My 10-year-old jade plant (Crassula ovata) is blooming for the first time

[Mousetoescamper]

[Beatlelvr]

1. Wow that's gorgeous

I didn't even know they DID bloom.

[Mousetoescamper]

49. Thanks!

[yardwork]

2. I had no idea they bloomed like that! How lovely!

[Mousetoescamper]

50. Thanks!

[happybird]

3. Beautiful!

I've never seen one in bloom. Thanks for sharing!

[Mousetoescamper]

25. You're welcome!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. What gorgeous flowers and plants, my dear Mousetoescamper!

You obviously take much better care of yours than I do mine! The weather here is mild enough year-round that they live outside.

The first flowers that you showed here are very different than mine. All of them are beautiful!

Thanks for sharing!

[Mousetoescamper]

26. Thanksnd you're welcome, Peggy!

I brought the plant in for the winter last month. It's not yet in full bloom..

[MMBeilis]

5. Doesn't this just make you happy? Thanks for sharing.

[Mousetoescamper]

27. You're welcome!

[Callalily]

6. Oh wow! How lovely.

[Mousetoescamper]

28. Thanks, Callalily!

[ShazzieB]

7. Beautiful!

I have never seen a jade plant in bloom, ever. Very impressive, and the closeups of the flowers are lovely.

[Mousetoescamper]

29. Thanks, ShazzieB!

My 30-some-year-old jade was huge and flowered every November. It stopped blooming five years ago after I moved into a north-facing apartment with no space to take the plants outdoors for the summer. I now live in a little house with southern exposure and a deck. Unfortunately, the big jade died two years ago.

[sinkingfeeling]

8. Nice.

[Mousetoescamper]

30. Thanks!

[hlthe2b]

9. Beautiful... Sadly mine (about the same size/age) was absolutely destroyed by the movers

even though I tried hard to impress on them how best to wrap and protect it in the truck. But 60 miles later, it was a lost cause. Still saddens me to this day but I didn't have an appropriate-sized vehicle of my own to move it.

[catbyte]

16. That's awful.

Jade plants are notoriously difficult to move because the leaves are so brittle at the stem and snap off so easily. When I was in college, I worked at a florist shop in the plant sales/maintenance department and I always dreaded it when clients wanted us to bring them a jade plant because they were such a hassle to transport. They're gorgeous, though. I had a small one, but one of my cats apparently liked the feeling when he bit down on the leaves because I'd wake up in the morning to see more leaves punctured with little teeth marks. I finally gave it to a pet-free friend and it recovered nicely. Again, I'm sorry about your plant. After I've had a plant for a long time I get attached. Sounds weird but it's true. I've had a faithfully-blooming Phalaenopsis equestris orchid for 8 years and I'd be so sad if anything happened to it.

[Evolve Dammit]

23. I get attached too....

[Mousetoescamper]

33. My 30-some-year-old jade died two years ago after two moves in five years.

Losing the jade wasn't devastating, unlike the death of a beloved pet, but I grieved. It was huge and flowered every November until I moved to a north-facing apartment without a space to take the plants outdoors for the summer. I now live in a little house with southern exposure and a deck.

[greblach]

10. Nice!

I love Jade plants, had one in college that was massive...pretty hard to move when the time came, but I did it...great pix...

[Mousetoescamper]

34. Thanks!

[Deuxcents]

11. If anyone could get a jade plant to bloom..

My money would be on you! All your beautiful pictures of flowers, plants both in the wild or at conservatories. Your love for nature shines with this blooming beauty. Thanks for sharing.

[Mousetoescamper]

35. That's very sweet of you, Deuxcents. Thanks for your kind words. You are most welcome.

[mommymarine2003]

12. Our jade plant is about to bloom, too.

We have lots of indoor and outdoor plants, and we put a lot of our indoor plants outside in the summer since we have milder temperatures here in the Pacific Northwest. We brought in our large jade plant about a week ago and put it in our bedroom. This morning I noticed it was full of buds getting ready to bloom. I don't remember it ever blooming before. Now I know what the flowers will look like.

[Mousetoescamper]

36. Congratulations on your jade's blooming! I was overjoyed when mine finally budded.

[paleotn]

13. Yay! Gorgeous!

They don't bloom often indoors and usually only if they're many years old. A native of South Africa, if they do bloom, it's during our winter. Enjoy!

[Mousetoescamper]

37. Thanks!

My 30-some-year-old jade was huge and bloomed every November. It stopped blooming five years ago after I moved into a north-facing apartment with no space to take the plants outdoors for the summer. I now live in a little house with southern exposure and a deck. Sadly, the big jade died two years ago.

[crosinski]

14. What a beautiful flower!

… and a beautiful plant too. Thanks for showing us.

[Mousetoescamper]

38. Thanks and you're welcome!

[Beartracks]

15. That is a gorgeous, well-cared-for plant!

I didn't even know jade could bloom!

================

[Mousetoescamper]

39. Thanks!

[niyad]

17. Just lovely. Thank you for sharing.

[Mousetoescamper]

40. Thanks and you're welcome!

[trof]

18. Worth waiting for.

[Mousetoescamper]

41. Indeed!

[Greybnk48]

19. That is magnificent!

Where did you get the beautiful pot? I love that as well.

[Mousetoescamper]

42. Thanks!

I bought the pot at a local garden center, Stauffers of Kissell Hill, in Lancaster Co., PA.

[TomSlick]

20. They bloom?

Who knew?

[Luck Counts]

21. Who knew? Not me!

I have a healthy one that lives outside. Hopefully I will get to this happen some day.

