Crassula Ovata Hobbit,
Hobbit Jade Plant,
Care Guide

Well as your probably aware that the Crassula Ovata ‘Hobbit’ has the same needs as the Crassula Ovata ‘Jade Plant’ since is just a different variety of ‘Jade Plant’ With this guide we will show you all the information that you will need to know about Crassula Ovata ‘Hobbit’ (Hobbit Jade Plant) care, pruning, propagation, potential pests and diseases.

The Hobbit Jade Plant gets it’s name from the ‘Lord of the Rings’ novel.

Crassula Ovata Hobbit – Hobbit Jade Plant Overview

Common Name: Hobbit Jade Plant
Scientific Name: Crassula Ovata ‘Hobbit’
Family: Crassulaceae
Origin: South Africa and Mozambique
Flower Colour: White or Light Pink
Ultimate Height: 1 – 1.5 metres / 3 – 5 ft
Ultimate Spread: 0.5-1 metres / 1.5 – 3 ft
Time To Ultimate Height: 5 – 10 years
Leaf: Evergreen
Plant Hardiness: UK = H2 / USA = 10b
Temperature: Will not survive being frozen (5°C = 41°F Lowest Temp) If growing outdoors.
Light: Full Sun
Water: Low
Soil: Well Drained Sandy / Loamy Soil – Or a good Succulent potting mix
Fertiliser: Only needed during growing season.
Propagation: Leaf or Stem Cuttings, by Seed, or by Offsets
Pests: Mealybugs, Spider Mites (Usually disease free when grown as a houseplant)
Poisonous for pets: Toxic to cats and dogs.

How to Care for Your Crassula Ovata Hobbit (Hobbit Jade Plant)

This particular variety has a unique mini tree-like aesthetic, with long oval-shaped leaves curled inwards, they look like green taco’s on woody stems. The jade plant is an appealing plant to have at home since it’s quite easy to care for once you know how, and what they need. They can grow to 5 feet if given sufficient root space. Alternatively they make great bonsai.

Jade plants can be a wonderful indoor plant, and can live a long life, they can live up to 100yrs or more, but only if you take the time to care for them the right way.

Your Hobbit Jade plant can be grown outdoors, but most of the time they’re grown indoors. You can grow them outdoors in dry, mild climates all year round. If you live in a region where the temperatures get down to freezing, you should grow them indoors.. If it gets to 5°C / 41°F or lower where you live, grow them inside.

How much light does it need?

It is very important to provide a lot of light to your Hobbit Jade plant, in order for it to grow big and healthy. Without enough light, the plant will become weak and fragile. They need at least 4 hours of direct sunlight or filtered sunlight every day.

You can move your hobbit jade plant outside during the summer if you want to give it more light. Just keep in mind that they are sensitive to “plant sunburn” and can become damaged if given too much light too quick. You should gradually acclimatise them to sunlight exposure over the course of a few weeks.

You can tell your hobbit jade plant is getting too much light, or has been scorched by the leaves turning brown. The leaves can also begin to fall off. If overexposure to light continues, your jade plant will die.

Crassula Ovata, Jade Plant, Money Plant sunburnt — Crassula Ovata / Jade Plant / Money Plant – Sunburned by the sun

How much water does it need?

They require less watering than other common household plants. Crassula Ovata Hobbit is a succulent, a member of the Crassula family. It’s important to note that excessive watering can lead to root rot and the death of your plant.

So how often should you water your plant ? Jade plants don’t like to be overwatered. Always check your jade plant’s soil before watering it. Only water it when you notice the soil is completely dry. You can check the dryness of the soil by sticking your finger an inch into the soil. Is the soil damp? If so, don’t water it. Is it dry? Then it’s okay to water.

If you are ever unsure whether you should overwater your beloved plant or not, it is always better to lean on the side of underwatering it. The jade plant requires a bit more watering during the spring and summer months than it requires during the autumn and winter seasons. During the winter months, you can usually get by with watering your jade plant only once a month, but make sure to always ensure the soil is moist before watering.

In addition, you will also notice that the plant’s leaves will wrinkle up and start to wither if it is not watered regularly. It is similar to the way your hands look prune-like after spending hours in the bath, well maybe not hours, but you know what I mean.

Do not mist your plant, they don’t like being over watered and secondly they just don’t need misting and will be totally fine without it.

Ideal Soil for Crassula Ovata Hobbit

Due to fact that it’s a succulent you should use a well-draining soil which is porous as well. Normal soil tends to retain too much moisture.

You can buy succulent soil from most garden centres or just make your own by mixing normal potting soil, sand and perlite together.

1 ½ bucket of soil
1 bucket of sand
½ bucket of perlite

This is the mixture I use to make my own succulent soil; it stops the soil from losing all the moisture whilst still allowing it to compact, keeping the roots in place.

Fertilising Your Plant

Hobbit Jade Plant doesn’t need fertilising that often, every 2 months during spring and summer is fine. This is the plants growing season. In the winter months you don’t need to fertilise it as the plant goes dormant during this period.

When fertilising you should be using a well-balanced liquid fertiliser diluted with water.

Getting your plant to flower?

It’s not that simple to get your Hobbit jade plant to flower while growing it indoors. The trick to getting it to flower is to make sure that the plant enters its resting period as it would outdoors over Winter. Place the plant in the coldest part of your home (but not freezing) where it will still get its minimum 4hrs light.

Try and make sure that you give it complete darkness at night, stop giving it fertiliser and make sure the soil dries out before watering.

If you have been successful then your will be rewarded with White to Pink 5-petal flowers when it flowers.

Repotting Crassula Ovata Hobbit

Several plants from the Crassula genus, like the Hobbit jade plant, are happy to grow in the same pot and soil for years on end. You don’t need to keep re-potting them throughout the year, which can make it much easier to take care of them (especially when they get bigger and heavier).

