"chopping it up and trying to sort of start over with the clippings (sounds barbaric, sorry)"

You're right.....that's a pretty "sad" Jade. I would just give it a MAJOR haircut. Cut each main branch back to about 4-5 nodes. Clean the debris out of the pot. Put it out in the sun. Don't water until you see quite a bit of new growth. The plant will bounce back and look better than ever. Not sure what zone you are in but leave it outside all year.....sheltered from rain if possible. Only bring it in if temps are going to drop below freezing. The only thing that usually causes a Jades demise is too much water. I don't water mine in the winter sometimes for 2-3 months. It can absorb moisture just from the surrounding air. I'm sure some other folks will chime in.

Check my posting under "Cuttings". Some Jade info there.

Yeah, cut it back...waaay back. Might as well, since those upper leaves are toast. I'd cut each trunk down to half its height.

The potting medium also looks to be an issue. How much peat moss potting soil stuff is in there? How often do you water? How much water?

Your jade can be a happy plant in a relatively short amount of time...but it's going to need sun, soil, and surgery.

Josh

Search succulent soil mix in container gardening forum or here and find out what others are using. Yours looks a bit rich. Cut it back. Look at first picture on the stem on the far right. Where the bottom leaf is I would cut it and kind of arc across the whole plant. I personally love the size of the one on the right and would separate that out on its own. Straighten it up a bit. It looks like it went "leaning" for light. You could strip the most of the leaves off the parts you cut off and root those with the others.

thanks for the suggestions... I've been doing some soil research around gardenweb and am going to take those recommendations.. honestly, before this, I was using just potting soil, which apparently isn't such a good idea (head slap)

re: sunlight: I live in Kentucky and I do have to bring my plants in in the winter. It freezes plenty here..

I was under the impression that I should gradually move the jades into full sun... I took this one straight from indoor full shade to full sun (stupid, I know) and it started browning on the leaves, as you can see, and dropping leaves..

So are there any prescriptions for "how much sun" sorts of questions?

thank you, jade doctors!

mick

Introduce the jade over a week's time to full sun. That should do it!

Even if you opt not to prune, the jade will regrow leaves.

Josh

If you prune the leaves, you won't have to go through this. If you have tree you can put it under, that'd be ideal. It will get bright indirect light. Jades grow fast if treated right. If you go with the fast draining soil, plan on watering well in summer. My jades seem to drink it up faster than my other succulents.

They are absolutely right. Cut back.I hardly water during the summer, or winter, and I live in a dry harsh climate. Don't do what I do. But do the following:

1. Take off all the the old roots. 2. if you are going to start the stems over cut them clean, be sure to let it dry out until you see new roots. 3. Then plant in the fresh soil. 4. New pot, If not 2.check the roots over, get rid all of the old roots. 4.I think it best to water thoroughly however every week during the summer, and be sure to use a liquid fertilizer after watering, but 1/2 the strength. Only if the plant has started to grow new leaves. Let it go dry on Oct 1, the rains are fine if it isn't below 40. It you want it to flower cut it back severaly Oct 1. Let it get cold and keep it as dry as you can. Is does much better outside, and you may need to use a clay pot where you live. What ever you decide it does need new new clean soil, after you get rid of any dead roots. Add perlite to the soil so it is fast draining. In Africa these plants grow on a rocky hillside. Read all of the instructions the other have offered. Ask questions. We have stored all of this information on the FAQ it is there for you. Norma

Again, I want to thank all of you for your suggestions... I've done a careful reading of all of your wisdom and I'm preparing to undertake "surgery" and maintenence of my jades (some of which are healthy, I'm only showing you one of the poor sad ones)

mick

One more question: I've perused the soil discussions somewhat and haven't seen any reference to using humus/composted cow manure (bagged, commercially bought at a seed store) as the organic element of a soil mixture.. is that okay or a no-no?

I was thinking of making a compost/crushed gypsum/perlyte combo for jade soil..

remember, I live in the ultra-humid South (kentucky) and have to bring my jades in for winter when it does get below freezing regularly during jan-feb

any thoughts are welcome!

thanks so much,

mick

Just one woman's opinion, but I think you're making this unduly complicated (& think that will be too rich in organics for this plant).

Succulents, & I believe Jades too do better w/ a large measure of neglect, that is to say less is more, the simpler, the better.

I have to agree with pirate girl.

You'd be better off using pine/fir bark fines for your organic component.
The manure isn't necessary. As Norma mentioned, these plants grow on rocky
South African hillsides without much in the way of rich soil. Pirate Girl is
right - less is more, benign neglect.

