How to Care for ‘Gollum’ Jade (Crassula Ovata)

I love my ‘gollum’ jade plant as it is just so unusual looking! They are also incredibly easy to grow once you know some of the nuances of caring for them.

In this article, I am going to share with you all the tips, techniques, and my favorite methods for growing gollum jade plants from my first-hand experience. I’ll address all the most common pain points with a step-by-step guide to ensure you know exactly how to care for your gollum jade…

In summary…

Water gollum jade once every 2 to 3 weeks. Allow the soil to dry out between watering. Gollum jade prefers 4 hours of direct sunlight and grows well at typical room temperature between 55°F-80°F. Plant gollum jade in well-draining succulent and cacti soil to prevent root rot.

Gollum Jade succulents are very easy, low-maintenance plants to care for and grow very well indoors as house plants.

Keep reading for all the best practices for growing gollum jade to keep your plant healthy…

I created a quick 2 minutes reference table to cover the basics: Gollum Jade Succulent (Crassula ovata) plant profile:

How Much Sunlight For Gollum Jade?

I always find it is easier to understand how to care for a plant if we know how they grow in the wild…

Gollum jade succulents are native to Southern Africa where they grow best in the morning sun followed by shade in the afternoon which protects them from intense heat.

In their native habitat gollum jade often grows on rocky hillsides to avoid the full intensity of the sun all day.

This allows gollum jade to grow very well as house plants located in a sunny window like mine is, and they can even grow relatively well (albeit slower) in bright indirect light.

I found that bright indirect light was often not enough when I lived in a northerly latitude in cold climates, but when I lived in Southern California, bright indirect was much better as my jade would start to scorch in the hot summers we had there.

So, with a bit of experimentation, you can find the optimal amount of sunlight for your jade.

If your gollum succulent is in too much shade the leaves turn light green and grow a leggy appearance.

The tips of Gollum succulent leaves turn red or pinkish as a response to direct sunlight.

If the red coloration is extending across the whole of the leaf this can indicate stress from too much direct sunlight.

With the optimal amount of sunlight, your Gollum jade leaves turn red at the tips and stay in a nice compact shape rather than a leggy appearance.

Watering

How Often to Water Gollum Succulents:

As we discussed, Gollum jade is a drought-resistant succulent native to South Africa that is well adapted to hot and dry conditions in gritty, well-draining soils on hillsides with infrequent rainfall.

Therefore, to care for your gollum jade properly, we need to replicate the watering and typical soil moisture conditions of its native environment.

What I recommend is to water gollum jade with a generous soak so that water trickles from the drainage hole in the base of the pot. Allow the soil to dry out completely before watering again to meet the moisture requirements of gollum jade and avoid root rot.

Typically I find this means water your gollum jade once every 14 days or so although this varies according to the climate, and conditions in your home or garden.

How quickly the potting soil dries out determines how often you should water your specific gollum plant.

My method for establishing how often to water my gollum jade in my home is to water the soil with a generous soak and monitor the soil moisture by feeling the soil at the bottom of the pot through the drainage hole in the bottom of the pot.

If the soil feels damp, then delay, I watering for a few days and wait till the soil feels dry.

When the soil feels dry, this is the perfect time to water your gollum succulent with a good soak.

How Much to Water Gollum Jade:

I always soak the soil with a generous amount of water (rather than a light watering) so that excess water trickles from the bottom of the pot.

This ensures that the water has infiltrated the soil and reached the roots so they can uptake the moisture they require.

Symptoms of Overwatering:

Gollum Jade has adapted to living in dry climates, so they are more at risk of overwatering than underwatering when cultivated by gardeners.

The signs of an overwatered gollum jade are leaves that turn yellow or brown with a mushy texture to them. The leaves can also look somewhat droopy.

If this happens to your Gollum jade, then I advise scaling back the watering and allowing the soil to dry out.

I recommend replacing the soil with succulent and cacti soil to ensure good drainage and avoid root rot. (I write more on this further down in the article).

(Read my article on how to revive a dying jade plant if your plant looks unhealthy)

Symptoms of Under Watering:

Wrinkled leaves are the best indication of an underwatered gollum jade.

The leaves wrinkle and sometimes droop as a response to drought stress from not watering often enough or watering too lightly.

