Four of them by the side of the road in these hanging planters. The media is exceptionally dry and there are one or two graptosedums here and there in the planters as well
I'm pretty cavalier with my plants but they seem to do well in spite of it. I generally water them when they start to look thirsty, or maybe once per week if I fall into a routine.
Can anyone give me some pointers on how to care for these? Light requirements, watering frequency, stuff like that). Any considerations I need to take given that they are in these hanging planters?
The plants seem pretty happy, with the exception of a stump husk here and there, they are firm and green.
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Portulacaria afra (aka elephant bush), not crassula ovata (jade).
And generally yes, the statement that they thrive on neglect is true, with the caveat that you need to actually provide them with proper growing conditions. This means a suitable substrate (good starting mix is a 1:1 mix of succulent soil to inorganic grit), a pot with drainage, and adequate lighting. If you get those things right, especially the lighting (they need several hours of direct light), all you really need to do is occasionally check to see if they’re ready for a deep water (water based on signs of thirst).
I could be wrong but I believe those are Elephant’s bush/food not jade. IME yes neglect is ok but depends on your area and how dry it is and how much sun you get. I’m in the SW US desert area so I water my outdoor ones at least monthly, but you can always tells when the leaves get kinda wrinkly they need water. These looks decently healthy so you should be good, check soil moisture and give them some fertilizer once a month or so.
Not a jade, it’s an elephant bush. And yes, I’d say that’s pretty accurate, personally I have two of these that I forget exist and they are giant. I rarely water them unless it doesn’t rain for a long time. This is in Zone 9b, though, YMMV in colder areas.
I think you scored finding these Jade plants. I think they are beautiful.
The leaves really show when they’re thirsty so easy to care for.
My plants are growing outside. We are in coastal southern California and we don’t get much rain. Jade doesn’t need a lot of water. They can get quite large in the ground. Ours grow pretty white flowers too but would be too messy when they drop in your home.
I live in a desert region where it gets to +40C during the summer, mine are planted outside in various places, direct full blasting sun all day long, in mostly sandy soil. They require excellent drainage. If you grow them indoors, their growth will probably be stunted, unless you have a very sunny conservatory. They really do need lots of sun. They are native to South Africa, slightly more temperate region…but still extremely sunny.
Make good bonsai too! Esp. The variagated one- Better than jade
Lucky score
It’s true, this plant is incredibly easy to care for! Mine was struggling badly (it was literally just sticks) but once I gave it a good grow light and added perlite, it exploded with new leaves. It’s so resilient and forgiving, definitely one of my best plants
All succulents thrive on neglect, you don’t need to water them often, you don’t need to fertilize them often (almost never) and you also don’t need to check for insects since it’s very rare that they will ever get any pests on them
Yep! Previous owner neglected them and now they will thrive with you.
Lucky you! They are still so lively. I’m looking for plant for starting my new hobby for bonsai, this would be great learning material