6 Best Soils for Jade Plants to Boost Greenery Success Rate
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Jade plants are among the most popular houseplants in many places in the world. They’re called a lot of interesting names, including both money trees and silver trees, as well as lucky and friendship plants. If you have one of these beautiful and interesting plants, then I’m sure you want to find the best soils for jade plants so that you can create the ideal growing conditions.
Jade plants are a succulent, which means that they tend to thrive in sandy soils that provide plenty of drainage. As a result, you need to be more careful when you’re buying soil for your jade plants than for many other types of indoor plants.
That’s why I’m happy to be putting together this list of the best soils for jade plants that you can buy online. You’ll soon be ready to transplant your favorite jade plant into a new container filled with perfect soil.
Let’s get started!
Key Takeaways
I spent a lot of time looking back over all the different jade plant soil that I’ve tried out over the years. I also did a lot of research into some new and unfamiliar products.
At the end of the day, I decided to recommend Soil Sunrise Hand Blended Jade Plant Potting Soil Mix as the overall best soil for jade plants. It’s a great product that I’ve used for a long time without having any problems.
The texture of the soil is perfect for jade plants, and its nutrient-rich ingredients like pine bark and worm casting will bring a lot of nutrients to your soil party. I also included a number of products that have more specific use cases and features, such as the budget-friendly Doter Organic Money Tree Soil Mix and the very flexible Perfect Plants All Natural Succulent and Cactus Soil Mix.
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Best Overall: Soil Sunrise Hand Blended Jade Plant Potting Soil Mix
Why this is a quality choice: There are two main reasons that I’ve placed Soil Sunrise Hand Blended Jade Plant Potting Soil Mix at the top of this list of the best soils for jade plants. First of all, the soil contains high-quality ingredients that are simply packed with nutrients that your plants will appreciate. And, secondly, it’s a very consistent product that was tailor-made for jade plants, which means that you’re getting the ideal soil mix and composition for jade plants each and every time you order it.
Who is this for? Simply put, this product is an excellent choice for just about any avid jade plant gardener.
Flaws but not deal-breakers: The bag of soil you can get with an order is substantial, enough for one 12-inch pot or a number of smaller ones, but some gardeners might find themselves needing more soil than that.
Component ratio: 60% organic, 40% mineral | Texture: Sandy | Ingredients: Coconut coir, pine bark, worm castings, horticultural charcoal, and horticultural perlite | Package size: 8 quarts
Best Budget: Gardenera Premium Potting Soil Mix for Jade Plants
Why this is a quality choice: Although this soil is definitely a premium solution, as the name suggests, it’s also an inexpensive option for picking up a bit of jade plant soil. This small bag is perfect for a novice succulent gardener who’s just getting started with one or two small plants. And, if you decide that you like it and want to order more, the manufacturer sells bags in a variety of different sizes on Amazon.
Who is this for? I know first-hand that raising succulents can turn out to be an expensive habit, so this is a great product to help control those costs while you’re first trying out the hobby.
Flaws but not deal-breakers: As soils for jade plants go, this is a rather loamy soil as a result of the large amount of peat moss in the soil mix. As long as you’re careful about watering, that shouldn’t really present any problems, though.
Component ratio: 75% organic, 25% mineral | Texture: Sandy | Ingredients: Peat Moss, Perlite | Package size: 1 quart
Best Organic: Hoffman Organic Cactus and Succulent Soil Mix
Why this is a quality choice: Hoffman Organic Cactus and Succulent Soil Mix is a top choice because of its excellent drainage and sandy texture, which create optimal conditions for succulents like jade plants to thrive. The blend, rich in compost, can sustain jade plants for up to a year.
Who is this product for? This potting soil is tailored for indoor gardeners who are passionate about nurturing succulents and cacti.
Flaws but not deal-breakers: Although the organic components like peat moss and compost enrich the soil with nutrients, overpacking can hinder drainage. However, this can be easily managed with proper soil layering techniques.
Component ratio: 60% organic, 40% mineral | Texture: Sandy | Ingredients: Compost, peat moss, sand, and limestone | Package size: 10 quarts
Best All-Purpose Succulent Soil: Perfect Plants All Natural Succulent and Cactus Soil Mix
Why this is a quality choice: Unlike many of the other options on this list, which were specifically formulated with jade plants in mind, this Perfect Plants All Natural Succulent and Cactus Soil Mix is a great all-rounder in which any succulent will do really well. It provides great drainage as a result of its sandy texture. It also has a convenient resealable bag for people who’d like to use a little of it at a time.
Who is this for? If you have a jade plant but also a number of other succulents, then you can buy soil for all of them with just this one purchase.
Flaws but not deal-breakers: A few users of the product have complained on Amazon about gnat infestations coming in the soil. This doesn’t seem to be a common problem with the soil.
