Personally, I perefer to lay the leaf ON TOP of the mix, rather than in. I believe either way is fine as long as it's kept dry.

I would however, not use that particular mix as it appears VERY peaty, not good for succulents, likely to cause problems in future.

I'd find or make some C&S mix which has little if any peat.

I agree with Karen....that mix won't work in the long run.

If you're going to bury one end, I'd recommend only 1/4 to a 1/2 inch....otherwise
it takes longer, in my experience, for the new stem and leaflets to emerge.

I prefer a very gritty mix to root Jades.
See the linked Thread below for an extensive discussion of leaves, cuttings, and rooting.

Josh

Here is a link that might be useful: Plucked my Jade's leaves (pics)

Blanpages,

I too would not use that mix...

It doesn't matter if you leaf it that way, or on top of the soil...I would not wet that leaf anywhere where it makes contact with the soil.

It will root just like you have it, as long water doesn't touch the contact point with leaf and soil, and you keep it out of the sun..In fact, that is how I deliberately root all mine, unless one has fallen on top of the soil without my knowledge and roots anyway..

A nice looking leaf by the way..

Good luck

Mike

Thanks Pirate girl. Actually, it's a C&S mix I bought from my local hardware store. You're right though, there is some peat in it, but it drains pretty well. Eventually, I'll make a mix based on some I've seen used here but I don't thin this one holds too much water. Thanks for the advice.

The main ingredient is most likely peat moss.
What is the first ingredient listed on the bag?

Josh

Thanks Josh and Mike. So the C&S soil I'm using is actually an upgrade from my (gasp) standard potting soil that I've pretty much used for all of my plants over the last couple of years. I know, it's horrible. I'm finally coming around now though, and I'll hit the nursery/greenhouse tomorrow for some perlite and pumice. Josh, do you break up your bark? I have a bag of it for my orchids and the pieces are quite large.
And Mike, thanks for the advice on not wetting it. I certainly won't. It has been on my back porch in an area that gets some indirect sunlight, but I'll move it to the front porch which is mostly shaded.
Thanks again to everyone for the great advice. I'd really like to get a nice jade out of this beautiful leaf!

PS: Josh, peat moss is indeed the first ingredient listed followed by "composted forest products,"sand, and perlite.

I tried to buy "bonsai" and "cacti and succulent" soil mix, but it was always peat moss.
Even if you add a bunch of perlite and bark and grit to it, the peat moss still clogs up.

Bark:
I buy the "fine" size Orchid Bark, but I do have to screen the large particles.
I toss anything larger than 3/8 of an inch, or smaller than 1/16 of an inch.

You can root in pure Perlite if you want. Most of my Jade leaves will root just
laying out in the open. As soon as I see little white root primordia, I plant the leaf.

Josh

I hate to buy another bag of orchid bark so I wonder if I could just break up the stuff I already have. Either way, I'll stay away from peat.
Josh, your advice is much appreciated. Now if only you could help me finish my dissertation. ;-)
Jose

(Yeah, break up the bark you have. You only need a small amount. 1 part bark, 1 part pumice, 1 part perlite).

I *do* have a degree in English Lit. and a teaching credential....
substitute teacher during the school year... ;)

What are you studying?

Josh

if you're looking at bonsai mix, look for 'tropical mix' and check the ingredients. the one I use (I'm sorry, i can't remember the brand) is rock, turface, and bark fines, which is pretty much the gritty mix. i've started adding some slow release fertilizer and screening out the really small particles as well.

about the only way I can get jade leaves to root is to put them in pots with other jades. They get the same watering as the jades. I'd say I only have a 10-25% success rate, so I'm prolly not the right person to ask.

you may do better with a cutting, if you can get it. after a few weeks un potted, i'll put it in a mix of mostly perlite with just a bit (and I mean just a bit) of cs soil or bark. I'll spray the mix around the cuttings with water once a week at most. after a month or two you should have a workable root system. I've had much better success with that.

I forgot too say the pot is too big as well. No need for it to be any larger than the leaf really, like a tiny pot.

I'd also suggest not to water 'til you see new growth. (whatever you do, pls. don't wet the leaf, that will cause it to rot but quick).

Blutarski,

That sounds like a GREAT mix that can be bought.

I wish you knew where to get it..I know many around here that would consider a mix like that gold..

Good to see you again

Mike..:-)

@Pirate girl, do you think that simply in the interest of growing roots it's fine for now? In fact, I have some very small ceramic pots, a bit shorter than the size of a shot glass. Maybe (and now I'm thinking I will) I'll just fill one up with some perlite for growing a root. And check! No water.

@Josh. Hah, indeed maybe you can help then. I was a double-major in English lit and Spanish lit but I continued for the phd in Spanish (specifically Latin American) lit. I read the chronicles of conquest as well as some of the earliest native histories of Mexico.

Starting tomorrow, I'll make my own cactus and succulent mix. We'll see how my guys do. Thanks all.

Cheers!
Jose

I've never found the size of the pot to matter when growing Jades, so long as the medium is freely draining and the plant isn't overwatered. That pot will do fine for rooting the leaf. I agree with what pirate_girl posted about simply laying the leaf flat on the soil though, I find that much fewer leaves rot when placed on the soil rather than buried.

