Indeed, as Wes says, C. Ovata can become tree-like very quickly.

Starting with a tree-like cutting really helps. Then, rooting the cutting and staging
it can make an instant tree. After that, it's all about maintaining the plant at a height
that makes for a believable tree-like or bonsai impression. I rooted a two-foot tall Jade
cutting once, and it obviously made one hell of tree. But I've also rooted a three-inch cutting in
a small pot, and that too produced a fine little tree. Judicious pruning and pinching will keep
the canopy compact and full, further lending to the tree-like appearance.

Josh

You both misread the original poster's question; maybe you're a bit too eager :P

Quote:
"What im specifically talking about is the bark that older plants get or the hardening of the stem that resembles bark."

Unfortunately, I am not experienced enough to answer your question :( Good luck!

Nope, I didn't misread the question.
If you want flaking, crackled, peeling bark...you start with a tree-like cutting.
Many folks here have rooted stumps to get that big old trunk established, then develop
the foliage from there. Root it, pot it, maintain the desired height.

Josh

Thanks for the info gents.

Heres what im starting with.

If this

{{gwi:105266}}

is what you're wanting, I'd say you'll get a glimpse of it in less than ten years, given optimal growing conditions.

CouchPotato89: I needed to chuckle today I understood the question as how fast can a jade grow too and simply wanted to share the best information I have for the individual asking as it applied to his plant. In a way knowing who is growing it and how it looked before they pic posted

Very nice trunk Charris A big bonus to see flower buds in Canada too.
B Smith: The jade you have in pics can grow as fast as the big one you also see from Chrris BUT it will need a pot one day to get that big is it ready to be potted now ?

Wes,

I must confess that's a San Diego plant. I have one C. o. of flowering size up here in La Belle C., but it's not yet flowered for me.

However, like the Padres winning the World Series, hope springs eternal. I have seen a flowering C. o. in the front window of a second-rate Chinese restaurant (all-you-can-eat mu gu gai pan is not a good idea), but I had no camera to record this delightfully shocking event.

This C. o. 'Gollum' is a limb I took from my San Diego garden several years ago - it hasn't flowered either, even though it was taken from a plant which had flowered.

The plant I have is potted now and it actually has flower bud on it.

Notoce my zone 10 in the box. It dependes on how you care for it. Letting it dry out during the summer will help it develope that lovely bark pattern, some grown ring that have elk horn hair, others scaling patches, other very silver skin. So it depends, there are not cut a dried responses here. I only have 24 different in my collection, and I grow them very hard like they live on the African hillsides. This please me, bue perhaps not most of you, I received mine from a collector that gastered them from Africa, I grow under 30% shade cloth otherwise the leaves burn. Mine are also in flower this time of they year, some have light pink flowers. others white. The flowering is early for me this year, because of the rare rain that we have had. I don't water mine regularly during the hot summer months perhaps just a splash one in a while and that is the reason they flower for me so well, starting Oct l5 I water and fertilize them every month, very thoroughly this will set the flowers. I have also pruned them severaly during the summer months, a little at a time. this will cause new growth, which the flowers set on. Flowers only grow on the new growth. I hope I have given you some tips, how to make them into trees, I like the tree to have only one trunk, not split. This is just a preference. There are several varieties or Crassula ovata v. 'Jade'

a second-rate Chinese restaurant with all-you-can-eat mu gu gai pan is not a good idea

Dayumm you are brave but C'mon how can anybody with an impressive fatty like that not know this is not a good idea anywhere on this side of the planet. Opps my house maybe. Still to tell the entire C&S GW lower 48 with the possibilities of a fatty in flower. Lost the GW memo did you ? It said flowering fatties is to be a guarded secret.

Not to take it to far off subject on you BSmith as you see what the entire comments read. "It's all in how you grow it." We all want you to be successful with your Jade.

Most importantly dont eat at a second-rate Chinese restaurant offering all-you-can-eat mu gu gai pan as it's just not a good idea.

