This plant gets its name from the character Gollum in J.R.R.
Tolkien’sLord of the Ringsbooks.
They’re also easy to propagate usingstem cuttingsor individual leaves.
The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
Soil
Plant your gollum jade in a gritty, well-drained potting mix.
Use ready-made potting mix designed for cacti and succulents.
Water deeply so that water flows out of the bottom of the pot.
The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
Temperature and Humidity
Temperatures between 55 and 80 degrees are ideal for gollum jade.
Temperatures below 50 degrees can harm the plant.
An NPK fertilizer with a ratio of 1-2-1 is ideal.
The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
Avoid fertilizing in fall and winter when the plant goes dormant.
Pruning
Since gollum jade is such a slow-growing plant, it doesn’t need to be pruned.
The plant will occasionally drop its lower leaves as they age, which is perfectly normal and healthy.
The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
Propagating Gollum Jade
Gollum jade is easy to propagate from cuttings or evenhealthy leaves.
When repotting, use fresh succulent soil and only go up an inch or so in pot size.
Give the plant a few days to adjust to its new pot before watering.
Watch for signs of pests and remove them with insecticidal soap or a cotton ball dipped in rubbing alcohol.
In cool, humid conditions without good air circulation, gollum jade can also be affected by powdery mildew.
Move your plant to a warmer, dryer place with better air circulation to prevent the issue from recurring.
Watch for these symptoms of common problems with gollum jade.
Stop watering immediately and repot the plant in fresh, dry succulent soil.
Cut away any black, rotten roots when repotting.
Water the plant deeply and it should bounce back.
Gollum jade and hobbit jade look very similar, but they’re different cultivars of the same species.
Gollum jade has long, tubular leaves with trumpet-like openings, while hobbit jade’s leaves are more spoon-shaped.
Put gollum jade in a bright, sunny south-facing or west-facing window.
As long as it gets enough bright light, gollum jade is an easy, low-maintenance houseplant.
