good luck with your cacti.

i really like your jade plant it is a beautiful specimen!

Jamie,

Welcome aboard. Now, as you may know, Green Man Josh strongly encourages newly arrived personnel here to slice and dice their Crassula ovata. I can see that you've got quite the material plant to do that with - it's going to be fun.

I think you've done right by the plant. Did you, by any chance, give it a little transplant juice in the watering? I've always done it, with 99% effectiveness, or so it seems. I use MG transplant stuff, diluted, but I wouldn't use much until I see definite growth, when you can start fertilizing with balanced fertilizers.

And that's a great-looking plant. Now that Josh has turned me into a jade cuttin' fool, I just salivate when I see a plant such as yours. At any rate, my cutting proclivities aside, you'll confirm the good job you did in a week or so, when you see new growth.

HI;

Thanks for the welcome. I do plan to slowly chop up that jade some more to balance out the look of it. I wanted to make sure I was comfortable getting jade to root before taking any big pieces off. I have some jade cuttings that just started to root. I put a heat mat on my Christmas list, I suspect they will root much faster with bottom heat.

Yes, I did use some transplant juice on the Jade. I have used the miracle grow one, but I found this one, and think it works a little better:

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Some sedum I rooted this summer:

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Forgot to mention my Hen & Chicks collection, almost 100 different kinds:

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I just took a photo of the jade this afternoon, I am looking at the photo just now and I see some little spots on some of the pedals that look almost moldy. I am going to have to go inspect these more closely and see what is going on, hope it is just something weird in the photo.

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But I do think that the Jade has some new growth. It has been almost a month now since the re-plant.

Christmas Cactus rooting (hopefully):

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Some christmas cactus, aloe and jade I have growing, these all seem to be doing well. They are in turface.

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I bought this thing I couple days ago, I think it may be a suculent, it is called a Desert Rose:

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I started to re-pot my cacti that I bought at Lowes today. They were on sale, so I didn't look that closely at them. I have very few cactus plants and was excited to get some. I am quite disturbed now that I realize they have used hot melt glue to stick flowers on top of all of the cacti. I just didn't look that closely, if I had though about it for a moment I would have realized they would not all be blooming in the store at the same time..... grr... (not to mention they do look quite fake with the big globs of glue on them)

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So I am going to have to get out my Bonsai Tools and snip off all of the glue and fake flowers. It's plant abuse, should have expected as much from Lowes. But there are so few places around here that bother with carrying cacti at all.

Jamie

It's all over the cacti, it's worse than the stupid glued on rocks that came on the cheap-o bonsai I bought this week.

Teaches me the difference between retail and quality nursery stock. I mail ordered about $800 worth of stuff from one nursery off of ebay this year, including those hen and chicks and many japanese maples. The quality was all excellent, but I paid for it.....

Here is a link that might be useful: Bonsai photos - with Glued on Rocks being removed.

Welcome to the forum Jamie...Wow! That is a HUGE Jade! Your Jade will appreciate the new potting mix and the very nice new pot.

Ahh...what a "whack" job Josh can do to that gorgeous specimen. Just my opinion...but it would probably be a good idea to prune some of the lower branches. Look at the bright side...lots of Christmas gifts to friends and relatives this year. Of course its up to you. Its a beautiful Jade and you're very lucky to have it.

Do you know how old it is? Thanks for the pictures!

I know the person I bought it from had it for at least 20 years. I don't know how old it was when they got it. It was a older guy and he brought the jade out in the summer. It had just gotten too heavy for him to move back in so he sold it to me for $40. I had to drive over 2 hours from my home to get it though.

The re-potting process was quite a feat, it is very heavy and the stupid pot cost me about $60. I needed something heavy enough to keep it from tipping over.

I forgot to show these, I don't know the actual name of them, I was sold them in june this year and told they are a native cactus to Wisconsin. They are planted outside in my garden bed and will leave them there for the winter. I do hope they really are hardy to this zone and will make it.

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I do plan to give some plants for christmas this year that I root. I just hope the recipients will keep them alive. :-)

Jamie

I am quite disturbed now that I realize they have used hot melt glue to stick flowers on top of all of the cacti. I just didn't look that closely, if I had though about it for a moment I would have realized they would not all be blooming in the store at the same time..... grr... (not to mention they do look quite fake with the big globs of glue on them)...It's plant abuse, should have expected as much from Lowes...

