Jade plant

You may know the jade plant (Crassula ovata) as the money plant on a windowsill. As a bonsai it is ideal if you sometimes forget to water: it is a succulent and stores water in its thick leaves and stems.

Position and light

• Light: as bright as possible, ideally right by a window. A sunny spot with a little afternoon shade is ideal. In too little light it grows slowly and makes large leaves.
• Temperature: normal to cool room temperatures are fine. It should not get colder than 5–7 °C (41–45 °F); it cannot take frost.
• In summer: a spot outdoors does it good, in partial shade.

Watering

This is the biggest difference to many other bonsai: less is more.

1. Let it dry out: only water when the soil is dry.
2. Watch the leaves: when they start to wrinkle slightly, it is time to water.
3. Save water in winter: water much less from autumn to late winter. In winter, every 2–3 weeks is often enough.

Too much water makes leaves drop, rots the roots and keeps them weak.

Feeding

Once a month from mid-spring to autumn with a balanced fertiliser.

Pruning

• Pinching: keep pinching out new shoots. The tree gets sturdier at the base and the leaves get smaller: instead of 2.5 to 5 cm (1–2 in) they can shrink to just over 1 cm (½ in).
• Leave wounds open: do not seal cuts; they dry by themselves.

Wiring

Only with care: the bark marks easily and branches snap. Wire loosely, bend only a little at a time and do not water beforehand. The new shape holds after 3 to 4 weeks.

Repotting

Every 2 to 3 years, best in spring or autumn while it is growing. Use a very free-draining, mineral soil.

Flowers

Indoors it rarely flowers. Outdoors it sometimes produces small white and pink star-shaped flowers.

When something is wrong

• Leaves dropping: usually too much water.
• Large leaves, long thin shoots: too little light.
• Pests: mealybugs, scale insects, aphids and spider mites.

For more help, see the Bonsai Doctor.

In Japan

In Japan the jade plant's official name is フチベニベンケイ (fuchibeni-benkei), which refers to the often reddish leaf edges. In shops, though, you will find it as 金のなる木 (kane no naru ki), "the tree that grows money", or as 花月 (kagetsu). It owes the name to its round leaves, which look like coins. The story goes that sellers once threaded 5-yen coins onto young shoots so it looked as if money was growing on the tree. To this day it is a popular gift in Japan for a shop opening or a new home, as it is seen as a lucky charm for prosperity.

Toxic to pets

The jade plant is toxic to cats, dogs and horses. Possible effects are vomiting, lethargy and an unsteady gait. Keep it out of reach of pets.

Growing your own

Hardly any tree is easier to propagate: cuttings work almost any time, and even a single leaf lying on the soil will root. Let the cut ends dry well first.