Can I keep a Jade plant inside?

[princess_saucer]

I have been reading all the posts on Jade plants and it brought to mind a question that I have...Can you keep them inside? About 3 weeks ago one of our local "farmer supply" stores had a 75% off all of their green house plants (the ones they sell from March thru June)..anyhow I bought several Jade plants..the sales lady said that I should grow them inside..I have had them inside ever since I brought them home but they are looking pretty bad..the leaves are scaly (yucky looking) and starting to turn under...I gave all of them a really good watering as soon as I brought them home...most of them are in ceramic dish-type containers with a hole in the bottom and I put a watering dish under them to hold drainage water...am I doing something/everything wrong?

[Kisal]

Succulents, such as jade plants, do not need a lot of water ... more than a true cactus, but less than other plants. Dig into the soil with your fingertip to determine if it's time to water again. The soil should be dry to about an inch deep. When you water, water well, but pour out any water that collects in the saucer. Your jade does not like wet feet.

Keep it in bright light.

For more information about jade plants, enter the words jade plant care into the search box on the left at the top of the page. That will search through the forum for posts about jade plants, and there has been a lot written here about them.

[princess_saucer]

The soil in the container is quite rocky: not a whole lot of dirt-type soil. Should I change it and re pot them in potting soil/dirt-type soil? I have not worked with Jade, Aloe or Cactus until now so this is all very new and confusing to me...I think they are beautiful and you can make gorgeous arrangements with them in dish garden type settings..

[Kisal]

No, the potting mix should be one that is very fast draining. It probably contains quite a lot of sand, grit, and small stones. There is likely some type of organic material in the mix, but probably no actual soil.

When it comes time to repot your jade, you should use a commercial potting mix designed especially for cacti and succulents, or else research how to mix your own. I prefer just to use a commercial cacti/succulent potting mix.

Cacti and succulents tend to have shallow root systems, so I like to use pots that are sometimes called "azalea pots." I have also seen them sold under the names "bulb pots" and "cactus pots." they are not quite as deep and the bottom of the pot is a bit wider, when compared to standard pots of the same diameter.

Because of the importance of not letting the roots be too wet, I like to use pots of unglazed clay for cacti and succulents. It allows water vapor to evaporate a bit faster, helping to prevent overwatering.