How to Propagate Jade Plants from a Leaf!

Jade plants are super easy to propagate from leaves. So easy even a rat can do it!

Yes – you read the title correctly.

We are going to show you how easy it is to propagate jade plants from leaves, even a rat can do it!

Our arch nemesis, Mr. Rat, inadvertently helped us to propagate our Jade Tree (crassula ovata) from leaves.

Before we get into the fascinating backstory, we understand some people want the bare minimum. So, for the step-by-step instructions for How to Propagate Jade Plant from Leaves, click HERE.

For everyone who likes a good story, grab a coffee, and let’s begin.

The Backstory – Who Knew Rats had Two Green Thumbs?

Okay, the rat didn’t intentionally propagate our jade plant, but they did a fantastic job!

We were trying to develop a succulent bowl in a raised urn to admire. And all things considered, it was humming along swimmingly.

All our succulents were thriving. We had a miniature Jade tree in the middle, a Black Knight rosette growing bigger each week, and some Crassula Tetragona shooting up. We even had Little Missy growing profusely and overflowing the sides of the urn to produce a waterfall effect, just as we planned.

Introducing Mr. Rat

We were delighted with the progress. Until Mr. Rat and his family discovered our succulent bowl, bits of our succulents began to disappear each night.

We’d find succulent leaves and broken stems littered on the ground every morning. It was heartbreaking. And to be honest, we’d given up on the succulent bowl and gave it to the rats. We tried everything to prevent the rat(s) from raiding our succulents. But, it was a lost cause.

Mr. Rat = 1, Garden Bench Top = 0

Nature Fights Back

But much to our delight, at the beginning of the following Spring, we discovered nature had been busy during the winter.

All the fallen leaves and stem cuttings had begun to propagate themselves!

Not only that, a completely new Black Knight rosette had formed, as well as smaller branches of the Crassula Tetragona!

Like the process that we’ll discuss below, new jade plants started to grow from the ends of the leaves the rats had chewed off. And instead of one succulent bowl, we now have a collection of succulents growing to form an entire new bowl!

I guess we can forgive Mr. Rat for their nightly raids last year…

How to Propagate Jade Plant from Leaf

We understand not all garden pest stories have happy endings, so we’ve put together step-by-step instructions for propagating jade plants from leaves – no rats required!

1. Identify Leaves on Parent Plant

Identify full, healthy leaves from the mother jade plant. It is essential to choose full and vibrant leaves to give you the best chance of successful propagation.

The jade leaves will rely upon the nutrients stored in the leaves to grow new roots.

2. Cut Leaves

With sterilized garden scissors or secateurs, cut the leaf from the mother plant as close to the stem as possible.

You can choose a single leaf or repeat the process with as many leaves as you want. We like to have a few backups in case some leaves develop rot.

3. Air Dry Your Leaves

Set your leaves aside on a kitchen paper towel in a sheltered spot for 3-4 days to cure. The wounds should form a callus and prevent infections from harming your leaf during the propagation process.

4. Lay Your Cured Leaves on Soil.

Once your leaves have healed, place them on top of some quality cactus or succulent soil.

5. Mist Your Jade Leaves

The final step in the propagation process is to mist your jade leaves. Try to target the callused ends of the leaves, as this is where they will grow roots, and new leaves will form.

Keep misting your jade leaves every 2-3 days. The moisture encourages root development and will accelerate the process.

NOTE: it was raining when I was propagating my jade plant leaves, as you may be able to tell in the background of the above image. So we thought (once again), we’d let nature take over the process.

Propagating Jade Plant from Leaves – Results!

Okay, you know we’re cheating here. Because, as we explained in our backstory above, these little guys grew from the leaves the rat had chewed off last summer.

At least, it is proof that this method works. Plus, it helps to give you a visual of what you can expect.

Caring for Your Jade Plant Propagated Leaves

You can expect to see results anywhere between 2-8 weeks from your leaf cuttings.

Why the large discrepancy between propagation times?

The speed at which your jade plant leaves grow depends on:

• your climate (temperature and humidity),
• the time of year (is it growing season), and
• how well you care for your propagated leaves.

Water Requirements

As your jade leaves grow, keep them moist by misting them every 2-3 days. They will need water to grow and develop.

However, as they mature and develop root growth, you can begin to treat them as you do the mother jade plant.

Allow the soil to dry between watering. The easiest way to determine when the soil is dry is to use a finger soil moisture test or a soil moisture meter from your nursery or online at Amazon.

Light Requirements

Like other succulents, jade plants need plenty of bright light to thrive. They can tolerate direct sunlight when grown outdoors on the ground.

However, if you have potted jade plants, ensure they receive shade or indirect light at different points throughout the day. This ensures they don’t dehydrate too quickly.

Temperature Requirements

Due to their ability to store water in their stems and leaves, jade plants tolerate higher temperatures than most other plants.

We recommended keeping them between 50-90° Fahrenheit (10-32° Celsius).

Soil and Fertilizing Requirements

As we mentioned earlier, use well-draining soil that has a loam consistency. The high sand content will ensure any excess water is expelled through the drainage holes.

Plus, the porous materials (like perlite) allow air to flow through the soil and reach the roots.

Jade Plant Placement

Once your jade plant leaf cuttings have developed, make sure you familiarize yourself with the laws of Feng Shui for their placement in your home. According to the ancient art, placing them in the wrong rooms or positions can negatively affect the flow of energy in your home.

Read more about jade plant placement HERE.

Jade Plant Leaf Propagation – Closing Comments

Once again, nature has proven to be resilient, not letting anything stand in its way.

Our succulent bowl with a jade tree was a lost cause. Ravaged and destroyed by rats. However, as it turns out, it has become a thriving sanctuary for jade plant propagation from fallen leaves.

Although nature did most of the hard work self-propagating the leaves over the winter, we’ve now taken over by transplanting the baby jade plants into new pots, ready to grow into new mature jade plants.