This is exactly what happened to one of my readers, Sanda:

“Hi

Please could you help me with my Gollum plant? Not sure what’s wrong with it as some of the leaves have wrinkled and leaves are dropping as soon as I touch them.

I took it out today from the soil and can’t see root rot. But the roots look dry.

Maybe I have under watered or the soil hasn’t been great at retaining water. What do I do to revive the roots?

Thanks“

Does this sound familiar to you too? I told Sanda to soak her jade in a basin of water to properly rhydrate the soil and replace the soil with a gritty soil mix. From experience, I once bought a succulent from a store which had a potting mix that baked hard in the sun and repelled water off the surface rather then the water infilrtating the soil and reaching the roots.

As soon as I replaced the soil with succulent and cacti soil (which keeps a open, porous soil structure even when dry) the jade was much healthier and recovered.

From experience, drought stress can be exacerbated by excess air flow from draughts, air conditioning or forced air in the home which saps more moisture from the leaves and the soil dries more quickly.

The leaves also look thinner as the moisture that they are storing becomes depleted.

If this happens to your Gollum jade, then I would increase how often you water the plant (always ensure that the soil dries out between bouts of watering to avoid root rot), monitor how quickly the soil dries, and adjust your watering schedule accordingly.

Water with a generous soak and locate the gollum in an area with strong wind or excessive air currents, and every time I have had to do this my plant recovers in 2 or 3 cycles of watering.

(Read my article on how to water jade plants for all the best practices for watering).

Best Soil For Gollum Jade Succulents

As we discussed, Gollum jade succulents grow in gritty, well-draining soil on rocky hillsides in their native South Africa.

Therefore, our drought-tolerant plants do not tolerate being grown in moisture-retaining potting soil, so we need to find a way to emulate the soil conditions of their native habitat.

To do this I recommend planting your gollum jade plant in a specially prepared succulent and cactus potting soil with is formulated to mimic the soil profile of the succulent’s preferred conditions with a larger particle size and a well-draining porous structure.

I must emphasize you should not skip this step!

If you plant your jade in ordinary potting soil then this retains too much moisture around the roots for too long, for this drought resistant plant and causes the same symptoms as over watering and can cause root rot.

Pots and Containers for Gollum Jade Succulents

To keep your gollum jade nice and compact plant it in a pot that is proportionate to the size of the root ball.

From my research, Gollum jade plants can grow very large at more than 1 ft in height and width (although very slowly) and larger pots promote more growth.

So, your pot size really depends on how large you want the gollum succulent to be as it matures.

However, we need to keep in mind that larger pots contain more soil and, therefore, have a greater capacity for holding moisture, which can increase the risk of root rot, so we need to be very judicious about choosing the right pot size.

Pro tip: I have done some experimenting and whenever I need to repot my gollum jade, I always choose a pot that is large enough so that there is between half an inch and an inch of soil either side of the jade plant.

This strikes the balance of giving the jade plant room to grow without the pot being too large that you risk root rot.

It is important, however, to plant your gollum jade in a pot with drainage holes in the base to allow excess water to escape properly between bouts of watering.

I have tested growing Gollum jade in several different types of pots can grow in any type of pot using:

• Clay pots
• Terracotta
• Plastic
• Ceramic
• Metal (tin)

At this point, I had several different gollum jade plants (I have since given some away!), and the gollum jade was capable of growing in each pot, but I have some very important insights from this experiment!

By far, the best pots were the clay and terracotta pots as they are porous, which means the potting soil can dry out evenly after watering, which is favorable for our desert-dwelling plants.

The tin pot heated up too much in the sun and drive out the soil too quickly which meant I had to water more often. I think this also impacted the growth rate of the jade, so I do not recommend metal pots.

The ceramic and plastic pots were both good options, but a note of caution…plastic and ceramic are both impermeable, so they can retain moisture for too long. If you are someone who has the habitat of overwatering succulents, then I would avoid these pots and use a clay or terracotta pot!

Gollum jade is a hardy plant that can tolerate its root being somewhat pot-bound, but you should re-pot your gollum in a larger pot to prevent the roots from blocking drainage holes, which can cause the water to drain too slowly.