Josh

Check out this link, there is a GREAT succulent soil mix recipe that is really good for Jades. Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Succulent Soil Mix

LOL!

Okay, Pirate Girl, probably I am making things unduly complicated. But I'm trying to make a fresh start with Jade care in general, and want to quit guessing and I'm just so inspired to find a community of people who actually can steer me right, you know?

Funny tho  I've been considering Tapla's soil mix (even prior to posting about the compost) and am totally gung-ho to try it, but  ironically  that one ain't exactly the simplest of mixtures to toss together!

I feel like a mad scientist looking for that shopping list!!

Hopefully I'll be able to find the materials and FORGE AHEAD as a reformed Jadist!

Pls. know I mean no disrespect to Al (Tapla), who's very knowledgeable & grows houseplants, lots of Ficuses & bonsai. He's very generous w/ his knowledge & is ALWAYS helpful.

Puglover, I know you're trying to help, but this is unduly complicated for newbies.

Unnecessary, & far too complex for newbies, some of thse components are not easy to find; some I've never heard of: really folks, it's overkill.

Josh, (tho' you mean well) you're not helping either: in over 10 yrs. of doing this (120+) plants, I've never seen, nor even heard of pine/fir bark fines (& I also belong to several plant societies, for 10+ yrs.)

My Crassulacae (except actual Jades) all do fine. Jades are especially tough to grow in NYC, tho' I have a couple of very small ones I'm trying.

Pls. follow Dufflebag's advice, in some circles she is/was known as Crassulady & she has DECADES of experience, esp. w/ Jades (Crassulas).

Keeping it simple = C&S mix (w/ as little peat in it as possible), lots of perlite or pumice & smallish clay pots, careful watering & that's it!!! It's more important for these plants HOW one cares for them (heat, light, watering, etc.) than what they're planted in.

Hi all:

I really appreciate your guidance and assure you that I'm working to become a better Crassulite. :-)

So I'm using this poor pitiful plant (pictured at the beginning of the thread as practice plant; if I lose it, well, it was in sad shape anyway, right?

So here's the root system of the right-side stalk. I've heard several people tell me to "cut the roots back." So, does that mean trim off the bushy stuff or am I to be more drastic? If so, how much more? Can somebody describe "cutting the roots back?"

A thousand thanks again..

Leave that alone. You only need to root prune if your plant is root bound, which it's not, or if you are putting in a smaller pot than it was in, ie. bonsai pot.

I would disagree with some of the posters about Al's mix. IT is fantastic, and if you want your plants to thrive and not just survive, I think it is worth the work. If you read through his post linked above in one of your responses, you will find suggestions on where to get the pine or fir bark fines. Fines are simply small pieces. There is nothing on the list that can't be found at a garden center and in place of the Turface, you can use Schultze Aquatic Soil from Home Depot or OilDri from Sam's Club. It's all personal choice, but there does not exsist a Cactus Soil in Houston that I have found, that is low in peat, and anything with peat is Satan in my opinion. All commercial soils that are sold here have peat in them. They compact within a month and they are hydrophobic when not watered. You can order soils on line, but the price is absurd.

If you're anything like me, your one plant will turn into 100 very quickly and you'll want to start making your own stuff anyway to save money. These are all opinions, and I only speak because I have used his soil mix for a couple of years now. It is time consuming to some, but I think it is well worth it.

thanks, tanya, esp. for the Turface substitute tip. I have in fact had no luck finding it but just yesterday saw Schultze Aquatic Soil at Home Depot... thanks!

"Josh, (tho' you mean well) you're not helping either: in over 10 yrs. of doing this (120+) plants, I've never seen, nor even heard of pine/fir bark fines (& I also belong to several plant societies, for 10+ yrs.)"

Hey, it's a free country, Pirate Girl, you're as welcome to have a wrong opinion as anyone (even if you've been growing jades for five years longer than I have)! *wink* ;)

Pine/fir bark is just, well...bark...fines. Nothing exotic, or rare, I assure you. In fact, you can find it under most conifer trees.
___________________________________

Toastey,
sorry if I wasn't helping...I certainly 'meant' well ;)

A bag of Cactus & Succulent Soil, mixed half-and-half with Perlite, will pretty much get you growing. (I've even used bagged Bonsai soil, which generally has more "pine/fir bark" than peat as its organic component).

All of the special ingredients and refinements, however, are just that...refinements. Your first goal is to provide a fast-draining potting medium. After that, you can work toward a peat-free medium and uniform particle size (which is excellent for water movement).

My potting medium is basic:
30% C&S or Bonsai soil -
30% small, unpainted gravel -
40% large-grained Perlite -
(1-2% charcoal, as well)

*percentages approximate ;)

Josh