Nice pots of Jade, Roots!
First of all, it looks like there are many rooted stems in those pots.
If you like the thick planting, no problem. My advice would be to
remove one of those really thick single-stem pieces, and put it into
its own pot. These Jades will definitely grow healthier, stronger, and
more compact out of doors. In northern California, I wait to leave my
Jades outside until night-time temps are consistently above 50°F -
May 1st approximately. Of course, it's 65°F out right now and I have
my Jade collection sunning on the back deck, with a board for a windscreen.

As always advised, gradually move your indoor plants into full outdoor
sun. There is a chance of sunburn, and so many people will recommend
moving plants into full sun over a week's time.

You can prune or pinch back any long and leggy (etoliated) growth, and
you will be rewarded with new growth very soon this time of year.

Josh

Lack of light is what's making them grow tall and skinny (etiolated). They will grow thicker and more compact in direct sunlight. Also, make sure the soil is very porous and fast draining to promote a healthy root system that will keep the plant well anchored.

As far as separating the stems, a lot of people grow one to a pot because a single plant can be pruned to look more tree-like when it grows up. If you keep several in a pot it will look more like a shrub. Just aesthetics really.

Thanks for the advice. So I seperated one of those pots into 6 smaller one's(two 4", four 6"). I used cactus/succulent soil mixed with a bunch of perlite. They are sitting on a table getting a southern exposure of Arizona sun. I am thinking about putting some of them, if not all, outside. Is there anything else I can do to promote a thick trunk, and tree-like appearance? From what I can tell, these should be ideal conditions for a Jade. Here is a pic of how they look now.
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Well getting rid of the lower leaves would make it look more like a palm tree :)

And cutting back the tops will make the trucks get bigger (as stated by Josh).

I have a pot of jades with the skewer thing going on. It's a red hot mess right now, but I'm hopeful it will look better after the summer. (I'm may give it a whack as well.)

I may be nit picking, but it looks like some of the separated trunks are in pots that are too large.

Roots, the jades look great! If you are trying for a single trunk...tree-like shape that is the way to go, by planting them by themselves.

Here is an example of about how long it took my jade's trunk to get a little thicker. I think I trimmed the top a total of 2 maybe 3 times(whacked the top leaves/stems) since I wanted to promote a thicker trunk and wanted a shorter jade, mine was growing too tall and getting too top heavy(trunk at the time was too thin to hold the weight). I repotted it to a smaller bonsai pot also...Mine is growing in a very fast draining soil(Al's mix)recipe can be found below...

Also, I absolutely agree about the sun. All my jades/succulents get at least 6-8 hours a day of direct sun...appx. 360 days a year. They live outside in FL...

You can see that in that time(appx. 14 months)since I got it, the trunk has grown a little thicker...it does take some time though...Good luck!

Right after I bought it...
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14 months later...2 or three prunings(later)
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Here is a link that might be useful: Recipe for the Succulent Mix(Al's Mix)

Thanks for all the feedback. The only thing that confuses me is the cutting off the tops part to make the stem thicker. If you look at my first pic, you can see I pinched the top of a few of those stems to promote a thicker trunk. As you can see, what happened was my Jade branched off at that spot, making more leaves, making it even more top heavy, and I didn't notice them trunk get any thicker.
Do I just need to cut the top off again when that happens, and just give it more time?

Hey, Roots!
I'm back. I had a long response typed up for you yesterday, then my internet provider crapped out...due to some electrical work in the area. Anyhow, I was going to direct you to Puglvr, who grows Jades in Florida...but I'm glad to see that she stopped by! ;)

You've done well with the re-potting! Those pots look fine to me (in size), especially since they're terra cotta - which helps with moisture. Also, in my opinion and experience, the way to grow a large Jade is by using a large container. Most people don't advise a large container because root-rot is an issue with most pre-made potting soils (peat-moss being the primary culprit). But with excellent drainage, appropriate watering, and full sun....you're not going to have a problem. Here are a few shots I took yesterday on the back deck - this is my "Mother Jade," my biggest and oldest, and the source of many cuttings.

Notice her roots, her "feet" if you will, slightly exposed in this first image. Several folks here told me it was a silly idea, but I think it's paid off. You be the judge.

