How to Flower a Jade Plant

Crassula argentea, most commonly known as the jade plant, is a succulent that stores water in its leaves, stems and roots. Jade plants can bloom with the proper care. The blooms of a jade plant are delicate, small, pink or white flowers. Jade plants are sometimes used as a hedge in Southern California and other warm parts of the country, where they flower often. Indoors, Jade plants require certain conditions to produce flowers.

Move your jade houseplant outdoors during the warmer months. June is a good month for this move. In the cooler northeast, the jade plant does well once the temperature reaches 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The jade plant tolerates either full sun or full shade and does well when kept in the same indoor container.

Allow the jade plants' soil to dry out and water only when the soil is dry in the summer, about once a week. Do not water the jade plant starting in the fall at the beginning of cooler temperatures. Jade plants are desert plants and have evolved to survive droughts.

Leave the jade plant outdoors until late fall or when the temperatures start to drop. Late October is typically a good time to bring the plant indoors.

Keep the jade plant in a cool area indoors for several weeks during the night hours, an unheated sun porch or room will work just fine. The jade plant needs the cooler temperatures and dark nights to promote flowering.

Follow this dry and cool regimen for several weeks. Buds normally appear on the ends of the branches in late October or early November and the blooms tend to open in December. The blooms will last almost a month and can be trimmed from the plant when they start to fade.

Care should be taken to not over water a jade plant, as this will cause the plant to lose its leaves and the stems to eventually rot.