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Jade plants, known by the botanical name Crassula ovata, are native to South Africa, where the evergreen shrub can reach 5 or 6 feet tall. Plus, these succulents can live for decades! All you need are a few jade plant care tips to keep them thriving. Some varieties even have leaves edged in gold, red, or purple. With smooth oval leaves and a thick stem that resembles a trunk, jade plants look like cute, little trees. They’re just as easy to care for as low-maintenance favorites, such as a snake plant or pothos. Photo by dayofthedreamweavers on Foter.If you’re looking for a tough houseplant with loads of personality, add a jade plant to your collection. And remember, your plant is rooting for you too – good luck! Think of it as a challenge being set – a riddle you can solve by a simple process of elimination. Most of the time, there’s no need for alarm if you find your zebra plant drooping. I know it can be a real heart-sinker when a favourite plant starts looking poorly, so I hope you now feel a little reassured. Drop the feeding for a while and see if your plant rallies.

If you’re feeding the plant at all in winter, or more than 1-2 times a week in spring and summer, that could be the problem. Has the flower bract just started to fade? This is often accompanied by the lower leaves drooping or falling off, which is quite normal and no cause for alarm.Ĭould it be possible you’re feeding the plant too much? Overfertilizing a zebra plant can make the lower leaves droop and fall off too. If the roots have been subjected to too much water and succumbed to root rot, the plant has sadly gone past the point of no return.īut if the soil wasn’t wet when you checked, there are a couple of other reasons the leaves may be drooping.

When you did the finger test, was the soil already wet? Adding more water in this case is only going to make things worse. Roots will look brown and mushy – and won’t smell too pleasant either! Ultimately, if not addressed this can lead to root rot. If you’ve been a little too keen with the water, and soil has been kept on the soggy side, this can suffocate your plant’s roots. Ironically, plants tend to exhibit very similar symptoms when they’re being overwatered and underwatered. If your plant doesn’t start looking like its old self again after a thorough water, the most likely explanation is overwatering. It’s quite possible for it to look much happier in a matter of hours. The pot needs to be well drained so roots aren’t left sitting in sodden soil.Īfter a good water, you should find the plant perk up remarkably quickly. Zebra plants are quite thirsty, but like most houseplants don’t take too well to waterlogging. Wait for the water to finish dripping through the drainage holes before returning the pot to its saucer, pebble tray or pot cover. This is the closest thing to natural rainfall, which is what all plants love best. If you can, use soft filtered water at about room temperature. Try to avoid spilling water on the leaves as best you can. Give the soil a thorough soaking until water starts to drip through the pot’s drainage holes. You might also like: advice for fixing your limp peace lily. Push in your finger – is the top inch still moist or has it dried out? These plants like their compost moist at all times, so if it feels arid and dusty, a good drink should help it recover. If you aren’t sure when you last watered, you can use the finger test to check the compost and see if it is getting enough. In their rest period, this can be reduced to once a week. Have you noticed your plant become noticeably droopier in the last day or so? Sudden or excessive drooping suggests the plant is short of water.Īs a rule, zebra plants need water twice a week when actively growing (in spring and early summer). Have the leaves suddenly wilted, or are drooping to excess? However, if your plant looks distinctly more deflated, or is droopier than it used to be, it may need some help. Some plants are naturally droopier than this, while still being perfectly healthy. You can see that a good proportion of the leaves naturally point downwards, with just the uppermost leaves facing skywards.