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Jade Plant Light Requirements For Indoor & Outdoor Care [Revised 2024]

Does your house or apartment lack windows, and are you wondering about the light requirements of Jade Plant when growing indoors?

Generally, mature Jade Plant sunlight requirements include 4-6 hours of direct sunlight daily. But, young Jade Plants require 4-6 hours of daily bright indirect daylight.

Growing Jade Plants in a windowless house is tough, but a solution exists. Sate your desire regarding Jade plant light requirements!

Can Jade Plants Survive Without Sunlight?

Compromising Jade Plant’s light requirements would not be ideal for its growth as young Jade Plants cannot survive direct sunlight for long.

But, you can place your mature Jade Plants near a south or west-facing window to maximize sunlight efficiency.

Young Jade Plants need indirect sunlight from an east-facing window that welcomes the mandated morning glow for the plant.

jade plant growing towards sun
The stems of the Jade Plant grow irregularly towards the light source and appear lanky if you keep the plant in low light conditions for a long.

Although Jades are low-light-loving plants, they prefer bright direct sunlight exposure due to their succulent growth habit.

Succulents like Jade Plants deliver “sun-blush,” which is the shift in the foliage coloring in response to extreme sunlight.

Additionally, high sunlight causes the soil to dry out, which is good as it helps to balance the moisture of interior plant tissues.

Pro Tip: You must balance the Jade Plant water requirements and the lighting and temperature needs.

But, the plant would grow too slowly, and stems would become leggy, creating a distance between the leaves.

Signs My Jade Plant Is Suffering from Improper Light 

Read below to learn about the signs if your Jade Plant plant needs more light or less light.

Problems of Jade Plant in Low Light 

Numerous factors notify that a Jade plant is not receiving adequate light.

  • Puny growth rate and leggy or straggly growth of stems
  • Leaf color changes (from green to yellow and then brown)
  • Leaves pointing toward the light source
  • Thin foliage and leaf drops
  • Leaf curls (effect of low light and temperature)
Image represents a potted Jade Plant with reddish leaf tips
Red leaf tips in Jade Plants result from too much sunlight exposure leading to the formation of protective anthocyanins at the leaf tips.

Problems of Jade Plant in Excessive Light

Below are some signs suggesting that a Jade plant is getting too much light.

  • Visible brown spots (leaf scorches)
  • Reddish or purplish tinges on the leaf edges (formation of anthocyanins over chlorophyll)
  • Foliar curls and droopiness, wilting, and desiccation
If you find your Jade Plant is turning purple, learn about the causes with ways to fix them!

How Much Light Does a Jade Plant Need?

Jade Plants can be grown both indoors and outdoors if provided with proper lighting conditions at both places.

1. Type of Light that Jade Plant Needs

The type of light for Jade Plants depends on the plant’s maturity and its indoor or outdoor placement.

A. Jade Plant Light Requirements (Indoors)

Keep your young indoor Jade Plant near an east-facing window for 4-6 hours.

However, situate your mature Jade Plant close to a south or west-facing window simultaneously.

B. Jade Plant Light Requirements (Outdoors)

Place your mature outdoor Jade Plant near a shadowy spot for 4-6 hours of direct sunlight exposure and shade for the day.

But keep young Jade Plants under a complete shade with stippled light entry from above or sides.

2. Light Intensity

The best growth of Jade plants occurs above 750-foot candles of light intensity.

In the case of artificial lighting, a 500-1,000-foot candle range would be suitable.

The light intensity can be maintained by adjusting the distance between a light source and the Jade plant.

Additionally, Jade Plants can thrive in medium to high light-intensity conditions.

Image represents yellow leaf tips in Jade Plants
Extreme light raises the surrounding temperatures and causes the plant leaves to turn yellow and brown.

3. Light Duration

Generally, Jade Plants prefer 4-6 hours of direct sunlight, but it depends on the age of the plant.

If you plan to place your Jade plant under direct sunlight, 5 hours would be enough for its proper growth.

However, It will still require indirect sunlight throughout the day.

4. Location & Placement

The best place to keep your mature Jade Plant indoors is near an open south or west-facing window.

Since young Jade Plants cannot tolerate prolonged direct sunlight, keep them around an east-facing exposure.

Can You Grow Jade Plants With Artificial Light?

The artificial lights can cope with the daily provisions the if there are irregularities in the duration or intensity of daylight.

Further, artificial lighting care includes using fluorescent bulbs or LED lights for 13-18 hours daily.

Image represents Jade Plant surrounded by grow lights
Jade Plants need long hours of indoor grow lights but with a suitable distance between them.

Additionally, you can also keep the plant about 6-24 inches away from the light sources to avoid light burns.

Along with lighting requirements, the ideal color temperature for the Jade plant is 5,000 Kelvins, which provides a cool, full-spectrum light that closely mimics sunlight.

Also, watch the video below for further information!

From Editorial Team

The growth and maintenance of your Jade Plant depend directly on how much light it gets throughout the day.

Nonetheless, it also grows in artificial lights or supplemental lighting.

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