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About pruning...
As you've noticed, Jades grow pairs of leaves. And when you prune a Jade, it will usually grow a pair of branches. What I have done is this: prune the Jade, wait for the new branches, and then pinch off one of the new branches. Now you have a single leader or top branch again. Also, you could try pruning the Jade much shorter - which will result in a bunch of new growth on a fairly squat trunk, giving the classic bonsai effect.

Remember, although your newly re-potted Jades have plenty of roots, wait to water for about a week. Let any damaged roots callus and rot won't ever become an issue.

Josh

You are all right.
In Africa they grow on rocky hillsides, getting all the sun they can. The only water they get is from the scarce rain. In drains rather rapidly on the hillside, and the only reason they survise is that moisture (Fog) comes in every night, gathers on the rocks, to form drops of water. They wouldn,t survive that way unless they liked it. The less water the better, the leaves will crack with too much moisture, so if you live with high humidity cut back on water. Clay pots are perfect and a very gravel like soil, no matter how you achieve it. The key to growing plants that come from Africa which is below the equator is to duplicate their growing conditions. The plant that is grow right is the one that has color, I hope Denise reads this and show all of you her wonderful picture of her 'Jade'. If they can be grown in England they can certainly be grown anyplace in the U.S. and including the state of Alaska.Make a hobby of just collecting different 'Jade' forms. Small space, no problem them bonsai well. Norma

Roots,
one more thing!
When the weather is too hot, Jades will go "dormant" or "semi dormant," as the case may be. This usually happens during the peak of the summer. At such a time, it's best to cut back on water. Yellow leaves or leaf-drop are signs to look for during the summer peak. If leaves yellow, I simply pluck them off and stop watering. Then, when the weather cools down again, Jades go into another growth spurt.

Arizona is mighty hot, and dry, and so you might want to experiment with a few of those Jades: some in full sun, some in morning/afternoon sun, some grown under a screen/shade.

One technique is to raise your pots off the ground, using little blocks or similar, so that air can circulate below the container.

Another technique is to use light-colored pots or potting media, which help to keep the roots cooler.

Josh

Thanks for all the tips, you people rock;) I'm always open for any suggestions. Unfortunately, I watered them already before I read that suggestion to wait for about a week. Josh and Puglvr..those are both really nice Jades, hopefully I can get my trunks to thicken up like that. Is it ok to do some cutting on those repotted stems now or should I wait until they readjust?

You are right about the weather here..we have made it through on AZ summer so far, what a change from MI. Speaking of that, would it be ok to leave Jades out year round here? I know the temps dip below the 40's a few times in the winter, and from what i've heard, it does freeze once in a great while. I will take that suggestion and place a few in direct sun, a few in shade, etc.

Josh, I just love your little Jade tree, what a nice shape! I like the little roots showing on the top, might have to try that on one of mine.

Roots, thank you!

I leave mine outside all year, except when the forecast calls for a frost/freeze, then I bring them in the garage or in my covered entry way. I usually don't want to take a chance, so I do this when the temps is forecasted to be 35° or below...that's just a little too close to 32° to take a risk...Now if I can just get mine to flower.

That is what I will do with mine then. I bought 2 large jades at walmart in the beggining of January, and have kept them outside since. One of them had flowers all over it when I bought it!!! It was a must have for $10.00. The have had a few leaves turn yellow and fall off since i've left them outside, but they still look very nice. I will try to get a pic. Puglvr, Josh, anyone else..post some more pics please:)

More pics, you say?! ;)
Here's the same Jade with summer tinges of red.
In December, I plucked leaves to open the canopy and stimulate new leaflet growth, which is why the plant is so "open" in the pictures above - also, another view of the nebari, or root-flare. Third picture - assorted Jades, worshipping the sun.

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Hehe. Worshipping the sun indeed.

