Jade Plant Pruning Step by Step (With Photos)

Jade Plants are exceptional houseplants. They are relatively easy to grow as long as you have a window that can provide adequate sunlight. I have a pretty big Jade Plant and I have been letting it fill in for several years. I bought it in 2016. It was a two-foot-long rooted cutting, probably from an outdoor Jade Plant. It was a mostly bare trunk, so I have really let it go wild the past four years so it could fill out. The time has come for a prune. If you are looking for tips on Jade Plant pruning, this blog will walk you through from start to finish.

How to Know When to Prune a Jade Plant

It’s Getting Crowded

Your Jade Plant is crowded when many branches are growing close together. Another example of crowding is if branches are crossing or growing inward toward the trunk. Crowded branches will not grow well because they won’t receive enough light and they also block healthier branches from receiving adequate light. In addition, overcrowded branches can be a breeding ground for disease, especially if you spray your plants with water. Generally, you want airflow throughout your plant to keep it healthy.

You Don’t Like the Shape

I’m going for a tree-like appearance for my Jade Plant. There’s a branch that’s been growing downward that I don’t like. It’s a prime subject for pruning. You may have a branch or branches that are growing unevenly that you would like to prune. There’s no right or wrong aesthetic. You can prune your Jade Plant to look however you want. If it does have uneven growth, it could be that one side or area is getting better light so make sure you’re rotating your plant in the future to get more even growth.

You Want to Force Branching

This is similar to not liking the shape. When you prune a Jade Plant at a node, often two branches sprout from the cut. If you have a long single trunk, for example, you can prune it so it will branch out. I’ve done this successfully with a variegated jade that I grew from a single leaf.

When is the Best Time of Year to Prune

Jade Plants should be pruned during their dormant period. That’s going to be wintertime. Pruning during dormancy gives the plant time to heal the wound while not competing with active growth for resources.

How to Prune a Jade Plant

Tools

You don't need much for Jade Plant pruning. All you really need is a sharp knife or pruning shears. Use alcohol or soap and water to sterilize your cutting tool before you start pruning. Dirty tools can introduce bacteria or fungus to the new wound.

Where to Cut While Jade Plant Pruning

Prune your Jade Plant just above a node. If you are removing a whole branch, you can take it back to the connecting branch. Plan out your cuts ahead of time so you know what you’re doing. Sometimes people get caught up in the moment and cut too much. It’s a good idea to take a step back and look at your plant after each pruning cut. This will help to keep you aware of what your plant actually looks like as you are cutting. You don’t want to step away at the end and regret it. See some example cuts below.

Pruning a Downward Pointing Branch

I have one branch that is growing down and out and I just want to lop that thing off close to the connecting branch. The red line illustrates about where I will make the cut.

Pruning Crowded Branches

This next picture shows that there are four small vertical branches, denoted by the vertical red lines, emerging from a bigger branch. They are very close together. Allowing them all to grow will definitely result in overcrowding and unhealthy growth. Three of the four leaves will be removed, leaving one of the middle two. I want to eliminate the one closest to the trunk because it’s most likely to grow towards the trunk or to cross other branches. I also want to eliminate the one closest to the tip of the branch to balance the weight. There’s already a lot of leafy growth on that end of the branch. I had a lot of clustered branches like this, most of my pruning was to take care of small branches like these.

Pruning an Inward Growing Branch

Finally, I have one branch that is growing toward the trunk. You can tell it’s not getting much light because the leaves are curled down and it’s reaching for some light. I’m taking this one down to the connecting branch.

Jade Plant Cuttings

All in all, I took two decent-sized branches, eleven small branches, and five leaves. I will dry them and propagate them to give to friends. The two bigger branches have woody stems which can actually take a long time to see from Jade Plants. I think the woody stems look cool, so these will make nice gifts. I’ll write a blog specifically on propagation soon, but I will probably save it until these have actually rooted so I can provide real-time estimates.

Before and After Jade Plant Pruning

Here’s the before and after picture. You can’t tell so much from this angle but there’s a lot more room for airflow after removing a lot of the crowding from those little branches. The downward-facing branch is removed, so I like the shape much better. I’m considering removing the lowest big branch on the left, but I’ll probably mull it over until next winter.

 

Steps to Take After Pruning Your Jade Plant

Pruning Wounds

Keep an eye on the branches that have wounds for the next several days. Make sure they callous over. Avoid spraying your plant with anything while the wounds are still exposed. I’ve heard of people sprinkling cinnamon on the wounds for its antifungal properties. I don’t do this and I have done countless successful prunes to many types of plants. I don’t think it will harm your plant, but I’m not sold that it does anything.

Watering

Your Jade Plant may require less water if you pruned a lot. Be sure to keep an eye on your soil moisture. It may not dry out as quickly as it had prior to pruning. After all, there is less plant there to consume the resources.

Avoid Shock

If you have pruned your Jade Plant, you may want to avoid doing any other things that might shock the plant. Things like moving your Jade to a different spot with significant light or temperature differences can cause plants shock. In addition, repotting can cause plants shock.

If you're looking for more tips on plant pruning, I do a walk-through of a hard pruning on my Money Tree and a long Pothos prune here. What are your Jade Plant Pruning tips?