Hello my name is Jen and like so many people my interest in jade plants started by mere need, my mom had acquired a very large and very old jade plant from a friend which inspired my research into the topic of succulents. I had also gotten quite a few jade plants in my travels mostly young plants that I felt bad for. I remember I had walked into Lowe's one day (which is a store that I do love) but I was horrified to see 10 jade plants being soaked and left to soak in their own drenched soil which probably went on day after day. They were in the wrong section,  they sure as heck didn't belong in the tropical plants. They are wonderful house plants but they are to be treated more like a cactus then a tropical plant. So I took two home and fixed them up. I decided to write this to help anyone who had any questions or concerns about this this type of plant. As I read about them I saw that people had a large interest in these wonderful plants. If there is anything that I did not cover that you may have a question on please feel free to comment and I will answer any questions that I can:)

First little Jade I Propagated

The Jade plant goes by a few names (friendship tree, money tree, lucky tree ) but the real name is Crassula Ovata, and is native from South Africa. This plant with a lot of time, patience and love can get to be 5 feet tall with different varying widths in trunk sizes. One of the things that I love about this plant is that each one has such a uniqueness about it. 

This tree was the one that was given to my mom  this was it after I split it into two  trees and gave my mom the other. It was an enormous and very old Jade. (more pic below)

LIGHT:
One of the basic elements in Jade plant care is the factor of light (as in most plants). It should have about 4-5 hours of direct sunlight. You can put it in a window and it will be quite happy. Some plants tend to get a reddish hue around the edges of their leaves, which usually means they are happy and healthy. Be careful though not to put your Jade too close to the window because it can act as a magnifying glass and scorch the leaves. 

TEMPERATURE:
The Jade plant can be very adaptable to temp. and can withstand between 50-80 degrees and sometimes higher in the summer. (as long as your not shocking the plant) It does best in moderate temperature, although I have seen it grown outdoors in Arizona and California and will grow at a quicker pace in those warmer temps. If the temp falls bellow 55 your plant will become dormant and will require you to give it less light. If for some reason the temp falls below 40 it will most likely die. (if you catch it in time you can cut back the dead parts and bring it inside and try and save it)

The Soil is a mix of my sterile soil, little left over cactus soil , sand and 

SOIL:
The PH should be around 6.1 - 6.5 in course and sandy soil what I like to do is make my own little mix depending on what is available but I like to use a good potting soil (I'm not talking about miracle grow) go to a garden store a pay a little extra and get a good sterile potting soil I can't tell you how many times I have had to put plants outside because of the fact that they had fungus gnats or other pests from the soil. Sometimes it is even from the soil that it was previously in from the container. (I'll get more into that in the pest section!!) You can also use the Cactus soil which is probably the cheaper way to go and they sell it at Lowe's. But if not get your sterile soil and then mix in sand that you purchase from the garden store, (don't go mix in sand from the beach!) or Perlite and your good to go!

WATER:
The most important part of owning a Jade plant is learning how to say  "No"... no to watering. Like most first time Jade owners when I first got my plant I would walk into the kitchen and want to give him a little sprinkle here and there, but I had to remind myself that I would just be killing him with kindness! Think of the Jade like a Cactus, you should allow the soil to completely dry out before watering it again, you can even put your finger in the soil and if you feel that it is still moist then just back away from the plant. That is why the soil plays such an important role in this plant; you want a soil that drains quickly and doesn't retain the moisture. Of course use your judgement but technically they say that you should water your plant every 10 - 20 days in the summer and every month or sometimes more in the winter depending of course on soil, size etc... After owning them for a while you will be able to read the signs in your plant, and forget about the watering can with your jade, watch the plant it will let you know when it needs to be watered. Having your plant in a clay pot can also help because it will absorb some of that moisture from the soil.
To encourage blooming on your Jade:  After the first frost you should stop watering for several weeks (this is the dry phase) and then followed by a watering which should encourage the blooming. (If the nights are warm or plant is watered regularly the plant will not bloom) If anyone has ever owned a Christmas Cactus it kind of reminds me of that.
Fertilizer should be applied every 2-3 months in spring and summer I use the miracle grow singles they are so convenient!! However Jade plants should always have fertilizer in liquid form.

Flower on the Jade Plant 

                                                   PRUNING &PROPAGATION

Here the branch needed to be held up by  a stake and ties , I had just recently transplanted this tree and wanted to make sure the roots took place and it grew in the way I wanted it to.

I first really started reading up on this because of the propagation I found it so interesting that you could just take a cutting and make more baby Jades!!  Although everyone says that it is so easy, it is not as easy as people make it seem I know alot of people that still have a hard time getting it to work. Like anything it takes a little practice, and yes it is one of the easier plants to propagate.  So If you take a cutting about 6 inches and remove the lower leaves so that there are just a few left on top and then let it dry in a dry out for a period of 7 days or so. It will "scab over" and make a "white like" appearance. This is good because you don't want to put your plant into dirt when it has open area's that are susceptible to disease. You then place it into soil and hope for it to take root...slowly.  You can also do this with just a leave; you take one of the leaves and put it in the dirt at a 30 degree angle and hope for the best. I will try and find a video or picture because I know that when I was learning about it the best way to learn is to see it done.