In my experience, having also moved with plants from the Midwest to Arizona (Tempe, in my case, but then subsequently moved back to the Midwest), your plants will probably not do well outside in the summer. They will be gloriously happy until about Memorial Day, and then will start withering. This happened to all my Crassulaceae, and I could only get them to survive by bringing them inside. The peak of summer appears to be too hot for them. [Cacti, Aloes and relatives like Haworthias and Gasterias, Agaves, etc. will be happy outside as long as they have appropriate sun/shade.] Places like Florida are plenty hot in the summer, but it is from high humidity and not as high temperatures. [Inside in Phoenix in the summer has other problems, because I kept my A/C at 80 degrees, and my plants either suffered from indoor lighting, lack of night cool-off, or minimally became etiolated.]

The desert areas of South Africa where Crassulas come from are indeed hot and quite arid, but not close to Arizona in heat. In particular, the nights usually cool down to the 60s in summer in South Africa, where you will be getting mid-80s to 90s at night by late June if you are in the Phoenix area. This makes a big difference for plants.

You have a lot of starts, so I would be willing to experiment with leaving some outside. But, I would expect them to suffer.

It took me a while of watching my plants suffer to figure this out, but I eventually decided I would base my calculations on the local botanical museums, the experts. If a plant wasn't growing in the ground in the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, I assume it isn't summer-hardy (I can recall no permanent outdoor Crassulaceae there, and I visited dozens of times.) If you are in Tucson, go by the Arizona - Sonoran Desert Museum.

Thus, your best bet might be a bright window from about June-September, and outside the rest of the year. That was my experience, at least. If anyone else here has been able to grow Crassulas outside in the low desert (i.e., Phoenix, Tucson, Palm Springs, Yuma etc.), I would be happy to be corrected or updated.

Roots, since you asked for more pics...:o) Here's more!

Portulacaria Afra
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No idea?
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small leaf Red Kelanchoe?
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No idea?
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Aeonium??
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Tag said "Hobbit" when I bought it over a year ago...
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Gollum
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Another Port. Afra...
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Thanks for looking!

two and five are some type of graptopetalum, perhaps?

four is a kalanchoe commonly known as 'flapjacks.'

Hi Pug,

Beautiful plants all of them, but likely going to add to confusion.

Everybody please note, while lovely, Portulacaria afra is NOT a Jade, it's not even in the family of Crassulacae, they are completely different plants, even if they look alike.

Possible IDs on the 2nd (the 'No Idea')= an Echeveria, Pachyphytum or Graptopetalum.

After that gorgeous red leaf Kalanchoe, whose name I can't even guess, never seen before; the next plant w/ the large, almost paddle like leaves, is I believe a Kalanchoe Thyrsifolia.

What you've marked Aeonium is definately not that (sorry), but more likely a cross btwn an Echeveria (maybe E. elegans as one parent) & a Pachyphytum.

A guy who grew a lots of these & really knew them is no longer here (he'd also given me a bunch of them which is how I 'sort of' know them).

Norma (aka Dufflebag or Crassulady) maybe know these better as well. I've tried to give you enough of a start on IDs or family of IDs to be able to look 'em up.

Part of why it's so confusing is that w/ the exception of the Portulacaria afra, the rest are ALL relatives in that they're all part of the larger family of Crassulacae.

Pug, they're ALL stunning, gorgeously grown & glorified in your fabulous FLA sun, I am green as can be w/ (admiring) envy! Thanks for showing us & well done indeed!

Pug, I WANT your small leaf, RED Kalanchoe..lol..

Can someone please answer this question? My Jade has multi-trunks. I would like it to look tree-shaped.
First, if I unpotted my multi-trunk Jade, and removed one trunk, (which means cutting into roots) would this kill the entire plant?
Second, if it can be done, before potting into a small container, would I need to trim roots? Even if they're small? or pot as they are, then some time in the future, 1-2 yrs, etc, remove the plant and prune?
I intended on doing this 2-3 yrs ago, but after looking at the tight-fit, between trunks, chickened out..lol..If anyone has an answer, please let me know..Thanks, Toni

PS. All your Jades are LOVELY..

I'm loven the pics and all the good info. The leaves on all my baby jades are still a little soft, but I think they will be robust again very soon. Also, I put my other pot of jades, gulp, outside in the AZ sun, against my house facing west. It's been in the 80's here for almost a week now. Feels like it's going to be reeeally hot soon:)
Here's a couple pics of the jades I picked up at walmart in January. One of them had flowers all over it when I bought it!!
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Thanks guys... for the nice compliments and especially the ID's!