[markodochartaigh]

22. If you get a chance to visit the

San Diego Zoo, make sure to notice the 6 foot tall jade plants used as landscaping all around the zoo.

[Mousetoescamper]

44. Thanks for the recommendation!

My 30-some-year-old jade (below) was about five feet tall when it died two years ago. It bloomed every November until five years ago, after I moved into a north-facing apartment with no space to take the plants outdoors for the summer.

2015


November 14, 2014

[AmBlue]

74. Wow Mousetoes!! You have a way with jade!

My condolences on the loss of this beauty. But your photos of the one that's flowering now are equally stunning!

Can you share what you think are optimum conditions for growing them to these gargantuan sizes and getting them to bloom? Like what part of the country you are in, full sun/partial sun, how often you water and fertilize, soil type they like. etc. I am fascinated!!

The only jade I ever had was one 6 inches tall and sat on my office desk. It didn't do nearly so well as yours.

[Mousetoescamper]

76. Thanks!

I'm in Pennsylvania. All of my houseplants are usually outdoors from a few weeks after Mother's Day, well after the last frost, until nightly tempertures start dipping into the lower 50s, usually around the first of October. They're in full sun in the summer after they've been acclimated by keeping them in a shady spot for a few weeks. In winter they've done best when directly in front of a south-facing window. I lived in a north-facing apartment for two years with no place to take the jades outdoors in summer. The plants became "leggy", even when I used grow lights.

My jades are repotted in a larger pot when they become rootbound; when the rootball can easily be lifted from the pot. I also prune them in the spring before they're taken outdoors. I repotted my 10-year-old jade for the third time last year. I use cactus potting mix soil and fertilize with Plant-tone when the plants are taken outdoors in the spring.

I water when the leaves become a little thin and wrinkled to the touch. They'll recover from having too little water but overwatering can kill them. Overwatering can also occur when they're outdoors and there are several days of heavy rain. I usually cover the top of the larger jade's pots with plastic, wrapping it around the trunk and over the edges of the pot, when prolonged rain's in the forecast. The smaller jades are brought indoors, as are some of my other houseplants.

[2naSalit]

24. Cool!

Thanks for posting the pictures!

I have never seen one bloom!

[Mousetoescamper]

48. Thanks and you're welcome!

[Diamond_Dog]

31. Wow!

Maybe there’s hope for mine!

I didn’t know they bloomed!

Great shots, Mousetoescamper! Love them.

[Mousetoescamper]

45. Thanks!

Check out the shots of my 30-some-year-old jade above in post #44. It used to flower every November. Sadly, it died two years ago.

[pansypoo53219]

32. hope it survives. i brought a gifted succulent from fl to wi. it made a blossom a few weeks later + then died.

but many babies.

[Mousetoescamper]

46. The plant's healthy and I'm aging in place. Sorry about your jade's demise.

[pansypoo53219]

73. not jade. a thin branchy thing i named bob. other succelents did worse. we are too cold.

my grandma's didn't even get that big.

[MLAA]

43. Absolutely beautiful plant and great shots.

[Mousetoescamper]

47. Thanks!

[DUgosh]

51. Wow!

Just Wow!

[Mousetoescamper]

52. Thanks!

[sprinkleeninow]

53. It's a *sign*. nt

[liberalla]

54. How pretty! Thank you for sharing!

[Mousetoescamper]

59. Thanks and you're welcome!

[justaprogressive]

55. Both gorgeous and a testament

to your skill as a gardener!

[Mousetoescamper]

60. Thanks!

Looks like a Magritte.

[justaprogressive]

70. Yes!

indeed it does ...my current avatar as well

[twodogsbarking]

56. Fabulous. Good smell or bad?

[Mousetoescamper]

61. Thanks! Odorless to my nose.

[BlueSky3]

57. Absolutely

stunning!

[Mousetoescamper]

62. Thanks!

[thatcrowwoman]

58. You have a remarkable green thumb, Mousetoescamper! Your plants radiate the very essence of jade.

I’ve never seen a jade in bloom before.
Your 30 years old plant is/was beautifully inspiring.
Many thanks for sharing.

I, too, am aging in place. About 4 years ago, my snake plants started blooming in the late summer, which surprised and delighted me. My mother-in-laws tongues, as my late great mother-in-law called snake plants, derive from a pot of them she gave me back in the 70s. They’ve been shared far and wide since then

🕊thatcrowwoman

[Mousetoescamper]

63. Thanks and you're welcome!

I did not know that snake plants flower!

[BumRushDaShow]

64. Beautiful!

And you reminded me that I am WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY past due to re-pot mine and prune the hell out of it.

[Mousetoescamper]

65. Thanks!

I repotted and gave it a buzz cut last year. Now it just needs a little off the top.

[Goddessartist]

66. So beautiful!

Ours has never bloomed and it's at least 10 years old. Probably a bit too cold here.

[Mousetoescamper]

68. Thanks!

[LymphocyteLover]

67. so cool!

[Mousetoescamper]

71. Thanks!

[Fla Dem]

69. Wow, fantastic! You must feel very proud of your 10 year old plant. She's beautiful.

[Mousetoescamper]

72. Thanks!

[Old Crank]

75. Never seen that before.

I didn't know that they bloomed.
Very nice pictures.

[Mousetoescamper]

79. Thanks!

[MOMFUDSKI]

77. Fabulous!

I love growing plants. Happy for you and the plant.

[Mousetoescamper]

80. Thanks!

[Bayard]

78. Wonderful!

Like most here, I didn't even know jades could bloom. Thanks for posting!

Mr. Bayard has recently installed grow lights for my indoor garden of houseplants, and they're looking good.

[Mousetoescamper]

81. Thanks and you're welcome!