Jades are very forgiving though, so as long as you don't water until roots and a shoot have formed(feel free to lift the leaf out of the soil once every few weeks to check), there shouldn't be a problem. I've been tossing pruned off branches and leaves into a 12 inch pot of peaty soil with a ficus tree growing in it for years and most of the leaves and stems have rooted with no problem and are growing quite well despite the peaty soil and large pot.

Once the plant becomes established I'd recommend replacing the soil with something freely draining, but at this point it doesn't really matter.

Jose,
I don't think you need my help! ;)
You've gone well beyond my formal education!
Don Quixote I read in high school, and Pablo Neruda is a poet I read fairly often...
but that's about the extent of it. Of course, I do refer to California as El Dorado,
with its bronze-white grasses and gold-laden rivers.

Re: small cup
I grew this Jade 'Gollum' from a leaf. Leaf-grown plants can be slow, so be patient.
Pumice and a little Perlite is the potting mix. Soon, I'll move this into a two-inch
container.

{{gwi:561599}}

Josh

Mike, the brand is Hoffman Tropical Bonsai Mix.

For some reason, the hyperlink feature doesn't like my link, cut and paste for a close up photo of the mix:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hoffman_Bonsai_Soil_Mix.jpg

again, i find that screening out the smaller particles help with the speed of drainage. Sometimes, I get a bunch of the small stuff and it impedes drainage a bit.

Note the size of the small pot above, see how well matched it is to the small plant it's holding?

Sorry, but I disgree w/ Rennet about lifting up the leaf to check if rooted; pulling up the leaf breaks the tiny root hairs on the roots we're trying to establish in the first place, seems self-defeating.

I feel like a broken record, when I say:

The best indicator of rooting is the appearance of NEW GROWTH. No tugging or breaking of new roots is needed.

Besides, on a Jade leaf, often the first thing to appear is another leaf, far more visible than roots underneath. The key ingredient here is patience.

If it were mine, I WOULD move it to the smaller pot, & out of the peat while you're at it.

Then again, if you don't water the leaf, it'll likely root & be OK where it is, they're pretty tough stuff.

Josh, that baby Gollum is just too cute!

I have broken so many clay pots, that I deceided to use them in my mix. I break them up in small pieces, and toss them in. I also gather up small stones, egg shells, oyster shells, and any other kind of shell that I can find. I do not use peat of any amount. I don't like coco bark either, this stuff just breaks down and turns to mush. Orchid bark is for orchids, and peat is for African Violets, ferns, etc.
Pirate girl hit it right on the nose, when she is good she is very good. Thanks, Karen. Norma

By the way, I completely shade that small pot.
The last thing you want is for the fine roots to bake...

Josh

Josh, very very cute!!

Thank you Blutarski! Vrey good to share..

Mike

Norma, after looking at your plants am going to say that you have some of the best ideas!!!

Thank you for always wanting to share your secrets, ideas, and compliments here, let alone your plants!

I too never pull my cuttings or leaves off or out of the soil anymore while rooting.. As was said, usually I notice new leaves growing without even having to look to see if it has even rooted..

Thank everyone for all this great info and thread.

Wow, I'm really impressed by everyone's expertise. I went to my greenhouse/nursery today and got some perlite and a bonsai mix that appears to have some bark. I see there is some questioning of the usefulness of bark but I'm thinking that it's definitely a step up from what I had been using. I couldn't find any pumice, but I did at one point find some small gravel around my house in a pot so I threw it in the mix.

Bark, bonsai mixture (I didn't notice any peat in it, it's very dry)
{{gwi:561600}}

Gravel (with what looks like the rocks that go in a fish tank, I think I read someone saying those are good)
{{gwi:561601}}

And of course perlite, but you all know what that looks like! I use like a 4/3 ratio of perlite to bark and then the rest was gravel.

Here is my one non blurry pic of my portulacaria afra cuttings (my first rooted cuttings, and while I know they're supposed to be easy I am quite proud of them!)
{{gwi:561602}}

And forgive the blurriness on the last one, I'm merely including it to show the size of the pot that I'm using to root the jade leaf. It's only perlite and I am keeping it in an area that is mostly shade.
{{gwi:561603}}

I'll let you know how the leaf turns out. No water, no direct sun and several weeks of patience. You'all are pretty awesome. Wish me luck!

PS: Great info about broken ceramic pots, that's one thing I definitely have around the garage!

No room for Fungus Gnats in that soilless mix..Bravo.

Cute specimens,and nice pots too..:-)

Mike

Bravo, indeed!
That looks to be a very nice mix.

Feel free to water those Port. afras!
If they have roots, they'll appreciate it.

Josh

Broken clay is better. For some reason the little feeder roots love the clay chards, they can hand on to it. The clay pots hold some moisture. If you lose this plant I will send you a complete cutting, your leaf is yellow, which tells me it is too late. Do what Karen says to do, PG This one of the first plants I had as a child. If it can be grown in NY in an apartment you can grow it also. I want to add there is 'Crosby's compacta' new name which does grow differently, old name Crassula agentea, and a few more. Norma

Indeed, sharp gravel or grit encourages fine root-branching to occur from abrasion.

Josh

Thanks all!
Mike, I got that blue one at a yard sale for a buck if you can believe it. Josh, much appreciated. I didn't water them right away but I will today. And Norma, you're too kind although I might take you up on that. I was hoping that the orange color of the leaf was natural, it felt pretty strong, but I'll have to wait and see.
Thanks again,
Jose

blankpages,

how is that leaf doing?

Doug