PG, I didn't know that Portulacaria Afra is not a Jade? Who knew? especially since I have seen them with a nickname "Dwarf Jade" before...oh well. Like you said, adds to the confusion, just learned something new, thanks for the clarification.

Toni, I got that red Kelanchoe on sale at(Lowe's), wasn't sure what it was, but knew I liked it. It wasn't nearly as red then when I bought it till I put in full sun.

I will let others give you advise on your Jade, all I can tell you is I have done it... cut off one plant(off multiple) plants for exactly the purpose you describe, to try and grow a single tree-like Jade. I cut if off with a knife. I did not have to cut off any of the roots, as the roots were small and just placed it in a pot and added fresh soil, and watered a week or so after. In my opinion, I wouldn't cut the roots if they are small... The plant didn't suffer any damages that I noticed and grew just fine. But maybe others with more experience can tell you more...

Hey Pug,

You're welcome for the IDs.

As to the Portulacaria Afra, that's EXACTLY why I made that point, they do look so very much alike that it definately adds to the confusion. I particularly know this as I can't grow either Portulacaria Afra or Jades in NYC, they just tend to croak on me. I can & have grown many of these related Jade 'cousins'. I also dated a San Diegan who had the green version like yours (PA) as hedges in his yard. Its other common name that I've seen often is 'Elephant Bush'.

I'm actually quite partial to the varigated Portulacaria Afra (green & white) w/ reddish stems, a real looker. I've killed at least 5 small ones in 10 yrs., so I only try tiny ones several inches high. My last one survived a whole year & then croaked. They seems OK here as long as I don't water them, when I do, pouft, it's goodbye charlie.

That red Kalanchoe, its scalloped edge reminds me of one called K. fedtchenkoi (sp. not quite right); I've also had the variegate of that (pale green & white, also from the San Diegan), but didn't have enough sun for it here. You might try that spelling tho' or search for similar spelling 'feldchenko' something like that. Was yours solid green when you started it?

Superb show, enjoy!

Roots, I am jealous...I can't seem to get any of my Jades to flower here, just not sure why? That's a very nice looking Jade. I'm sure you will keep an eye on your very hot,intense Desert sun in the up coming weeks/months. Your sun is lot more brutal than here(Fl) and ours is pretty bad in the summer...

PG, thanks for all the great info, I will be doing some research on that red Kelanchoe. I bought that at Lowe's Christmas '07, they clearanced them out a week after Christmas. It came in a small pot with other succulents, and I separated them and put them in their individual pots...

My DS(from LV), sent me a small cutting of the variegated Port. Afra, It is doing very poorly, I think its on its last leg, lol...If you ever want to try growing them again, (Port. Afra) let me know! I have a big plant of the plain green one, I can send you some cuttings...
Thanks again!

My two Port. afra (variegated) cuttings are doing poorly, as well. :-(
C'est la vie, no?

If I ever do find a sure-fire method of rooting Port. afras, I will
definitely share my techniques.

Josh

Puglvr, I wish I could take credit for those flowers, but I just happen to buy it at the right time. I did move that one to the west side of my house, even though it is only March, it looks like the southern AZ sun might be too much.
My baby jades are doing kind of bad..they are mostly a purpleish color and the leaves are somewhat mushy, even though I watered them;(
The OTHER pot of Jades I kept toghether, that I moved outside, is thriving.

Well Roots,

I don't know what you know abt Jades, purplish is not a problem, mush IS a problem. Pls. stop watering immeditely.

Mush in a Jade tends to be from overwatering, so the last thing one wants to do is water more. Overwatering a jade can lead to quick death.

I have a 25 year old Jade in the garden one of many but this one has a huge base because I trim it down to the first leaf of every branch an cut away many branches leaving the bottom clear of branches and tree like but the top gets so nice and thick very quickly. I do this after the flowers have all turned brown.