You should re pot younger Hobbit jade plants every 2-3 years to allow it grow stronger and fuller. For older jade plants, make sure you re pot every 4-5 years. When replanting, make sure you do it at the beginning of spring, right before the growing season starts.

Whenever you repot or replant a jade plant, be sure to wait a week before you water it again, and a few weeks before you fertilise it so that the roots can settle in.

How To Prune Your Plant

How do you prune your Hobbit jade plant?, if you think that your plant requires pruning, you can prune it anytime of the year, however pruning is best done in Spring or Summer. If you have any dead or dying leaves, feel free to pick them off.

Look for the brown rings on the stem
Ensure that you use a clean, sharp pair of pruning shears
Be aware that 2 new steams will grow from the area that you have just pruned, this can lead you to having a bushier plant. If this is not what you want just prune the new growth.
When pruning, do not take more than 20 cuts.

How to Propagate Your Hobbit Jade Plant

Are you wondering how to propagate a jade plant? It’s a wonderful way to grow more beautiful jade plants in your home without having to purchase another plant. There are a few steps to follow in order to make sure your cuttings turn into a healthy new jade plant.

When trying to figure out how to plant jade cuttings, the first thing you need to remember is that it’s best until you have a well-grown jade plant before attempting to propagate it.

Here’s how to propagate a jade plant from either a Leaf Cutting or Stem Cuttings:

Take a stem cutting (or remove a leaf) from a healthy jade plant. You want a stem that’s 2-3 inches long with at least two pairs of leaves on it. Once you have your stem cutting, place it in a warm area of your home for a few days. You will notice a callous forming on the cut area which helps encourage rooting (while preventing rot).
Grab a container with succulent potting mix. Remember to use soil that isn’t completely wet, but just a bit moist.
Next, take your stem cutting and stick it upright in the soil like a tree. You can use a few rocks or weights to keep it in place if it can’t stand on its own. If you have a leaf, simply lay it horizontally on top of the soil. Cover the cut end with a bit of soil.
Take your pot and place it in a warm area with indirect light. Don’t water it yet.
After 1-2 weeks, you’ll notice the cutting or leaf will begin growing roots. Another 1-2 weeks later, gently touch the cutting or leaf to see if the roots are established. If they aren’t yet rooted, wait another few days, and test it again.
When you notice your new jade plant is firmly rooted, you can water it gently. Don’t pour water all over it. Be very light with your watering so you don’t displace or damage the roots. Make sure it waters all the way down to encourage the roots to grow deep.
From here on, treat your new jade plant with much care, allowing the soil to completely dry out between each watering. Test to check that the soil is dry before watering again. Once the plant is more established, you can move it to a window with direct sunlight.

If when propagating your jade plant, you notice the stem is rotting or slightly mushy from over watering, simply cut the stem off a few inches above the rotting and try to propagate it again.

You may notice your jade plant will propagate naturally. This can often happen in the summer, as more leaf’s break off naturally, growing roots in the soil of your jade plant pot.

Propergating Crassula Ovata Hobbit / Hobbit Jade Plant Videos

Well the method of propagation you would use is exactly that same that you would use when propagating a Jade Plant.

Bonsai Tree Crassula Ovata Hobbit / Hobbit Jade Plant

The reasons why it’s so popular as a bonsai plant for beginners are that it’s easy to maintain. One of the few bonsai that actually makes a great indoor tree, it’s easy to train into many forms, such as upright form or clumps.

The “Jade Hobbit Plant” bonsai easy to work with when wiring and has been known to adjust to its new formed shape within a few weeks

If you are trying to encourage the growth of new branches at the bottom of its Stem (Trunk) then you should pinch out any new shoots.

Any forming or pruning on this bonsai should be done during its growth period in Spring and Summer, you should also let the plant rest after repotting it.

When pruning be aware that usually 2 new stems (trunks) will grow from the pruned area.

Pests

Growing Crassula Ovata “Jade Plant, Money Plant” indoors is usually pest free however saying that, it’s still susceptible to common houseplant pests:

Mealybugs

Spider Mites

Different Types of Crassula Ovata “Jade Plant”

There are many different types available here are just a few of my favourites for you

“Gollum”

This type is similar to “Hobbit” type and gets it name from the “Lord of the Rings” it has long finger like leaves which are tubular and tipped with a suction cup.

“Jade Plant”

This is the typical Crassula Ovata / Jade Plant / Money Plant

“Silver Jade” “Silver Dollar Jade”

“Ripple Leaf”

A unique looking Jade with you guessed it rippled leaves.

“Variegata” Known as “Lemon and Lime Jade”

Jade Plant FAQ

Here are a few questions you may have when caring for your Crassula Ovata Hobbit jade plant:

Why is my jade plant dropping leaves?

There are several reasons your jade plant could be dropping leaves prematurely. Jade leaves can fall off if your plant is too wet, too dry, or if it’s not getting enough sunlight. Make sure you check your soil by placing your finger one inch below the surface before watering to ensure you are not over or under watering.

Wondering how to make a jade plant bushy?

You can make your jade plant bushy by pruning the plant. Trim longer stems where you want your plant to thicken. Use sharp pruning shears to cut the jade stem. The jade plant will grow two branches off the place where you pruned it, allowing it to grow back thicker.

My Jade Plant Has Collapsed and Feels mushy.

Sounds like Root Rot, caused by either over watering or poor draining soil. Try using a succulent soil mix and take a cutting from the plant that feels firm and start over.

The leaves and stems on my plant look shrivelled like a prune.

This is a sign that your “Jade Plant” “Money Plant” needs watering.

Crassula Ovata Hobbit, Hobbit Jade Plant,Care Guide