You can trim them anytime, but given where you live, I would wait until spring after repotting. You can trim them back to bare trunk and limbs and they will recover. Periodic trimming of top growth will result in more branches, and thicker trunks.

I like to trim all of the leaves in the lower two-thirds of the trunk and branches, letting them stand out. There is no right of wrong to this, so wack away. You never lose anything, all of the cuttings can be rooted to make new plants.

As for posting pictures, you need a free image hosting web server, like Photobucket. The HTML code you need to copy and paste into posts here to generate thumbnails, or full sized images, is generated for you.

Welcome!

Braqd

Winter pruning of Crassula ovata is highly recommended, as it's in growth season now. Even in the hinterlands of interior BC, the mules are hauling away bundles of weekly prunings.

To answer your questions, yes and yes.

This forum contains heaps of posts concerning this plant - use the search function with 'jade' or 'Crassula ovata' and you'll find hours of illuminating entertainment, all at a nominal fee.

To post pics, you need to provide a link here to the pictures that are hosted at a service like PhotoBucket or Flickr.

Welcome aboard.

Thanks for the info. Time to get the prunning shears out. I will check on web sites for pictures and try to post the pictures here. Thanks again.

please bare with me. Just playing with this to see how it works.

http://www.shutterfly.com/lightbox/view.sfly?fid=6fbb809b75c168779a16dcf07a6807f9#1262899163531

Trying photo bucket now. wish me luck

http://s830.photobucket.com/albums/zz221/Bikaholic51/

Will call it a day after this.

Nice! It definitely needs light, but I like it!
Use the third line of code below the image. Here's the first pic:

{{gwi:471487}}

Hello there and welcome to the forum. That's a nice jade you have there (nice trunk) and you'll have lots of new little plants started afterward.

On the pics, you have to copy and paste the HTML code (3rd from the top in photobucket) so it displays on your post.

People here are awfully nice. You'll have fun.

Sandra

'Please bare with me'

Well, I don't know you that well yet, but I try to keep an open mind about these things....

Yes, plan on having a pruning party - your plant will appreciate your judicious use of secateurs.

Thanks for the info. I will try. At least it copied the link for you to view.

Greenman28 you mentioned Nice! It definitely needs light, but I like it!

This plant is in a south exposure window and gets lots of light.

Does the pot look too small? I figure the size of the trunk warrants a larger plant. Also when I cut the plant limbs back can I cut them in the middle or to I need to take them back to the trunk???

Thanks for you help. I will try to post a picture as you suggested.

{{gwi:471489}}

{{gwi:471491}}

Hey, Plantme, good morning! I see you got the code down!
Re: Light-
It can't be getting enough light if it looks as it does. The downward and/or droopy growth is characteristic of plants that don't receive enough light.

The pot is not too small...
However, I *prefer* to grow large Jades in larger containers. Of course, the potting mix must be gritty and fast-draining if a larger container (and, thus, greater soil-volume) is used.

You can prune the Jade's branches to any length. The bands are nodes; the spaces betwixt are internodes. Cut in the middle of the internode - the cut piece will shrivel, dry up, and fall off naturally as the callus forms at the node beneath. New growth, generally a pair of branches, will emerge from each cut-point.

Josh