Component ratio: 65% organic, 35% mineral | Texture: Sandy | Ingredients: Perlite, pine bark, peat moss, and sand | Package size: 4 quarts
Best Rocky Soil: Boniosz Bonsai Succulent and Cactus Soil Gritty Mix
Why this is a quality choice: The Boniosz Bonsai Succulent and Cactus Soil Gritty Mix is much more rock-heavy than many of the other options on this list. Unlike soils for flowers or vegetables, soils for jade plants can contain lots of mineral content while still providing a great home for them. And, it comes in almost a dozen really cool looking patterns, helping you create an environment for your jade plants that looks stunning.
Who is this for? Gardeners who really like the look of a succulent like a jade plant growing in rough and rocky soil should consider this product.
Flaws but not deal-breakers: This mix is very light on organic components. Therefore, I’d recommend adding a little bit of fertilizer to the soil regularly.
Component ratio: 30% organic, 70% mineral | Texture: Sandy | Ingredients: Red lava rock, black lava rock, maifanitumis, diatomite, and green zeolite | Package size: 1 quart
Best for Propagating Jade Plants: rePotme Succulent Soil
Why this is a quality choice: The final entry on this list, rePotme Succulent Soil, is an excellent all-around jade plant soil that’s especially well-suited for transplanting and propagating your jade plants. It also comes in three convenient package sizes, which means that you can buy the exact amount you need for the amount of transplanting and propagating you plan to do in the near future.
Who is this for? Gardeners who are planning to expand their jade plant collection (or propagate some parts of them to give as gifts) can really benefit from this soil.
Flaws but not deal-breakers: By volume, this is one of the more expensive potting soils on this list. Therefore, you’ll have to decide for yourself if the extra features justify the extra cost.
Component ratio: 60% organic, 40% mineral | Texture: Sandy | Ingredients: Coconut coir, sponge rock, perlite, hydroton, and fine vermiculite | Package size: 2 quarts
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Buying Considerations for The Best Soils For Jade Plants
Ingredients
The presence of high-quality organic ingredients in a soil mix for jade plants is a strong mark in favor of their quality. Natural ingredients like worm castings, mosses, and many types of bark can help improve the health of your jade plants by injecting a lot of nutrients into the soil. This means that you need to use less fertilizer or plant food. It also ensures that there’s a constant stream of nutrients available (in contrast to the short bursts that plant foods provide, for instance). Take a look at the ingredients list of any soil you’re considering buying for your jade plants, since they’ll thank you for it.
Texture
The texture of a soil is another crucial factor when you’re planning to use it for jade plants. Jade plants need soil that has a sandy texture, as this allows excess water to easily drain during watering. Since waterlogged roots can be very bad for succulents, causing root rot, you need to be very careful about the texture that any soil you use for succulents has. I’d recommend buying soil that’s been specifically made for jade plants or succulents more generally to ensure that it will offer adequate drainage.
Package size
Finally, you want to ensure that you’re buying an appropriate amount of soil when you’re ordering online. Getting the quantity right the first time around saves you the trouble of either having to make another order or storing a bunch of extra soil, depending on whether you’ve ordered too much or two little.
Although some of the soils on this list can be ordered in different quantities, others come only in either a very large or a very small bag. I’d recommend planning out all the different pots (or grow bags) you plan to transplant or put new jade plants into and estimate their volume before you make any orders.
How I Chose These Products
Like I mentioned at the start of this article, I’ve been growing jade plants as a hobby for a long time, which means that I’ve also used a lot of different soils for jade plants. This has given me a lot of insight into everything from what ingredients tend to work best and which are overrated, which manufacturers put out consistent and inconsistent products, and just how much mineral content is best.
However, I recognize that what works for me won’t necessarily work for everyone, which is why I read tons of online reviews to see how other people have experienced various products. I hope that all of that work has led to an informative article that’s helped you find a product that’s perfect for your needs.
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Final Verdict
Overall, Soil Sunrise Hand Blended Jade Plant Potting Soil Mix is the best soil for jade plants as a result of its top-notch ingredients and excellent drainage. I’ve always found that the different components always come in the perfect ratio. I’ve also found that I barely need to use any plant food at all as a result of the nutrient value inherent in the soil. If you’re looking for a soil that’s perfect for your jade plants, then you don’t really need to look any further.
FAQs
What kind of soil is best for a jade plant?
Like most other succulents, jade plants benefit from a sandy soil that allows for easy drainage during watering. However, you also need to balance this with the inclusion of organic materials that add essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to the soil. That’s why succulent soil mixes usually include a good amount of organic materials like mosses, worm castings, and tree bark so that the plant has access to the nutrients it needs. Additionally, jade plants like a soil that’s slightly acidic (around 6.0 on the pH scale). You can test this by using a home kit or sending a soil sample away to a lab.
Do jade plants like well drained soil?
Yes, it’s absolutely essential that jade plants live in adequately drained soil. That’s because waterlogged soil, which occurs when water has nowhere to drain and stays in the soil for a long time, can cause a condition called root rot. The condition can lead to the death of sections of a succulent and, in very bad cases, the entire plant. As a result, you should use a sandy textured soul that offers plenty of drainage for your jade plants.