You would be surprised at the numbers of folks who come here to proudly show off their new cacti with glued on flowers. Sometimes, they wonder why the flowers last for months. Its sad when someone has to tell them the flower they like so much is fake. You figured out the glufer thing quickly enough, and called it what it is, plant abuse. One of the big wholesale succulent growers promised to stop this practice a few years ago, but that only lasted for a short while. They fully expect folks will just be tossing the plant into the garbage in a few months.

I am also fond of wackin jades to develop thick limbs and to create a beautiful form, but your old plant already has a thick trunk and limbs, and the wildness of this plant is quite attractive. This may be one of those times when choppin' isn't such a good idea. I'd have to sit with the plant for a long time before I would dare cut anything.

Welcome to our madness, Jamie!

Brad

Hi Jamie,
I agree with Brad. Please think long and hard before you begin cutting on your Jade. I think it is a BEAUTIFUL plant just as it is. I do have one suggestion for you. Buy a small plant stand, maybe 4 to 8 inches high to set the jade on. It will raise your plant so more of it gets direct light from the window. You did a great job repotting. Glad you are in the group. Please keep us updated on how it is doing. I'm so glad that you gave us the history of your Jade.

Val

Wow Jamie! That's an impressive Jade. Amazing! I see you're into hens and chicks also. I've gone sempervivum crazy myself this year. There are so many varieties and they're such fun!

Question. I know there were comments about pruning the jade and I've seen lots of pics of heavily pruned jades here. I've had jades for years, but I'm new to this forum and I'm learning a lot,so I'm wondering what the reason for cutting them back so heavily is?

TIA! Di

Hi Di;

I think the primary reason people are cutting them back hard is to encourage thicker trunk growth. I already have pretty fat tunks on my plant, so my only real reason for pruning mine would be to make more plants or to shape it. Mine is a bit odd as it is weighted towards the floor on the right side. I think my eventual goal will be to trim / train that so the growth moves up and balances out the plant.

Re: Plant Stand - Thanks; that is a good idea. I am going to have to find something very sturdy or build something, it is very heavy, I would guess easily 150+ pounds. (50 pound pot, almost 40 pounds turface -dry, plus the plant)

Thanks

Jamie

Hi Jamie,
You have one hell of a jade there! I cannot believe you only paid $40.00 for it!! I was reading some of the comments on your blog page and I really think your soil will be fine. Some people are firm believres in the gritty mix and I do think it does help with the health of the roots. I don't have all my jades in it though. Some are in pure turface, some are in a gritty mix and some are in a mix like you have. I also am a fan of growing potted citrus. I kive in zone 6. I have two Oro Blanco grapefruit trees, a 6ft tall Improved Meyer lemon tree(I always give the height of this one citrus because I think it is so imprseeive and it is easily my favorite citrus tree.), my 'Dancy' tangelo, and my dwarf keylime. When I joined the citrus forum, most people told e hat wold really have problems with root rot unless I used the gritty mix or something close to it. I did use this mix for my 2 Oro's. The dwarf keylime however is potted in MG citrus soil. Now, I would never use this again but my tree survived. Good luck with your jade, and for the record, I would not prune it either but you may want to consider it. Jade branches that get really large can suddnly break off and fall. That could be a catastrophe because if it falls from up high on the tree, it will take out some other branches. Whenever I have seen jades this large, they usually are tied up with rope and then tied to a heavy support. You can see pics of this on the internet.
Andrew

Hi Andrew;

I feel like the soil my citrus is in currently is a little heavy. I think I am going to change it, though they grew well for the past couple months. My meyer put on a lot of new growth.

My parents have a meyer, many years old. It is spindly, and about 6' tall. I re-potted it in almost straight turface a few weeks ago. It seems to be doing fine, but they have a hard time remembering to water it often enough and to feed it.

With the Jade, I will keep what you said in mind about them breaking. I think this one is amazingly tough, as it survived the 2+ hour van ride back home here and it swayed around quite a bit. I though I was going to break a branch or dump it over. I had multiple bungie cords on it and about 6 big sand bags stacked up against it to keep it in place on the drive home.

