Will Jade Plants Flower When Grown Indoors?

Jade plants are amazing indoor plants that even the most novice gardener can easily grow. The plant is low-maintenance and honestly thrives on neglect. Provide them with their basic needs, and they will thrive for years without any fuss.

Jade plants, also known as Crassula ovata, are popular succulent plants. They are admired for their oval-shaped green leaves and thick trunks. However, when fully grown, they can get rather large, anywhere from 3 to 6 feet in height!

Long Answer

Jade plants will produce small clusters of white to pink star-shaped flowers when they hit full maturity. However, getting them to produce blooms when grown indoors can be tricky. You need to provide the perfect combination of growing conditions to achieve blooms.

To bloom, the plant needs 8 hours of bright, direct sunlight, a lack of water, and cooler night temperatures to induce blooms. These conditions can be difficult to achieve indoors but not impossible.

The plant forms a bloom during the late winter to early spring. The age of your plant will determine if it can produce a bloom or not.

Even when they are fully mature, the plant may not produce a flower. It’s also critical to provide a rest period for your plant to induce bloom. This is similar to a dormancy period, but Jade plants never enter a dormant state.

Mature Plants

If you want your Jade plant to produce blooms, it first needs to be mature enough to do so. Crassula ovata take anywhere from 3 to 4 years to hit full maturity. Even after the plant matures, blooms may not set for many more years. So, if you recently propagated a new Jade plant, don’t get disappointed when it doesn’t bloom right away.

If the plant is only a few years old, the root system is still growing, and the plant can’t focus energy on producing a bloom. It can be difficult to wait for your plant to mature, but it will be rewarding when those delicate starry blooms appear.

A mature Crassula ovata will be anywhere from 3 to 6 feet tall. If your plant is still below these heights, it needs more time to grow. Another indication of maturity is the slowing down of new growth. As the plant matures, it will produce fewer new branches and leaves.

Sunlight

The next item you need for bloom production is proper sunlight. The plant will need bright, direct sunlight to induce flowering. This is harder to achieve indoors, but you can supplement light with grow lights. You can also try placing the plant in a south-facing window.

Placing Crassula ovata in at least 8 to 12 hours of bright, direct sunlight a day is ideal for this succulent to produce flowers. Of course, this is much easier to achieve outdoors, but with supplemental lighting, you can provide enough sunlight to encourage blooms.

Watch for temperature changes when placing next to the window, especially during the winter. Crassula ovata can tolerate a bit of temperature change, but draft windows can cause damage to the plant. Also, be mindful of air vents or radiators, as they can also cause damage due to the higher air temperatures around them.

Watering Impacts

Jade plants naturally survive in drier soils, which is important to induce blooming. It is easy to overwater this plant (as it is with all succulents), especially if you see signs of distress.

Overwatering will lead to root and stem rots, negatively affecting your plants. Root and stem rot are treatable if caught early.

The drier the soil, the better your chances are for developing blooms. Allow soils to dry completely between waterings. Let the soil dry and only water sparingly if you want the plant to produce blooms. Dry soils will cause the plant some slight stress which can trigger the plant to flower.

The location of the plant is going to affect how often you water. Rooms that are higher in temperature and have bright, direct light will dry soils much quicker. Choose a location that is a bit cooler to prevent soils from drying too quickly.

Stress-Induced Blooming

Many plants will begin to bloom towards the end of their lives or when stressed. So allowing your plant to become a little stressed can help induce a bloom. Be careful, as causing too much stress can lead to shock. Shock can stunt your Crassula ovata or, worse, kill it.

A common stressor is allowing the plant to become rootbound. Crassula ovata have smaller root systems than most plants. Planting into a smaller pot can help create a tighter root system. But, again, you must be careful when choosing a pot because planting in a container that’s too small can cause their growth to stunt or kill the plant.

Choose a pot that is made of a breathable material such as terracotta or ceramic. This allows air to flow to the roots and helps prevent root and stem rots from developing.

Your pot should have at least one drainage hole, if not more. Properly draining pots will help excess water leave the pot and prevent soggy soils.

Rest Period

Jade plants don’t enter a true dormancy period to produce a bloom. Instead, the plant needs a period of rest where the environment changes a bit to help set blooms.

These periods of rest typically include a drop in temperatures and longer nights. Temperatures must drop around ten degrees from normal temperatures during this rest period.

Also, during this time, the plant needs to be kept in a drier location. When Crassula ovata are kept in warmer locations, this tends to dry the soils much quicker. Finding a location that is a bit cooler and dry will help induce blooms.

At the beginning of the fall, in September or October, allow soils to dry completely and leave them dry for weeks. Identify a cooler location within your home to move the plant. Temperatures should be anywhere from 50 to 60 F during this rest period. Be sure this location still provides plenty of light.