Now you all know how to do it, now teach other, I will not respond to another Jade question. Norma

I'm the caretaker at my church, and have the honour/burden of caring for a bunch of pot-plants. I have questions about nearly all of them, but one in particular for the moment:
At some point about 2 years ago, we adpoted a Jade from an elderly woman. At the time it had about 5 stems, stood about 35cm tall and was quite full and healthy. In the last 8 months or so, it's dropped most of it's leaves, lost two stems, and actually got shorter by about 10cm. After doing some research, I realize that it's soil is totally wrong. It seems to be stock-standard potting mix, and certainly doesn't drain enough. There is also a possibility that some "helpful" member of the congregation is watering it on the sly. I had to address a similar problem with a 2m yuca we have. But I would expect it to have died from both of those problems, yet it is alive, and what's left actually seems quite healthy and sturdy.

My main question is how to proceede. It seems to me that the norm for unhealthy Jades is death, but this one seems to have plateaued. It's just not putting out any new growth. I'll wait till the days are a bit longer, and re-pot it into good soil, but is there any other ideas? I might take it home with me and let it live on the back deck for the summer. For the time being it's my Charlie Brown Succulent.

Bendale, I dont know everything about jade's but have been growing them in many conditions for years. My experiments have shown that dry is key. Changing the soil to something with a little extra sand or heavy perilite could help. Also, I found clay pots work the best for jade's. the dry quickly and actually breathe quite well. Another trick to better drainage, is crocking the bottom. That is, add small pebbles or a broken up clay pot to cover the bottom of the pot. this will prevent clogs in your drainage. Lastly, when all else fails, you can always add a layer of sand or pebbles to the top of the soil. Jade's are incredibly hardy and if you are having problems, i would attack it from different angles. If it is failing to produce new growth, it may need more root room. another idea may be to cut it back slightly. It may have produced the max leaves for its root room, so remove some leaves. Be sure to fertilize periodically!

Hi everyone.. I finally got my puter up and running again! I was going thru slight Pug, Josh, PG, et cetera withdrawals! lol.. My Big jades has been in my new south, sw window for two weeks now, and put it on a nice stand after reading about getting the air under it.. It get sun from about 830 am to 7pm right now and lovin it! ..and of course have gotten many more suc's since I moved! ..new place new plants!! lol.. Maybe, just maybe, I'll try to post a pic, and it might work~~ lol.. love the pics on this thread..and just when I thought I couldnt learn any more.. someone proved me wrong again! Great!! :)
Christina

bendale said:

>I'm the caretaker at my church, and have the honour/burden of caring for a bunch of pot-plants.

Oh, the places we could go with that statement!

Christina,
welcome back!
I can't wait to see some pics!

Hey, Roots!
Is this the kind of purple that you mentioned?
Here's a series of pics of a cutting I started in December. Pics are from January 16th, February 3rd, and March 17th. Very little water, eastern-southern exposure. As you can see, the increasing light values begin to affect these plants immediately.

Josh

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Thanks Josh! Well, so far Ive been able to get the pics to come up on the preview, ...close, but no cigar !~.. so I will take some pics tonight, try again, and if not, what are some other hosting sites? flicker?
Thanks, Christina

Josh,
that is exactly what mine looked like when I first repotted them!! the good news is they are firming up nicely now--they were very mushy the first couple weeks. I almost think they were beind underwatered due to the fact that they are in VERY well draining soil. I even put a couple outside, but decided not to let them face the south. it's already almost 90 here!

Hi Christina, I'm glad your computer is up and running! Don't you just hate it when its not working...I think I live w/out TV more so that no computer,lol. Keep trying with the pictures, don't give up!

Josh, nice pics as always!!

Roots, good luck with your Jade, sounds like it might be coming around now. 90's in the Spring, gotta love AZ...
We were in the mid to upper 80's last week, FL is not much better, you guys get the hot dry air, we get the miserable humidity...can't win!

Hello all!

I am new to this forum!

I was given a jade in October last year and fell in love with this type of plant right away. I found this site from my google search on propagating jade. Following the advice on this site, I pruned my jade and the cuttings survived! Initially, I had the cuttings in separate pots. Then I thought they looked kind of lonely, so I repotted them, putting several of them in one pot. But now that I know single cuttings can turn into a tree like jade, I will definitely give it a try! Just wondering if it would shock my baby jades, repotting it so frequently...

Should I wait a bit to separate them?

Many thanks for your advice!