wow those are nice! i'm wondering what you had to trade to get them.

My first-born child, what else? ;)

Thanks, Laura!

Happy growing Josh! I really think that P. afra cutting has a lot of potential with the sought after "tree-look."

PS~ The kids doin' fine. We named her Jade :-)

ROFLOL!

LMAO!

You guys are too funny! Jo and Josh Those cuttings are amazing!! The "New Trunk" is huge in comparison to your hand! I cant wait to see the progress!!

Very Funny Josh!! That's a new one...I guess you know you are completely addicted when you're willing to trade for your first born,lol

Good luck, but I honestly don't think you will need it!

Great Pics!

Thanks all, much appreciated! The Jade cutting is doing very well, despite being battered by a recent rainstorm.

Today, however, I'd thought I'd provide an update on the Portulacaria afra cutting. It, too, was hit by the rainstorm, but it doesn't seem to have suffered any. There's a lot of new growth up top, so I'm convinced that there are roots below.

This first shot is from sometime last month:
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And these two shots were taken this morning.
In order to get the cutting into the container (.71 gallon), I had to remove one of the lower branches. Then, I actually buried the next lowest branch to stabilize the cutting in the potting medium. Now I'm considering pruning the plant to balance it further.
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Looks good Josh! Since none of the older leaves are shriveled, I would agree that it has probably struck roots. You might hold off on doing any major pruning until is really has a full root system, but it certainly wouldn't mind getting a branch or two lopped off. I'm definately looking forward to seeing what you do with it over the next couple os seasons!

Thanks again, Jo!
I was amazed that it only dropped a handful of leaves - maybe twenty, or so. All the leaves seem to have become turgid, and the plant has put on about an inch of new growth everywhere. I'll check the roots this fall when it comes time to prep/pot plants for winter indoors.

I'll make sure to prune conservatively. I want to isolate that central leader by shortening the branches alongside. There's just so much activity in those branches! When I move it, it's like lugging around a menorah! ;)

Josh

That is just simply awesome I love it..way to go Josh you have done great with that! Lets see pics of the others also if you can.

Mary

Great job Josh! You just reminded me I have to do some pruning on a couple of my Port. Afra. this is about the only one that seems to grow for me this time of year. All my Jades are on "break" taking the summer off, lol...

Thanks for the update!

Do Jade generaly grow more in the winter months?

Mary

Hi Mary,

I can't speak for anyone else...but for me(in FL), all my Jades and most of my succulents are almost dormant this time of year. Once our temps start hitting mid to upper 80's and higher and our humidity kicks in, the growth comes to a halt. Once our temps starts to cools off especially our night temps around late Oct...its starts growing and the beautiful colors starts to return. Nov. through March are my best months for growth and the best colors.

I'm sure others have different experiene depending on their climate, I'm guessing?

Mary, Jades are winter growers. But in our hemisphere, the sun is weak and the temperatures are cold during the winter.

Pug's correct - during the peak of summer, Jades seem to go dormant. (Would this be winter for them in South Africa?) During this time, it's best to cut back on watering. I've noticed that my Jades' leaves will yellow and fall off if I over-water when it's hot. When I notice this happening, I stop watering (obviously) and I pluck the yellowing leaves. This immediately gets rid of some moisture in the plant. My Jades slow their growth in the middle of summer and the middle of winter - right after the time when some Jades go into flower. After the flowering, there's a rest period, then growth resumes.

Okay, updates! First, I went ahead and trimmed a bit off the Port. afra -
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Now the Big Jade cutting. Sorry, only close-ups.
I forgot to get a full distance shot.
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And, lastly, two cuttings that I'm rooting in a more horizontal fashion. I'll get some proper stones for the final potting (these square pots are cheap plastic).
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Fun stuff!

Josh

Very nice Josh..thanks for sharing and thanks also for the seasonal growth infor both of you.

Mary

Beautiful plants! I'm amazed and I have to admit, a little envious. Just repotted two plants (5 and 10 years old) that did not adjust well to their new climate (lots of leaf loss, some rot). What sort of knife did you use to make those very clean cuts? When I've pruned the cuts have closed/healed over. Your cuts seem to have just hardened. Again, gorgeous plants!

Hey, Brwndot! Thank you very much for the compliments. What sort of climate are you (and your plants) in?

I made the cuts on my Jade with the larger of the two knives below.
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It isn't razor sharp by any means....I attribute the clean cut to the soft nature of the Jade plant. When I make a cut, I simply choose a node, and then cut above or below it. After a while, the "stump" dries up and falls off. The cut then hardens and slowly heals, disappearing in time.

Josh

Thank you, Josh, for all those pictures & growing hints. Thanks to all the rest for your input. I'm just starting a "succulent" collection & didn't give it much thought as to the "how to" in growing them. Ignorant that I am, I just thought, since I live in a hot climate I should give them lots of water & sun period, then let the magic begin. Hah! Now I know better . . .

Thanks, Sara! It's my pleasure.

More evidence that the Port. afra has roots: new growth where I recently pruned.
I made three cuts, and all points look good! Even some budding from the trunk.

Josh
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This callus split, which killed the first leaftlets. Now it's growing more.

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Beautiful job with a beautiful jade. I envy you! My three jades are only about a foot tall each and while they're beautiful, they have some work to do before they're that size :)

Thanks! But I can't take the credit! This started out as a large cutting....!

It makes my other Jades look small, too.

Hi Josh,

I'm sad to say that condition of both my jades worsened. I came back from a trip away to find that both were almost completely rotten. The person caring for them felt terrible but I told her the plants weren't healthy to begin with.

I got them both while living in the Shenandoah Valley (Virginia). One 5 years ago, one 3 years ago. They were very happy in a sunny spot on my porch during the summer months. I took them with me on an extended trip to western Michigan 2 years ago and one ended up with a strange yellow-brown fungus that leaked out of the drainage hole. I repotted that one but it never really recovered. I moved to Ohio and the days and days with little to no sun really seemed to stunt both plants. Leaves crinkled and once an entire branch dropped.

Just before I went out of town last month I took a risk and cut back both plants considerably. When I returned two weeks later both were decimated. I've kept the base of one in hopes that the new cut I made will heal and leaves will grow. In the meantime I've decided it's time to start again with two new jades. (picturess to come - currently between cameras). I'm hoping some cuttings I took from the original plants will root as well. Here are a few babies that seem okay so far. They're about two weeks in:
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Sorry for rambling. It's just nice to be able to share plant woes with sympathetic readers.

Josh,
You mentioned about the callous splitting and killing the new growth. I didnt realize it caused this. Can you explain more about it, because I see that happening a lot to my large jade. Thanks, Christina

Thanks for sharing your photos. You are quite handy with the camera. A great way to explain what this jade plants look like in different stages for us newbies.

I noticed that the pots seem fairly small for the size of the plants. Is there a reason for this? I probably would have chosen a huge pot simply because it's a big plant.
Penny

When I take cuttings of Jade I let them sit a few days to 'heal' in the shade before planting them. It's like seed potatoes. If you don't give them a little time to 'heal' over, some bleed out when planted.
mike