A very interesting experiment, it will be good to see what the results are in time. Wonder how long it will take? Keep us posted please?

Be curious what you find. IMO sun is just as or more important on crassula than temps for color. As in outside sun, not what you get from a window. Good luck!

randy

Forgot to mention the solstice or the change of day length. Some Crassula in habitat probably experience more of a change in day length than they do temps.

Lots of factors play a role besides temps. Minerals or soil makeup could be important also. But I digress. :-)

randy

I'm inclined to agree that bright sunlight affects jade colouring more than cool nights. I'm not sure that cool nights alone will be enough to bring about a big change in colouration, but it'll certainly be interesting to see what you find. Good luck, keep us posted on any results.

Here's a picture of one of my jades that's been sitting outside in the sun for 12 hours a day.
{{gwi:555020}}

I can tell you that the Jades at my nursery were DRAMATICALLY red, bright, like on fire, when the temps in there were kept in the 40's by night and 50's by day with the sun angle in the month of March..

For here, that is when the sun starts to feel hot through any window..Right about now, in May, I am loosing the color to mine, a couple that I bought that briliiant,even though the nights are still cool, and some days in the 70's...

My plants color up when put outside. Having more sun makes some sense to me, as I would think that less chlorophyll is needed when in direct sun as opposed to being inside.

Perhaps the CHANGE in temperature over 24hrs is more of a factor? Indoors, the temp doesn't vary much, but outdoors,there's usually a 10-20 degree difference in ambient temps, not to mention the diff between night time and being in direct sunlight.

Also, watering frequency seems to be a factor. I've seen plants get more color as their leaves become less turgid, then return to green after watering.

One week later. so far it does not seem to be having an effect. i was assuming that it would take longer than a week, though. i will post a new pic in one week.

{{gwi:555021}}

I'm guessing a month at minimum to see any change at all.

Do these Jades even turn color? I am assuming they may not be hummles or other variegated..Is there such a thing as different varieties of compact, ones that stay green always?

My green one stays green at all times all year long, unless it gets sunburned..Sometime the edges will get a bit darker..

Mike

yes they do get red. here is a link. i would love for one of my crosby's to get half this much color. thanks for all the feedback! i will give an update in a week.

Doug

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:555018}}

That's also a 'Hobbit' leaf-type in the linked image.

Josh

Gosh, that last pic is spectacular! Where is that from pls?

You know, these recent Jade threads even got me going. I, who can't seem to grow Jades here in NYC & tried several times & lost them (I could in Philly). Well, I bought a pretty little crassula o. w/ maroon edging, looks much like the 1st pic here; small, grown by a friend & the President of my local Indoor Gardening Society. I found it irressistable.

It's all your fault all of you Jade Thread People ;>)

(PG) Karen

Jade Man,
I think you'll detect a great change in color if you simply shade one of the Jades.
I had a 'Hobbit' go from yellow, orange, red to mostly green in a matter of days.
I wish the color would return as readily (pardon the pun!).

Karen,
I noticed that the Crassula ovata minima have hit the nurseries here!
Big pots of them for $5 - $10! I already have two compact or mini Jades...
and, yet, I nearly bought another...


Josh

Josh, you are making me jealous! I've yet to see anything other than a couple of plain crassula ovata, a few hobbits, and the one tricolored jade that I bought!
Britty

'T is the season, Britty!
Believe me, there's a Jade drought most of the year....

In the past month, I've seen 'Gollum' and tricolored Jades (along with the all-green version of the tricolor) come through.

Just in the past week have the mini Jades appeared.

Josh

Josh,

What's this Crassula ovata minima that you speak of? It sounds like it's different than C.o. 'Crosby's Compact'; is it a different cultivar/sport/variety?

I think it's the same thing with a 'local' label....

It would be real nice if there were a standardized pictorial reference for each of the Jade varieties.
How many are there? Norma mentions her 23 varieties...
What are talking overall? 50? 150?
Splitter,


Josh

I found this page....

I think they have their naming down correctly.

Josh

Here is a link that might be useful: A page of Crassula species!!!

I would think that they would color up with less water and more sun. I thought the color came about to protect the leaf tissue, or dermis? Thanks for doing this experiment for us. It is interesting, when you are looking for new "Jades" check out the bark or dermis. Some flake others get rings raised with moss like stuff. Some have silver, others red. Check out the tips of the leaves some pointed or different shapes, like wavy, really look at them. You may have more than you think. How many of you have "Waves" or "Huntington Pink" "Crested" just checking. Norma

Hi, Norma.
I wish there were a web-page devoted to Jade varieties.

I have no idea what the identifying characteristics of "Huntington Pink" might be...
I assume a pink flower?

If by "Waves" you refer to undulatifolia, then, no, I don't have one...that particular Jade has
never appealed to me.

However, the Jades with unique leaves are easy to spot.
The Jades that are difficult to distinguish, in my opinion, are those with
medium-sized leaves that vary primarily by flower color/pattern.

Bark characteristics have shown to be too variable, as I've had flaky bark develop
on one cutting while smooth silver bark developed on another cutting - both taken
from the same part of the plant. The flakier of the two suffered over-watering early
in its life - just a correlation, not necessarily a causation.

Josh

Great link Josh, I sooo enjoyed looking at ALL those Crassulas. What fun!!!

Also interesting to see one I bought from Jerry Barad which he labelled Crassula christina, looks very much like C. intermedia.

I think I need to bookmark that page for future ID & drooling purposes.

Also cool to see the name of something else: Crassula nealiana. A few yrs. ago, a dear friend sent me home w/ all kinds of miniature Crassulas after a visit to Calif around Xmas time. Come Feb. they started blooming, tiny, plants & mini-blooms, yellow flowering on my window in NYC during snowy February. When I shared my delight w/ him that they were blooming, he said he'd planned it that way when he gave them to me. Sweet, nice memory.

Anyway Josh, thanks again VERY cool!

Thanks for the link Josh...those are great pictures, I also enjoyed looking through all of them. Very helpful.

Josh, thanks to you, I have my eyes on a couple of new specimens....Lol

Thank you much for that.

Mike..:-)

pirate girl

i found where that picture came from.

Doug

Here is a link that might be useful: where i found that pic

You're welcome, folks!
I thought it was a cool page, too.

Jade Man, do you know how to contact that blogger?
I tried yesterday to correct the name on that Jade.

Josh

sorry i have no idea.

i do believe the sun has more to do with color than cold does.

i am calling this experiment finished. if it is not so obvious in the pictures, the plant on the left that stays on the window sill is getting more color than the one that spends it's nights in the fridge.

next i think i will take the plant that has been in the fridge for it's nights. and acclimate it to the full outside sun and leave it outside for the summer and see how that goes. i live in P.A. so i believe that i will get the best color out of my plants in the summer or fall we will see.

{{gwi:555022}}