i love your jades!!! I have been working 2 for only a year now, would you be willing to offer any training/pruning tips? Anything you wish you had or hadnt done while young? How often are you root pruning? Thanx
Shane

Shane,

Sorry for the delay but I have not been monitoring the gallery very often. Thanks for the compliments. As far as tips, give them as much sun as possible, as I believe Randy has mentioned elsewhere. Do put them outside during the summer; I bring mine in when temps are consistently below 50 at night. The occasional dip into the 40's wont hurt though.
As IÂm sure you know by now Jades produce leaves in opposite pairs that alternate orientation 90 degrees. If you prune to a set that is oriented towards the inside and outside of the plant the new branches will point toward the inside and outside. Similarly, if you prune to a set that has left and right pointing leaves the new branches will again follow suite. By carefully considering where to make each cut you control the direction that the new growth will take. If you are careless with your pruning technique you can easily end up with a two dimensional plant. I am guilty of this error; look closely at the plant in this posting. I intend to do some serious pruning in order to correct this deficiency
I prune small branches with a pair of small pointed surgical scissors. The cut is made about 1/8 inch above the node, this stub will dry out, and fall off on itÂs own accord as the new branches form, eventually leaving no scar.
Larger branches that you wish to bud back are handled similarly, but instead of cutting above a leaf pair, cut above a previous growth ring and leave a somewhat larger stub in order not to stress/dehydrate the buds below. In this case the stub will be more persistent and will have to be dealt with after the subsequent branches have gained some girth.
Structural pruning is handled differently, in that I cut out any unwanted material completely, leaving no stub. Do this in stages, cut the majority of a branch away then go back and clean it up with a razor blade or exacto knife. This type of pruning should not be necessary very often.
DonÂt be afraid to prune this plant, you may not always get both buds to set, but a healthy plant will always set at least one. As far as root pruning, I have not really found it necessary.

Norm

good advice Norm. How do i post a image here of one ive been growing for 15 years,im new here?