You should Prune your plant in Spring and Summer when it is growing and able to recover better. You can pinch off new shoots, this will encourage the plant to branch out.  As it gets bigger it can get very top heavy and start to lean over, so cutting unwanted branches will help it to grow better in the long run. 
If you want your plant to plant to split of into numerous branches clip a branch extending off of a main stem, that is just above one of the leaf nodes (Stimulus is at the node). I know that sound complicated make sure you use very sharp cutting tools. While you are pruning it is a great time to really observe your plant for anything that may be abnormal, which is why I like to look at my plants at least once a week even if I am not pruning...I am a bit of a bug freak so I like to make sure there are no creepy crawlers on my plants. (unless there outside then its okay) which brings me to......

PEST....

Jade plants are not known to have too many pests but there are a few... Mealy bugs, Scale, spider mites, aphids, and I am adding in the Fungus Gnat. (even though it won't totally destroy plant it makes us want to destroy the plant) 
MEALY BUGS : 

Mealy Bugs

These guys are evident by there white cotton coverings found on the stem axis area or on underside of the leaves. If there are only a few you can dip a q-tip in alcohol and remove the insect and the cocoon ewww. Try this method first before trying a insecticide, some are safe for Jade plant and many aren't if needed check with a knowledgeable person!!! I know many people who have lost plants this way.  Root Mealy bugs are found in the roots of the plants which can be harder to spot till its too late there is a chemical solution you can try, but most cases you have to say goodbye. 
SCALE:
These bugs are related to the mealy bug but they have a hard waxy shell to protect them from the insecticide you may want to spray on them.  Therefor your forced to hand to hand combat with these guys.  If there aren't that many then you need to glove up and hand pick or scrap off these critters.
SPIDER MITES: 
I love how they put spider and mite together to make one bug, like one of those things aren't bad enough. You can tell how much I love insects right! I know we need them, but not in my house!!!  So these guys are less common on jade plants they are part of the arachnid family but are only 1/20 of an inch long they can make a colony underneath a leave, you can usually see the white webbing . The leaves may also have a discoloration from being drained of fluid.  I had a Friend of mine that works at the garden store tell me that if you put a white sheet of paper under the leave and give the plant a good tap you will see all the little spider mites running around on the paper. If needed you can give a bath in a insecticide (once again make sure to check with someone reputable)
FUNGUS GNATS
well these guys really make me mad, and every time I walk into a store they are flying around all the plants, when I was talking about the two jade plants I got from Lowe's that were swimming in water, they also of course had fungus gnat. What do you expect they thrive on moist conditions and tend to have larva in most potting soil.  Even though most people would say, that it shouldn't be an issue because jade plants live in dry soil, we can not always control how they are given to us. So I have collected some tips on how to get rid of these little guys.

The Annoying Fungus Gnat

1) Find where the source is and isolate it from any other plants so that they don't infect any others. The Gnats have a cycle they have the larvae, then when they hatch they hover above the plant because they are weak flyer's, then they are full adults and can go and repopulate in another moist pot. Also check for any damaged for yellowing leaves
2) DRY OUT PLANT do not water the plant, the larvae will hopefully dehydrate I like to take a plastic fork and rake the top of the soil to help dry it out.
3) Kill Parent gnats by putting up the yellow sticky tape I think they might even make one especially for fungus gnats that goes in pot.. IDK? But the best thing that I have heard is to take kids play sand which is cheap and clean and put it on the top of the soil (you can probably also use the sand you use for making the potting soil I was talking about earlier) help with moisture and the little baby gnats getting out. Also Perlite on top can work too. 
Make sure you always quarantine things before you bring them in your house in a garage or porch or outside for a few days to make sure that it is okay to bring in. Or re-pot and use good soil so that you know what your bringing into your home. I know it sounds like alot of work but some people even sterilize their own soil 

This was one of the plants that had  gnats and  so I transplanted it and changed the soil  now it looks happy.

Soil of your choosing
old deep baking pan (just used of this purpose)
pre-heat oven to 300 degree's 
Put dirt in pan and cover with tin foil for 1 hour and it will kill anything

You can see the red tips on this Jade from the sunlight

I am trying to give this plant as much light as possible while it roots. I had separated the plant into two as I mentioned above and my mom got the bigger half and she filled her plant up with my mix and unfortunately she thought it would be ok to fill my pot with mostly the regular soil, I am fighting the urge not to re due it!!

See not so good soil...see the difference from the other pots above!!!

These are some other succulants that I had to sneek in .... Cute hu

Gardening is a kind of disease.  It infects you, you cannot escape it.  When you go visiting, your eyes rove about the garden; you interrupt the serious cocktail drinking because of an irresistible impulse to get up and pull a weed.  ~Lewis Gannit