The Crassula Ovata, more commonly known as Jade plant or friendship tree is often seen at the entrances of restaurants or people's homes.
Have you ever wondered why?
The old saying that goes "Jade at the door, poor no more" is a popular belief that by putting a Jade plant at your entrance you will keep money from rushing out of your house. Also you might have seen that a lot of Asian restaurants have a Jade plant at their entrance as they believe it's a lucky plant and it will attract happy (hungry?) customers.
Do you have a Jade tree at your front door? If not hurry up it might help you grow your savings...
So now that you are actually considering dressing your house entrance with a Jade Plant maybe I should give you a few tips for keeping it happy and healthy, no?
First things first. The Crassula Ovata is a succulent originally from Mozambique and some parts of South Africa. This means low water needs, to make it simple do not water in winter and only sparingly in summer. The Crassula O. will prefer a nice sunny spot, this will stimulates the pink/red coloring on the tip of its leaves. Although it likes sunlight don't move it from a shady spot to direct afternoon sun behind a window in one go as it might scorch the leaves. Anyhow it will prefer the sunlight from outside directly instead of from behind a window.
Replication of a Jade Plant is so easy you can try all kind of methods to create new Jade plants and offer them to your friends and family. To replicate it just cut off some leaves, make a cutting in the middle let it dry and then put in or on soil. A new rooting system should appear within 4 weeks from the severed leaves. You could also for a quicker and easier replication use pumice rock or rooting hormone.
If your Jade plant is happy and you take good care of it you might be rewarded in winter with beautiful pink flowers shaped like stars!
And if you are interested in Bonsai then this could be a perfect way to start, the Jade Plant is particularly adaptive to a Bonsai mode of growth. You'll need of course to prune it accordingly but it can be done quite easily, especially if you have a mother plant to take cuttings from.
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