This is what one of mine looks like!

{{gwi:682039}}

Thanks Christie! I love it when those new sprouts start comming out.

It's a little fuzzy, but here's the buds today:

{{gwi:682040}}

Not sure how long it takes them to mature and blooms since these are my first bloom on ovata. Can't wait to see them, though!

Denise in Omaha

Hey Denise,

Did you get this result by leaving them out 'til the frost? Wooo-hooo, congratulations, am happy dancing for you, how exciting!!

Will look forward to seeing pix your when blooms open, JH will be happy & proud for ya!!

Regards,

Karen

Hey Karen! Yep, I'm feelin' like big-dog in Nebraksa! I do think it must be the cool temps + late fall sun. Must be, since this is the first year I've been hell-bent on not bringing them in until a hard freeze. If only Jeff were around to give me kudos... **sigh** (Is it obvious that I suspect he's out there lurking??)

Fred & Christy... Take note of the secret, friends-in-Jade!! Don't wait 30 years to get your first blooms!!

Denise in Omaha

Denise, I have been preaching this for the past 6-8 years, so it does work. Keep it dry. It doesn't need the frost, just cold. Woo HOoooooo Good for you, I bet you got a real good feeling now. Yeaaaaaaa Norma

Thanks, Norma! Yes, it was you (& a few others...) who kept up the preachin' about "cold temps and sun" that made me take a chance at leaving them out.

One question you can proably answer: Do the sports of Jade also flower? I can't really remember ever seeing a pic of a sport in bloom... So it makes me wonder if they even can?...

Denise in Omaha

Way to go Denise! Thats some buds ya got goin there! My jade is back on the porch tonight; it is storming and pouring down rain. It is warm again--maybe 60 degrees at 2:50 am. I figure as long as its growing outside there's a chance for buds. And it is steadily growing just slowly. And the new growth is very tight. I was wondering about the sports as well. I now have a small Gollum, Hobbit, a noID dwarf and a noID variegate. They are small and its been very cold for Oct. so I have brought them in but they may go back out. Gosh, blooms on a Gollum would be awesome.

Definitely Denise, mine are going to summer camp in the backyard next year! Mine is getting the bright light and cold weather that it likes, in my bedroom window. However, I can't take it anymore! I am freezing! So, I'm gonna try the outdoor thing next year. Congrats Denise! Enjoy :) Christy

It is so exciting when you have a plant blooming for the first time! Way to go, Denise! I just thought that I'd post a pic here of my jade that got snowed on October 10th 2005 and got bad frostbite and the doctor had to amputate. The left hand part of the photo is about two weeks later, and the right hand part is just this AM. So, they do survive. This plant has bloomed for me in the past, but just one little clump of blooms a couple of years ago. I am always trimming it because I can hardly move it anymore. That's one reason why it got left out last Oct.--no one to help me get it in that time. Anyway, more power to the jade folk!

Asiap

Here is a link that might be useful: My Jade A Year later

That is a BEAUTIFUL JADE!!!!! Thanks for sharing those pictures :) Christy

I found a tiny bud forming on my jade today! At first I thought it was a new set of leaves but it didn't seem right. On close inspection I see an embryonic bud cluster forming! We are expecting a freeze tomorrow night. I guess I'll bring her in! As soon as the weather moderates it will be back outside. She's going to hate the house, even though I will keep her as cool and bright as possible. Jades are free spirits.

**High-five**, Fred! Glad to hear you're going to have flowers to ejoy, too. Mine are coming along, and now I see I have 11 budding points (I originally counted 7...) Examined my bigger Jade at work as they sat side-by-side here on my front porch all summer long, so it seems the bigger one should have set buds, too. But I guess it's not to be... Maybe this other one decided to bud because it's more potbound. I repotted the bigger one up a size last summer, whereas it's been a few years since the budding one got a new pot and soil. It's definitely due next spring!

Denise in Omaha

Thanks Denise. It almost seems the meaner you are to your jades the better they bloom. They like being pot bound, pruned to within an inch of their lives, starved for water and nearly frozen. Ya gotta love this plant!

Nearly frozen....
What if i got mine frozen? I left it on a porch for frozen night. Now i have bad looking leaves but will plant survive or not? I can see that some leaves are stil alive.

It will likely drop the damaged leaves and grow new ones. As long as the stems are firm and normally colored it will be fine. If the ends of the branches are frozen, cut them back to live tissue and it will regenerate. I would do nothing for a few weeks and then you will better be able to access the damage.

Thank you, Fred, at least i have now a hope that tree will survive.

One more question: will it be OK if i chop my jade tree right now or it's better to wait till spring?
Note: this is the same tree that was almost frozen couple days ago.

When this happened to me I trimmed it right away. I'm not sure what would happen if you left the damaged parts on for a long time, like 'til spring. I think if it was kept in dry air, the damaged parts might just dry up and fall off, but if it was humid, then maybe there could be diseases that come into play that could spread into the live part. So I would trim it, which is what I did. If you go to the link below, you can see that the plant will get tiny new leaves in a week or two, but be fine a year later.

Here is a link that might be useful: Jade a year later

My jade plant was left outside last night and it appears to have gotten a bit of frost. It looks a bit droopy and the leaves felt very cold when I brought them in. Now after about 1/2 and hour there are water droplets all over the plant so I guess that means it got frozen. I am so upset with myself. It was on a partially enclosed patio and I thought it would be okay. I have had it for 7 years and it looked especially gorgeous and grew so much over the summer. Will I lose it now?

