Do Jade Plants Go Dormant In Winter

Jade plants are an excellent addition to include in your garden. They are relatively easy to care for, making them great for beginners. Plus, you won’t have to focus on them as much if you have needier plants growing in your garden.

If you choose to add jade plants to your garden, one of the most important things you will need to know is whether or not your plant has gone dormant during the winter and how to take care of it if it has. Since they are so easy to take care of, you may not notice they have gone dormant, but it is important to identify this so you can properly care for them. So, do jade plants go dormant in the winter? Every winter?

Jade plants can go dormant in the winter, but this does not mean that they always will. Temperatures below 40 degrees can eventually cause damage to Jade plants.

Some jade plants continue to grow throughout the winter season and never experience dormancy. However, there are still some jade plants that will go dormant in the wintertime. Some survive this phase and can continue growing in the spring, while others will slowly die during dormancy.

Can Jade Plants Survive The Winter

Yes, jade plants can survive the winter, but they cannot get too cold. Ideally, the best way to help jade plants survive the winter is to have them planted in a pot that you can bring inside in the winter months. They can tolerate some low temperatures but anything below 40 degrees Fahrenheit could cause damage. You will know if your jade plant is getting too cold if it starts to go limp.

To help it, you can cut away any stems that seem to be rotted. Overwatering the plant will not help revive it; make sure the soil still completely dries out before watering it again. If your jade plants are outside and you cannot bring them inside to protect them from the cold, you can consider wrapping Christmas lights around them, as many gardeners have found this to be an effective protection method.

Do Jade Plants Lose Leaves In The Winter

Jade plants can lose leaves in the winter. Sometimes they can feel too cold and start to lose leaves as a result. These leaves will typically grow back as the weather gets warmer. To help prevent your jade plant from losing leaves, you should keep it away from any particularly drafty areas and plant it in a pot to move it more easily from area to area.

Sometimes when jade plants experience a drastic temperature change, they have been known to lose a few leaves. You can gradually introduce them to new temperatures to prevent this from happening. If you have a jade plant outdoors, don’t wait until it is already cold to move it into your warm home. The drastic change will likely cause a few leaves to fall off.

Instead, when the weather is starting to cool down in the fall, and it is nice enough to use your windows to cool down your house, start moving it indoors. Since the temperature inside of your house will be more similar to the temperature outside, the plant will feel less jarred and more likely to continue growing normally.

Do Jade Plants Need Dormancy

Jade plants need dormancy; it is a part of their growth cycle. Jade plants have both an active and a dormant growing cycle. The active cycle typically happens in the spring/summertime, and you will find the plant actively growing faster.

While in the fall/winter time, your jade plant will go into its dormancy cycle, causing its growth to slow down, and it will stay the same size the entire time. Some jade plants will not go through a dormant cycle if they are used to being indoors in an environment where their temperature is kept the same the entire year.

Otherwise, all jade plants exposed to the natural climate around them will go through a dormancy cycle when it is cold.

How Do You Take Care Of A Jade Plant In The Winter

When jade plants enter their dormancy cycle during the winter, they will not need to be watered as much as in the warmer months. Larger jades that are big and strong may only require two waterings throughout their entire dormancy.

Allow the soil to completely dry out before watering your plant again. When watering them, try not to splash any water on their leaves as this can cause rot. If you see leaves starting to rot, quickly cut them away from the plant so they do not affect the rest.

Besides this, you also need to protect your plant from getting too cold. Try to bring your plant inside to protect it from the harsh winter air. Inside, keep it away from drafty areas and cold windows.

You can repot it every 2-3 years with a young jade plant to encourage growth. Once it is a little older, you can repot it every 4-5 years. Jade plants like being root bound in smaller pots. Keeping them root bound does keep the plant smaller and more manageable. If you do choose to repot your plant, try to do so in the spring so it will be settled in its new pot for its next growing cycle.

Things To Consider

Jade plants are popular additions to gardens because they are easy to care for. Even the extra bit of care they need in the winter will not add too much to your daily routine. On the bright side, you won’t need to water them as much, saving you time and money.

Otherwise, you need to bring them inside to protect them from the cold. If you need to keep them outside, you can look into getting a cloth sheet or a frost cloth to drape over your plant to protect it. Other large plants and trees planted close by can also help protect the plant from wind chill.