Is Your Jade Going Red?
There are around 200 species of Crassula, or jade plant. Many of these naturally have blushed tips, such as the Golden Jade Tree. This plant has almost lime green leaves, adorned with pinkish red edges. Other examples might be ‘Botany Bay,’ ‘Harbour Lights,’ ‘Silver Dollar’ jade, or Silver jade. There are many more varieties that normally sport red edging along the leaves. So if your jade is getting red, look up the variety and see if this is part of the plant. A jade plant with red edges is not necessarily a bad thing and could be part of the plant’s foliar color.
Most Common Cause for a Jade Going Red
If you don’t have a variety that is supposed to have red edges, don’t panic. In most cases, when a jade has red tips the cause is a cultural issue. Lighting is the most common reason. Jade plants in a sunny, west or southern window, may experience too much light. This is especially true in spring and summer when the plant may be responding to too much sunlight. Move it back away from the window a bit and it will recover. To avoid your jade plant turning red, give it 3 to 5 hours of full sun per day. An eastern window will give the plant bright morning sunlight, while protecting it at noon, when the hottest rays arrive.
Other Reasons for a Red Tipped Jade
If your lighting is perfect, your soil drains well, and all other growing conditions for the plant have been met, consider other potential causes. Jade plants don’t need much fertilizer, as they grow in rather inhospitable soils. Red tinges can occur, however, if there are no nutrients in the soil. If a jade is getting red it may have experienced a temperature extreme, such as too much cold or heat. Another possibility is lack of water. Even though they are drought tolerant, regular watering with periods of drying in between, encourage natural green growth. Your plant may be getting grumpy because it needs water. This is easy enough to correct and your plant will have no long-standing health problems.