I always recommend Re-potting in Spring, but I have personally successfully repotted in the Fall and Summer. This is one of the reasons I love jade plants; they are so hardy they can tolerate repotting at different times without causing drama…unlike my orchids!!

Active Growth and Seasonal Dormancy of Gollum Jade

Gollum jade succulents are capable of tolerating high temperatures but can enter a state of dormancy (where the growth slows to reduce the demand for water) during the hottest period of Summer as a survival strategy to cope with hot, dry, and hostile conditions in their native Southern African environment.

I’m sure you’ve heard of plants having a dormancy in Winter, but a summer dormancy is somewhat unusual!

When temperatures exceed 80°F (27°C) in summer for a consistent period, the gollum jade slows down growth so it can conserve its resources, particularly water.

When the succulent is in a state of dormancy, it can be more susceptible to root rot as the plant has a lower demand for water.

I find this catches a lot of indoor gardeners out!

So, I must caution, do not necessarily water your Gollum more often in Summer if the temperature is very high.

Pro tip: In practical terms, I find that as long as the potting soil dries out between bouts of watering, then the Gollum plant should be okay during its dormancy and start actively growing when the temperatures are cooler.

Gollum jade grows at a faster rate (although still very slowly) during Spring and Fall, as there is often a balance between bright light and the optimal temperatures for growth.

Gollum jade often grows slower in Winter due to fewer hours of daylight and a lower intensity of light, which can reduce the demand for moisture. I find I have to water my gollum jade once every 2 or 4 weeks in Winter. Like i said earlier, always check to see whether the soil has dried before watering.

Temperature Range and Rate of Growth

Gollum jade grows very well in the typical range of room temperature of between approximately 55°F-80°F (13°C-27°C), which is why they are such popular houseplants.

However, gollum jade plants can tolerate a wider range of temperatures, even tolerating the occasional light frost (if you are growing outdoors), although it is recommended that you use horticultural fleece to prevent frost damage, and it can die back in freezing temperatures.

The larger and more established gollum plants can tolerate greater extremes of temperature.

In temperatures that exceed 80°F (27°C) for long periods, the Gollum succulent can turn dormant to conserve water and resume growing in cooler temperatures.

Gollum jade succulents are relatively slow growers but can exceed 1 ft in height and width in the right conditions. Gollum jade plants can also live for more than 100 years.

Gollum plants grow well in good lighting, so if you want to increase the rate of growth, then I recommend using a grow light that can be used indoors to supplement daylight for more growth.

I used to sometimes use a grow light on my succulents in Winter when I lived in my apartment as it did not have a window that faced south and therefore it was difficult to get enough sunlight.

The grow light increased the growth of my gollum jade quite significantly.

I would recommend one if you do not get much direct sunlight in winter.

Fertilizer for Gollum Jade

As our Gollum succulents are adapted to growing in gritty, sandy soil, which is often low in nutrients, so they are not heavy feeders and do not necessarily require additional fertilizer compared with other house plants.

However, fertilizer can be used to increase growth although you should only feed succulents in the growing months of Spring and Fall, once per month for healthy growth.

I personally prefer to use a specialist succulents and cacti fertilizer (available from garden centers and Amazon) as it contains all the nutrients that the gollum jade requires at the right concentrations to avoid problems with overfeeding your succulents.

Avoid using fertilizer in the winter or during high temperatures in summer when the succulent is not growing as actively.

(Read my article, on how to save a jade plant that is losing leaves).

Key Takeaways:

• Gollum jade grows in full sun or bright indirect light in gritty, well-draining soil and grows well at room temperature. Water gollum jade with a generous soak and let the soil dry out between bouts of watering.
• Plant gollum jade in specially formulated succulent and cacti soil in a pot with drainage holes in the base to allow excess water to escape and dry out the soil, avoiding root rot.
• Too much sun can turn the leaves completely red, whereas not enough sun can make the leaves turn light green with a leggy appearance. Place gollum jade in bright indirect light or, ideally, in the morning sun followed by afternoon shade.
• Gollum jade actively grows in the Spring and Fall when the temperatures are mild, and there are more hours of brighter light. Succulent gollum jade grows slower in Winter in response to fewer hours of light and can go dormant in Summer in high temperatures. Only water gollum drought-tolerant jade when the soil is dry to prevent root rot.