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Do Jade Plants Give Off Oxygen – Here’s What We Know!

When you’re looking for a new succulent – a jade plant – you might be shopping based on the aesthetic of your apartment. You want something sleek and easy to take care of. As you start to research your jade plant before bringing it into your home, you might ask: do jade plants give off oxygen?

Yes, jade plants give off oxygen. Jade plants, like all succulents, not only filter the air in your home; they also provide fresh, new oxygen!

Jade plants are mini oxygen-makers! Having one in your home will give you new oxygen while removing the carbon dioxide. Continue reading how these small but mighty plants do this!

How Do Jade Plants Produce Oxygen

Jade plants produce oxygen through a process called photosynthesis.

You’ve undoubtedly heard about photosynthesis if you took biology while in high school. Photosynthesis is what plants use in order to get the food and nutrients they need to survive.

I don’t want to get too scientific while explaining this, so we’ll keep it simple while I talk about the three main parts needed for photosynthesis: sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water.

Sunlight

All plants, jade plants and succulents included, will need sunlight in order to synthesize food. Without it, the process isn’t going to work!

Jade plants specifically require a lot of sunlight. Most blogs will tell you that your jade plant needs full sunlight to live its best life. 

It can be tricky to find the sunniest spot in your house, but remember that your jade plant uses sunlight to make its food!

Carbon Dioxide

Carbon dioxide is the next essential ingredient in photosynthesis.

Carbon dioxide isn’t something as easily controlled as sunlight and water, though, but there is no shortage of carbon dioxide for your jade plant.

Do me a favor and breathe in. Then breathe out. Congratulations! You’ve just created carbon dioxide for your plant.

Humans breathe in oxygen and release it as carbon dioxide, which is harmful if plants like jade plants do not pull it from the air.

Water

Finally, your jade plants need water for photosynthesis.

It’s surprisingly easy to give your jade plant enough water for photosynthesis because jade plants do not require much water.

Your jade plant only needs water when the top one or two inches of soil feel dry. This translates to needing water every two or three weeks – barely anything!

When you do water your jade plant, you do not need to drown it. Give it enough water to wet the soil, and your plant will do the rest!

Do Jade Plants Give Off Oxygen At Night

Yes, jade plants can still give off oxygen at night.

Now, you might think that since jade plants use photosynthesis, they cannot give off oxygen at night. 

This one is a little confusing to explain because jade plants, and most succulents, follow what is known as the CAM cycle.

If you’re interested in knowing more about this, I recommend you do your own research, but I’ll make it as simple as possible to understand here.

During the day, your jade plant is still using the photosynthesis process because there is sunlight.

Over time, jade plants had to adapt to dry climates, so they require so little water. At night, they can still exchange gases.

I mean that they can store carbon dioxide in their leaves and then emit it as fresh oxygen at night. 

You don’t notice a difference between day and night at your home, but you can still rest easier knowing that your jade plant is hard at work during the night to make your air safer!

Is A Jade Plant Good For Oxygen

Yes, a jade plant is great for oxygen!

Even though I tried to simplify the science, I know I threw a lot at you in this article.

All of my explanations say that jade plants are good for oxygen. They are a fantastic option to clean the air in your home and bring in fresh oxygen!

Here are some of the best places to put your jade plant for cleaner air and the promotion of better breathing:

  • In the bedroom, particularly in the window, so your jade plant gets enough life
  • In the kitchen, especially if you cook with gas to remove any harmful pollutants
  • In the living room, if you live in a busy place, like a city, pull anything harmful out of the air

Of course, you can put your jade plant wherever you want and know that you are getting fresh air every time you walk by!

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