Hi Motionary,

This is often discussed here. May I suggest you pls. search here for Pruning Jades or Wacking Jades & you'll have LOADS of material to read.

So I'd start there in the reading.

I'll share 1 tip, I'd cut any growth that's growing downward. Have fun!

I'd also look for 'Whacking a Jade'.

I'd start with removing anything which goes extends beyond the pot.

A frequent contributor here is Josh, another jade-whacking adherent, and he can take your picture and mark it up with nice suggested cut lines.

thanks for the advice. i've been reading all of the "whacking" and "pruning" posts at length. i'm trying to get as much info as i can!!

i would love a marked up photo... i'm afraid since this is my biggest plant, i dont want to kill it!

one thing i have a question about... when i crop any downward growth (or any pruning really)... do i crop right at the plant (a smooth edge) ?

thanks!!

Hello!

(Jeff, thanks for the intro!)

Motionary, your Jade is in desperate need of some better lighting conditions.
In stronger light, the growth will remain vertical, sturdy, and compact.

Karen and Jeff are correct: start by removing downward growth and growth beyond the pot.
I can make some suggestions, of course, but I'd rather see a few branches removed so that we
can better see what we're working with.

When pruning: notice where the leaves emerge from the trunk - that is called the 'node.'
The section of trunk/stem between the nodes is called the 'internode.' You will make your
cut above the node itself, cutting through the internode stem sections. Make a smooth cut.

Josh

Motionary, your Jade is in desperate need of some better lighting conditions.
In stronger light, the growth will remain vertical, sturdy, and compact.

Yes. It would be happy outside for the summer at least. Accustom it to direct light slowly, build up to morning sun/afternoon shade.

loving the advice so far!! most of the jades i have grow very tall/spindly and then tip over. from the comments i gather thats from low light??

i took the advice and removed the downward growth from my jade. here are 2 photos showing the pruning:

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and a few closeups of where i pruned (does this need to be closer?)

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and this is what i have as clippings (some closeups):
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how is this for a start? do i need to cut more back? are the clippings salvageable?

the previous times i've pruned, it seems like the plant never grows back. it shrivels up as if its dying... first at the pruned edge, then the whole plant. i really don't want to lose this one!!

thank you all so much for your advice!! and if more photos are needed, let me know. i can try to provide better ones :)

-aimee

Hi, Aimee, good work on the Jade.

Your pruning cuts are just fine. The clippings are salvageable, but they're going to be floppy.
What you can do is snip off the growing tips (2 - 3 inches) and root those. They'll root faster,
and they'll turn into much thicker, larger plants. Or you can root the entire cutting, support it, give
it as much sun as possible, and over time it will develop into a thicker plant.

Give me a minute with the pics...

Josh

Alright, if you wish to prune even more, here are some suggestions.
I tried to put the marks where they would appear on each picture from a different angle,
but I didn't quite get them all. Basically, tip-prune the young green growth so they don't
get too tall, and whack back the long branch shooting off to the right in the second pic.
After a few months of good light, you'll hardly recognize your plant ;-)

{{gwi:592411}}

{{gwi:592413}}

Josh

I'm a little late for this party, but I marked your original photo for suggested cuts. It looks like the results of my suggestions are pretty close to Josh's. :)

{{gwi:592415}}

Wack away, you can't go wrong. All of this heavy pruning will not improve the plant unless you can find a way to give it more light.

Brad

thanks josh (and brad!)

a few questions before i hack away...
- should i replant the 2 plants into separate pots
- when i prune at the red marks, is that what causes a plant to Y? or does that hack just cause new (yet random) growth?

as for the clippings, it sounds like cutting the tips off and starting a new plant is the best choice for a healthy plant. can anything be done with the remaining "stem" or should i just save the leaves from that? i didn't know if i could plant the existing, wait for that to re-root and the clip the tips off like the parent plant.

sorry for all the questions... i'm rediscovering my parents love for plant propogation. jade has been my most challenging so far, and i've found this forum to be my best learning tool! it was just a few months ago i found the right soil mix from reading all the posts here!

You're welcome ;-)

Good suggestions, Brad! ;-)

Aimee, you can root the leftover stems, too, if you want.

I would leave the plants in the pot for now. They have plenty of root-room.
Sunlight/light is the most important thing for the plants at the moment.

When you prune, yes, the plant will form a "Y" - but the stems will often back-bud
and create new leaflets and branches down the trunk.

Also, don't put the cuttings in full sun!
They'll root better in a protected, shady area. Once they are established, then you
bring them slowly out into the sun.

Josh

i pruned the parent plant and potted some of the clippings. i also have a huge pile of leaves :) the plants are now staked upright in a sunny window. i'll try to post photos if/when i get new growth. i'll do my research on the forum to see how to care for the leaves and when to plant those.

is there anything i need to watch out for.... more importantly, are there any specific signs if the plant is getting too much sun, or the pruning didn't work?