Where to Put Your Jade Plant

What to avoid

Low light, which makes growth thin with small leaves (Missouri Extension); soil that stays wet, which can cause root rot; and, in winter, drafts and foliage touching the windowpanes (Clemson Extension).

Most common placement mistake

Placing it in a dim corner because jade is sold as easy. Clemson Extension says it does best with four or more hours of direct sun a day; in low light, growth is thin and the leaves small (Missouri Extension).

How to measure light at home

A foot-candle (fc) is a unit of light intensity. You can measure it with a smartphone light meter app (NC State Extension notes some are free) or an inexpensive handheld light meter. Clemson Extension groups indoor plants by the light they prefer and says where each group does well:

• Low, 75–200 fc: several feet back from an east window, or at a north window (Clemson’s examples: peace lily, heart-leaf philodendron, cast-iron plant)
• Medium, 200–500 fc: within several feet of a west or south window, or at an east window (African violet, Boston fern, dumb cane)
• High, 500–1,000 fc: near a west- or south-facing window or glass door (weeping fig, English ivy, schefflera)
• Very high, 1,000 fc or more: few homes have enough light outside a sunroom or greenhouse (hibiscus, wax begonia, geranium)

NC State Extension lists 25–74 fc as enough only to maintain low-light plants, and Missouri Extension notes that even low-light plants usually get too little light more than 10 feet from an average window.