Jamie

Hey Jamie.
How about a wood stump for a plant stand? I have used one many times. I think it would look good with your plant and pot. And it will for sure hold the weight.
Val

The Opuntia is probably O. humifusa.
The "christmas cactus" in the big picture, above the jade tree, is actually a Hatiora gaertneri hybrid (Easter cactus).

Howdy, Jamie!

Welcome! It's great to have another Jade enthusiast.

That is a nice Jade plant, to be sure! What heavy work!
As the others have said, and as you, too, have noted, this Jade doesn't need to be thickened.
At this point, I think some judicious pruning of the lowest branchlets will help show off
the full, well developed form. It will also allow more light into the canopy.

Many large Jades are grown in lower light conditions, or else shade their own branches as they
age. As a result, the growth may begin to droop or dangle, or become etoliated and thin.

I always recommend that this weak growth be removed, as a first order of business.
Weak branches are a strain on the plant, and they serve little purpose aesthetically (in my opinion).
When you remove them, you reduce the strain on the plant, and you also increase the light reaching
the trunk and inner branches.

Anyhow, just some things to consider if you get the itch to snip a few thin stems...


Josh

Great job on the Lowe's after care To sort the "holiday cactus" I found some info

Around the holidays, we often see blooming plants that are members of the cactus family. The Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata), the Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii), and the Easter cactus (Rhipsalidopsis gaetneri) all look alike. The Schlumbergera species are native to the tropical forests of Brazil, while the Rhipsalidopsis species is native to the natural forests of Brazil.

Here is a link that might be useful: Holiday Cactus ID info

Hello;

Val; Thanks for the idea on the stump, I'll have a look up north and see what I can find.

tjicken; Thanks for the correction, Is this the one that is the Easter Cactus?: http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/VWYLuKsYh63dMFHxed2wQqKa4fDtqQhx6KipZrVmNRY?feat=directlink

Hi greenman28; In the next few weeks I'll get my plant work wrapped up outside as it gets colder and will be able to devote some more time to the Jade and my other indoor plants. I'll make sure to share / ask about the Jade cutting process once I get to it.

On the Jade, I looked closely, and there are some small spots that look like mold growing on the petals. They are not rotted, it appears to be more on the surface. Any idea what this could be?

Hello mrlike2u; So is there a way to tell the difference in which cactus is which based upon looking at them or do I have to wait and see when they bloom?

I was at Home Depot and Stein Garden & Gifts Today. They both had beautiful looking cactus. No glued on flowers at Home Depot, the cactus were much larger than the ones at lowes, the quality appeared quite high and the prices were reasonable. Stein has some amazing cactus, we bought a christ cactus today from them (euphorbia milii). It is in very nice condition - They actually had one that didn't look so hot, was overwatered, then I looked further and found one away from the other, kind of in a display area, where it must have been "neglected" a bit and it looked quite nice.

So many nice cactus I would like to buy. But today I had to buy a bunch of pots to pot up my tropical (18" + pots get really expensive) and I bought some Hoyas.

Jamie

What color are those spots on the leaves?
Are they small white dots, like specks of chalk; or black, necrotic spots?
If they're small white spots in the tiny "dimples" on the leaves, it's probably
just salt excretion from the hydathodes.

For the Holiday Cacti, I've attached a link that has been very helpful.


Josh

Here is a link that might be useful: The Holiday Cacti - care and recognition

Is this the one that is the Easter Cactus?

Yes, that is the one. Holiday cacti look similar but there are differences that you can learn how to spot without waiting for flowers.

Note that Euphorbia milii is not a cactus, despite the common name you gave.

Hello greenman28; The spots are black in the center surrounded by a light grey substance that at least partially wipes off.

Thank you both for the information on the christmas / easter / thanksgiving cactus.

What family is the Euphorbia milii. I can guess why it isn't in the cacti family, as it has more of leaves.

Thanks

Jamie

This one is Christmas Cactus ( note the inside of the circle )

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This one is Easter Cactus ( note the inner circle)

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Most of us are very familiar with the Holiday Cactus AKA Thanksgiving Cactus there "devil ears" appearance are a give away

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There are some differences in flower shapes on EC and CC as well as a final TC flowers in a ribbon type fashion I assume the ribbon flowers is why some call TC a CC

A neat thing about them is any of the three of them can sometimes (very very randomly) flower a second time at the opposite time of there intended flower season with out missing it's intended flowering time.