If the whole plant froze you will lose it, but chances are thats not the case. The leaves will freeze first generally, then the upper ends of the stems, with the damage working its way down as the cold progresses. In a few days you will know. Anything limp or soft is frozen and needs to be removed. If the branches are firm but leafless the leaves will be replaced. It must have really gotten cold in your area; mine went to 31 degrees with no damage but it was on the porch up against the house which gives several degrees of protection. Its always a guessing game--do I leave it out or do I bring it in. One of these days I will no doubt gamble and lose.

Well I know yall have been on the edge of your seats so heres the very latest on how my jade is progressing. I have 3 clusters of pinkish buds on the plant, which is still outside. We have been to 28 degrees so far this fall, but the jade is unscathed. Of course if rain, frost or extremely cold temps are predicted I get it out of the yard and set it up on the front porch. Here it can still enjoy the sunshine and cold fresh air while being protected from moisture, frost and extreme cold. The overhang of the porch and the close proximetry to the house provide several degrees of cold protection. When the weather moderates it goes back out into the yard. This coming week, however, we are expecting some seriously cold weather into the low 20s. So my jades long summer vacation is nearing an end. It will come into the house before those kind of temps occur. I will give it the coolest sunniest place I can find in my house. Jades hate central heat so I will probably push it up against a window and crack the window a bit. Hows yours doing?

When you bring the "Jades" into the house keep them close to the window, and away from the heat registars. We are going down into the low 30tys, and I'm certainly not bringing them in the house. I haven't watered since Oct 1 and I expect them all to flower. I have a few light pink flowers already. Crassula ovata "Jade" 'Hummels Sunset' is starting to flower, it flowers every year for me, is a real trouper. The show much go on. Norma

I have chopped my jade plants month ago after it was a little bit frozen. Now one plant is on window in garage and another one inside. I see tiny leaves and fight with mealy bugs (my old problem).

Question: do i need to water them or not during winter?

Spray with soap and water about a every 5 days. Mealies reproduce very quickly. Believe me there is another batch of eggs ready to hatch. They are in baby production in about 3 days after hatching. Go get them. Norma

The answer to your question galcho, is very little.

Hi, I am devasted. For the first time in 15 years my beloved jades (I have about 30 plants in the yard) got totally damaged by the unexpected freezing weather in Southern California last week. What is worse is that I wasn't even at home. Went out of town for five days, and when back I couldn't believe what I saw: the jades were all curved down, burned by the cold... I haven't done anything yet because I had hope they would just recover on their own. Now my hopes are down. Decided to check online, and found this site. Read it all, and thought it was (is) very interesting and helpful!!! Now I ask, I beg... does anyone have a good suggestion/advice to give to me? I will really appreciate. Thank you very much.
Solange

Denise you asked if the sports do flower, well yes they do, and I have one in flower now, with eight-ten skinny petals, several to a clump per head. Very unusual.

Solange - The main stems should be okay. I would cut off the parts that were damaged by the cold and keep an eye out on any other parts that are taking longer to rot and remove those as well. Your jades should bounce back. Just think of it as a big pruning that Mother Nature did for you even though you didn't need her help. ;)

So, here in Modesto, my jade plant, which has gone from a baby in a two inch pot six years ago to the beautiful blooming three foot wide plant it is now, was damaged by the frost in spite of being under an overhang. Only a portion of the plant was hit. In reading this thread, I think I got it but I just want to make sure . . . I should feel the stem and trim back to where it isn't mushy anymore, right?

You have no idea how heartened I am by reading this thread. I have a jade plant which was given to me by a friend eight years ago that is very special to me (my friend has since passed away). It has up until now come inside every winter before first frosts/snow, but this year I was distracted (about to have a baby) so forgot to bring her in. We had a day of snow a few days ago and I only remembered to look at her tonight and she's been totally frost bitten/frozen. The top is totally shrivelled, but the underneath stems/leaves look like they'll survive. She'll be coming in first thing tomorrow morning and having a good pruning. Wish me luck!!

Hi everyone, I'm brand new to the forum and pretty new to the site and this looks like a great plae to get the info I need for my Jade plant. I just got it last weekend from my mother-in-law after begging for a few weeks. I realize I know nothing about Jade but do love how they look. Can anyone tell me where to start, what I should do and all the other things that go into care? I would really appreciate it. Also, to the member that posted his before and after pic, I would absolutely love to get my Jade that big and beautiful. Any tips?
Thanks in advance, Tricia

The best thing to do is a search on jades for this forum and another one in the houseplant forum. Pay extra close attention to the postings of those in your zone or close to it. Because jades seem to grow differently depending on the climate.

I can give you my limited advice as a who is growing a jade indoors only. I give it as much bright light as I can. I water it when the leaves start to flatten. When they are growing (you'll know when that is), you'll find that they use more water. A lot of humidity seems to make them go dormant, as well as cold temps. Water as little as possible during those times.

I know it's frustrating for someone to tell you this, but take your cue from the plant. It will tell you what it needs. I hated reading that when I first started with houseplants, but it's true! Weak, elongated stems are indications of too little light. Flat leaves means you need to water. If the stems become mushy, you've got trouble. That means you've given it too much water and it's starting to rot.

If it isn't already potted, use good draining soil. I add perlite to cactus and succulent soil. Others use other methods to make their soil as free draining as possible. Clay pots are better for succulents than plastic because they dry out faster and tend to be a bit heavier, therefore anchoring the plant.

Mostly, don't "hover" over it too much. They like to be left alone. ;-)