ovata, but it’s commonly known as Jade Plant, Lucky Plant, Money Plant, Money Tree, Friendship Tree and other similar “nick names”, depending on the specific variety of the plant, (there are several different varieties and cultivars of Crassula).
These ” nick names” depict the Jade Plant’s meaning and benefits really well; let’s take a look!
This Jade Plant is the result of trimming, propagating and repotting my first Jade Plant I got as housewarming gift from a friend 9 years ago. It was growing pretty leggy in a pot without any drainage, so I just decided to give it a new life! And here it is!
jade plant ORigins
The Jade Plant is native to South Africa and Mozambique.
It is now one of the most common houseplants worldwide due to its extreme ease of maintenance, beauty and symbolism.
In its natural habitat, and when properly cared for even indoors, Jade Plants can live a long life and reach up to 5′ in height.
As mentioned before, there are several varieties of Jade Plants. The most recognized variety is the Crassula Ovata.
Other popular varieties are the;
- Crassula Monstruosa, also known as Hobbit Jade, Gollum Jade, Trumpet Jade or E.T. Fingers.
- Crassula Tricolor, also known as Lemon & Lime Jade. This particular variety requires even less water than the typical Jade Plant, virtually none during the winter months.
My Lemon & Lime Jade Plant, (Crassula Tricolor).
jade plant symbolism and benefits
Symbolism
“Jade by the door, poor no more!”
Have you ever heard this popular asian saying? In Asia, people believe that Jade Plants activate financial energies.
Stored water in the leaves = stored wealth and abundance.
The Jade Plant has been known to bring prosperity and friendship to those who own it.
I really like how Wikipedia defines the word “Prosperity” as it does not only refers to wealth and success but it encompasses a more wholistic positive status:
“Prosperity is the state of flourishing, thriving, good fortune or successful social status. Prosperity often encompasses wealth but also includes other factors which can be independent of wealth to varying degrees, such as happiness and health”.
In Feng Shui, the Jade Plant is symbol of good luck, it gives off healthy and beneficial “CHI”, (positive energy).
From a symbolic perspective, a flowering Jade represents great friendship, luck and prosperity. More specifically, the leaves of the Jade represent the energy and joy of friendship, while the flowers represent the fragrance of friendship.
Its location in space can have different meanings;
A plant placed by the door of a home, an office or a restaurant invites prosperity and good fortune.
Placed in East locations of a home brings family harmony and health.
In South East locations brings wealth luck.
In West locations, Jade Plants bring creativity and children luck.
Northwest locations are for the luck of teachers and mentors.
If you believe in Feng Shui, you should never place a Jade Plant in the Bedroom or the Bathroom. It is believed that the flushing water has the power to flush the positive energy from the plant away.
benefits
It is believed that Jade Plants have medicinal and non-medicinal benefits, (and some are common to other house plants).
- It improves air quality by helping remove VOCs; toluene and acetone specifically. Night air cleaning is a great reason to keep a Jade Plant on the bed side table, (only if you don’t believe in Feng Shui!).
- It is a symbol of good luck and consistency as an evergreen plant.
- It is extremely low maintenance, (refer to the care section of this article for more info on this).
- The Chinese culture and some African tribes and communities use Jade Plants extracts to treat wounds, stomach upset, warts and diabetes with tea made from the leaves.
- It enhance the look of any space with its beauty.
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jade plant care
Caring for a Jade Plant is extremely easy and that’s why it’s one of the widest spread houseplants world wide.
Jade Plants can grow beautiful and fragrant white or delicate pink flowers if properly maintained.
There are a few essentials to know in order for your plant to thrive, and here they are. But before we get started with Jade Plant care, it’s important to know that this plant is toxic to dogs and cats, so make sure you keep them out of reach of your beloved pets.
light
Like the majority of succulents, the Jade Plant thrives on lots of light.
It needs good light exposure to grow full and lush. Even a few hours of direct sun light in the morning is great for this plant. Too little light and it will grow leggy.
watering
Watering a Jade Plant properly is the most important factor for this plant care.
Never let it dry out completely, nor water it too often as it is prone to root rot. It is recommended you do not water on a schedule, but rather when the top soil is dry to the touch. (I generally water mine every week to 10 days in the summer and approximately once a month during the winter months).
Proper and effective drainage of both soil and pot are critical for a thriving Jade Plant. I’ve seen far too many long, leggy Jade Plants in containers without proper drainage. It’s best to use succulent/cactus soil mixed with perlite in a terracotta pot with draining holes.
fertilizing
It’s common to under-fertilize this plant during the growing season as the vast majority of people believe this plant is so effortless that it doesn’t need any additional feeding.
However, it’s a good habit to feed this plant once a week or any time you water it during the growing season with a liquid fertilizer, formulated for cacti and succulents.
repotting
Jade Plants don’t grow very fast so repotting should only occur every few years or any time you notice the soil needs to be replaced due to pests, mold or root decaying. Another good reason to repot a Jade Plant is to place it into a pot with proper drainage.
After repotting your Jade Plant, avoid watering it for a week, then start watering it lightly in order to prevent root rot.
This is the Jade Plant I took home from a garage sale last spring. It was a whole $2.00! It needed help. It was clearly badly trying to lean towards the sun. Its roots grew so big that couldn’t fit in its pot so the previous owner thought it was a good idea to layer a second pot on top of it. I am happy to report, this Jade Plant is almost completely straight now and it has grown a bunch of new stems on the severed left branch.
jade plant propagating
The Jade Plant is also known as the Friendship Plant as it is extremely easy to propagate.
As mentioned before, I adopted a large Jade Plant from a garage sale. By the time I took it home, a bunch of stems and leaves had dropped on the top surface of the pot. All I had to do was to grab these stems and leaves and stick them into a pot full of draining soil.
Another way to propagate Jade Plants is by leaf and stem cuttings. If you want to read more about propagating succulents techniques, you can check out my article on Propagating Succulents Leaves and Stems.
I have a great deal of respect for Jade Plants.
I believe they are beautiful. I believe in their significance and meaning. And most of all, I can swear on their extreme ease of care.
It’s a no brainer plant for anyone; from plant lovers, to plant beginners, to black thumbs.
Who doesn’t want a plant that brings prosperity and friendship into their home and, why not, office?
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Why should you not keep a jade plant in the bedroom according to feng shui?
Hello Gloria!
There is quite a bit of an ongoing contradicting argument on this topic. Many Feng Shui experts believe that plants in general are not suitable for the bedroom because of the “growth and movement” energy associated with them, which is in contrast with the going down energy of sleep.