How to Grow and Care for Silver Dollar Jade Plant (Crassula arborescens) Indoors
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Silver Dollar Jade Plant (Crassula arborescens) grows best in bright light with some direct sunlight, average warmth, moderate humidity and moderately moist, rich, well-drained, succulents soil coupled with monthly feeding in the growing season.
Crassula arborescens also called Silver Dollar Plant is among the popular Crassula varieties and bears rounded blue-gray leaves with maroon edges and small maroon speckles on the upper surface.
The small maroon speckles are technically called 'hydathodes' whose function is to help the plant absorb moisture from the atmosphere. They are especially useful in the plant's naturally dry environment.
Silver Dollar Plant has thick, succulent, smooth, green-gray stems which become woody with age. The stem is highly branched. Due to this characteristic, the plant can easily be trained into a bonsai.
Botanical name: Crassula arborescens
Synonmy: Crassula cotyledonifolia, Cotyledon punctata
Family: Crassulaceae
Common names: Silver Dollar Jade, Silver Dollar Plant, Tree Crassula
Origin
Crassula arborescens also called Crassula cotyledonifolia or Cotyledon punctata is endemic to western Cape in South Africa.
How big does Crassula arborescens get?
Crassula arborescens can grow to a height of 2-4 feet and a spread of about 3-4 feet.
Size
Silver Dollar Plant blooms in spring to summer though it is unlikely to flower indoors. The flowers are small, white to pink, star-shaped and form around an upright stem.
Air Cleaning
Silver Dollar Jade is among the CAM (Crassulacean Acid Metabolism) plants which harvest Carbon dioxide at night and use it during the day to make their food.
As they make food (photosynthesize) during the day, CAM plants store the oxygen they produce in the process and release it at night. Therefore, having this plant in your living spaces increases the oxygen concentration which cleans (freshens) the indoor air.
Is Crassula arborescens poisonous?
Yes. Crassula arborescens like its cousin, Jade Plant, is considered toxic to both humans and pets as indicated by ASPCA. If ingested it can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Keep the plant away from the reach of children, cats, dogs and other pets.
Where to Buy
Silver Dollar Plant are charming plants to add to your collection, check them out on Etsy (Link to Etsy).
How do you care for Silver Dollar Jade Plant indoors?
To care for Silver Dollar Jade Plant indoors, provide bright light with 6-8 hours of direct sunlight, average warmth of 15-260C, humidity of 50-55% and moderately moist, rich, well-drained, succulents soil coupled with monthly feeding during the growing season.
Crassula arborescens care does need frequent repotting as it grows best when pot-bound. Pruning is necessary to keep the plant neat, to discourage pest and disease infestations and to control growth. Keep reading for more on these growing conditions and how to provide them.
Watering
How often do you water Silver Dollar Plant?
Water your Silver Dollar Plant deeply in spring and summer while allowing the top half of soil to dry out between waterings. Keep the soil moderately moist and avoid overwatering to prevent rotting, yellowing and leaf drop.
Lessen watering in fall and winter as growth is minimal to maintain the soil barely moist but do not let it dry out completely to avoid wilting and leaf drop.
Only use water that is at room temperature to water the plant to avoid shocking this tropical plant as it can cause sudden leaf loss.
Make sure that the pot has a drainage hole and the soil is free-draining to prevent the plant from sitting in soggy soil as it can result in rotting and death of the plant.
Take care not to wet the foliage as it can lead to fungal diseases or water from the bottom instead.
Light Requirements
How much light does a Silver Dollar Jade Plant need?
Silver Dollar Jade Plant needs very bright light with at 6-8 hours of direct sunshine. Keep it away from too hot midday sunshine to prevent scorching of the leaves.
If the light is not adequate, the plant will become leggy with weak stems, wide spaces between the leaf nodes and small pale leaves. Therefore, where the natural lighting is not sufficient, use a full spectrum grow light to supplement it.
Rotate the pot regularly to ensure that the plant receives light on all sides for a balanced growth and to prevent lopsided growth.
You can choose to grow the your Silver Dollar Plant outdoors, however, gradually acclimate it and place it in a shaded place to avoid scorching the leaves.
Temperature & Humidity
Silver Dollar Jade requires an average warmth of 15-260C during the growing season and a minimum of 100C in the cold season. Keep it away from cold drafts like windy windows and doors as they can cause brown leaf spots.
Silver Dollar Plant flourishes in an average humidity of 50-55%; it has no need for high humidity. Always make sure that there is good air circulation to prevent fungal disease infestations which are prevalent in damp, poorly ventilated conditions.
Fertilizer
Feed your Silver Dollar Jade with a cactus and succulents fertilizer monthly in spring and summer for lush growth. Take care not to overfeed as the plant is a slow grower.
Stop feeding in fall and winter as growth is minimal at this time and feeding at this time can result in fertilizer burn and death of the plant.
Potting Soil
The best soil for Silver Dollar Plant should be rich in organic matter, loose and free-draining to prevent it from getting soggy. The soil should be loose enough to allow water to drain out fast enough. Cactus and succulents soil is ideal for this plant as it allows water to drain easily and does not hold excessive amounts of water.
Repotting
Repot Silver Dollar Jade at the beginning of the growing season only when it becomes crowded in its current pot. Use a pot that is only one size larger than the current one to avoid overpotting.
