What Is a Good Fertilizer for Indoor Jade?

Houseplant Fertilizer

• Feed jade plants with a liquid houseplant fertilizer enriched with micronutrients. The Central Arizona Cactus and Succulent Society suggests that you dilute it to one-quarter of its original strength to avoid root damage, while Cornell University advises diluting it by half.

High Potash Fertilizer

• Jade plants respond well to a high potash fertilizer (the K value in the three-number NPK numbers on all fertilizer packaging), according to the British Cactus and Succulent Society. Many fertilizers formulated for tomatoes contain high potash levels.

Succulent Fertilizer

• Succulent fertilizers with a nutrient balance of 2-7-7 are suitable for jade plants, according to the Montreal Botanical Garden website. As these are formulated for succulents, they do not need to be diluted. Jade plants and other succulents tend to produce weak, flabby growth if they receive too much nitrogen.

Compost

• Succulent plants such as jades do not need synthetic fertilizers provided they are grown in soil that contains good quality garden compost. Repot your jade plant into fresh soil every spring or top-dress it by replacing the top 2 inches with fresh soil and compost.

Fertilizing Jade Plants

• Fertilize your jade plant every month during the warmer months when it is producing new leaves and shoots. Do not fertilize during the winter as your jade will be dormant or growing very slowly. Flush out your jade's soil with abundant watering every three months or as soon as you see a white powder-like deposit on the surface of the soil. This removes any excess fertilizer salts from the soil and prevents root burn.