Confirm that the pot has a drainage hole to prevent the soil from getting soggy as it can lead to root-rot. Use a clay pot as it is porous and allows the soil to dry out faster which prevents it from staying wet for too long. Take a look at these terracotta pots with saucer on Amazon.
Pruning & Grooming
Pruning Silver Dollar Plant is easy as it involves removal of any dead or diseased leaves to keep it neat and also discourage pest and disease infestations. Snip the leaves at the base with a sterilized knife or pair of scissors to prevent diseases transmission.
Cutback the plant at the beginning of the growing season (spring) if it is too large to control growth. Minimize the number of cuts as much as possible to avoid unnecessary injuiries to reduce disease infestations.
Regularly clean the leaves by damp-wiping with a soft cloth to get rid of dust and discourage pest infestations. Take care not to damage the fragile leaves.
Silver Dollar Plant Propagation
Silver Dollar Plant (Crassula arborescens) is propagated from stem cuttings, leaf cuttings or offsets at the beginning of the growing season when in active growth. The cuttings can be rooted either in water or in soil.
Learn how to propagate Silver Dollar Plant (Crassula arborescens) in 5 easy ways.
Crassula arborescens Problems & Remedies
Silver Dollar Plant problems are plant dying, yellow leaves, leaf drop, leggy growth, pests and diseases among others. Keep reading for more on these problems and how to solve them.
Plant dying
Why is my Silver Dollar Plant dying?
Your Silver Dollar Plant is dying due to root-rot which is prevalent in soggy soil. The disease is characterized by yellowing and wilting of the leaves which is rapidly followed by browning and plant collapse.
How to fix it
- Gently, slip the plant out of its pot and inspect the roots; brown-black mushy roots indicate root-rot.
- Cut away the rotten roots and treat the healthy roots with a copper-based fungicidal solution as indicated by the manufacturer.
- Repot the plant in fresh soil and a fresh pot. Use a pot with a drainage hole and well-draining soil to prevent it from getting soggy.
- Place the plant in very bright light and stop watering for a few days to give the plant enough time to loss the excess water. After the dry period, resume routine care.
Yellow leaves
Yellow leaves on Silver Dollar Plant is caused by inconsistent watering, soggy soil or too little light.
How to fix it
Inconsistent watering: Water when the top 2-3 inches soil dry out but never allow the soilball to dry out completely. Do not water on a schedule.
Soggy soil: Use a pot with a drainage hole and well-draining succulents soil.
Too little light: Place the plant in bright light with 6-8 hours of direct sunshine or use a grow light is the natural light is not adequate.
Leaf drop
Leaf drop on Silver Dollar Plant is caused by use of cold water, inconsistent watering, soggy soil or cold drafts.
How to fix it
Use of cold water: Water the plant with water that is at room temperature to avoid shocking it.
Inconsistent watering: Do not water on a schedule. Water when the top 2-3 inches soil dry out but never allow the soilball to dry out completely.
Soggy soil: Use a pot with a drainage hole and well-draining succulents soil.
Cold drafts: Keep the plant away from cold drafts emanating from AC units, windy doors, drafty windows and others.
Leggy growth
Leggy growth on Silver Dollar Jade is due to overwatering, soggy soil or too little light.
How to fix it
Overwatering: Lessen watering in the cold season to keep the soil barely moist.
Soggy soil: Ensure that the pot has a drainage hole and the soil is well draining.
Too little light: Place the plant in very bright light with 6-8 hours of direct sunlight or instal a grow light if the natural lighting is not adequate.
Pests
Common pests on Silver Dollar Jade Plant are scale insects, mealybugs and spider mites.
How to fix it
- Isolate the affected plant to prevent spread to other plants.
- Treat the infested plant with neem oil or insecticidal soap as per the manufacturers' instructions.
- Check between the leaves for these pests and carry out timely control measures.
- Maintain the plant well pruned to discourage the pest infestations.
Diseases
Silver Dollar Jade is prone to the following three diseases:
1. Powdery mildew which is characterized of spotting or coating of the leaf surface with a white powdery deposit.
How to fix it
- Remove the badly affected leaves and discard or burn to reduce spread to other parts of the plant.
- Spray the plant with a systemic fungicide. Ensure to follow the instructions on the label.
- Water the plant from the bottom to avoid wetting the foliage.
- Improve the air circulation for your plant to reduce the occurrence of the disease.
2. Black leg disease which is prevalent in overwet conditions coupled with poor air circulation. The symptoms manifest as oval, sunken, light-brown to black cankers with purple-to-black margins near the base of the stem.
How to fix it
- Isolate the affected plant to minimize spread to other plants.
- Treat the infected plant with neem oil as instructed by the manufacturer.
- Improve ventilation and make sure that there is free air circulation for the plant.
- Always allow the top half of soil to dry out between waterings.
- Empty excess water from the catch plate and do not allow the plant to sit in soggy soil.
- Make sure that the pot has a drainage hole and that the soil is free-draining.
2. Leaf spot disease which is enhanced by poor air circulation coupled with damp conditions. It presents as brown, soft leaf spots.
How to fix it
- Isolate the affected plant and treat it with systemic fungicide as per the manufacturer's recommendations.
- Avoid wetting the leaves during watering to minimize the disease infestation; water from the bottom instead.
- Better the air flow for the plant to discourage the disease.
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