Still very impressive Charris thanks for showing and telling

This thread has become quite interesting. Both in the information shared and also in the way it has been shared to be certian.

When I get a chance to set down with a keyboard infrintvif me (as opposed to the screen on my phone which I'm on now) ill be commenting and questioning what has been posted. It's too tough on a damn phone!

My 45 year old jade tree kooks like it’s shriveling up. No matter how much I water it. What’s up?

Photo pls?

Hey!
I know this is quite an old post now but a question to the original poster- I’m curious to see how your Jade is doing now? And how big is it?

I really needed some help with my Jade. I don’t know if it’s growing fine or is it retarded!
Got it 4 months back, have attached before and after pictures. Want this to grow into a healthy, tree-like Jade!
Please help (:

Queen

I noticed that you posted on few different threads - that is not going to help to get faster answer. First, it is better to start your own thread rather than using 6ysars old one...second, ppl here are hobbyist and they do not babysit forum, many work during day too. So little patience will help...This is not to give you hard time, just to explain :)

It helps if you indicate your general location and/or growing zone. See as others do; edit your profile and add that info.

Do not start a new thread now thou. You are here, and will get some tips.

As you found out, jades are succulents and do not like to be too wet. It looks like there is sand in your pot, and that is not advisable. All succulents needs very fast draining potting medium, and it should be rather coarse, not fine. If you can't get anything else, get a bag of Cactus & Succulents soil, and a bag of perlite. Mix them in minimum 1:1 ratio, or you can go more with perlite. It is good idea to rinse perlite using a kitchen strainer/sifter, to get rid of excess dust.

Water when potting mix dries up. Good way to check is using a bamboo skewer (or even chopstick or pencil). Stick them deep inside the pot and leave for few minutes. Water only if it comes out completely dry. And do not splash water all over the plant...Get rid of excess water from the saucer after a while (I am assuming there is a drainage hole in your pot?)

Your jade could use as much sun as possible, ad should be acclimatized to it. I think you said it gets approx. 5hrs now, and if possible, it can take more. If you improve these conditions, let it 'do it's own thing'. It will grow better, and that is time to start thinking if it needs any help by pruning or not. But first, get is as healthy as possible.

Hello!

I'm sorry. I admit I got too desperate.

And thank you for the reply (: I'm new here so no idea how this place works. I thought probably I was never going to get a response.

Yes the soil doesn't look right to me either. My gardener potted it in that. The soil is water retaining and fine-grained. And yes, the pot has got drain holes, and I keep emptying the water tray.

I'll change the soil, and repot it. And what sort of pot should I use? The current one is a plastic one. Should I replace it with a clay one when I repot it? And is the pot size okay or should I get a bigger one?

Thank you so much! Was really helpful! ^_^

P.S: I live in India.

And hey, I'm also worried about those white marks you see on the leaf surface. Are they water marks or some disease?

Right away if you can root a small thick stump!

Mike

Here's a photo of me (many years ago - probably 2002) standing in my front yard in Venice with the jade tree behind me, which was over six feet tall, and maybe seven feet. It was like that when we moved in, and so I don't know how long it took to get that large. I have some very small ones in a planter now, and they have not grown much in the five or six years that I have had them.There are jade trees on either end with a felt plant in the middle. I'm not expecting much from these, but if they ever do get too big, I will put them in the front yard.

I REALLY like the one in the planter on the far right. Very cool looking )

Well I wish I still had those Jades. A separation and divorce a few years ago caused many of my plants to suffer quite a bit. But I’m getting things back together and have a few jades now that I’m happy with and they’re on their way to becoming nice little trees!

And Lars, that is a very impressive specimen sir! Thank you for sharing!

i know a lot about jade plants to and heres my 1 year old jade collection i dont know how old they are but they are growing bark. to become a small tree

So sorry Jace,

but pls try your pic again & then check back. All I can see above is a dark wood door frame & its hinge, along w/ big dark area in the lower right.

If you want bloom sooner, they need more light and I would feed them a low nitrogen higher phosphate, potassium. Actually I think if you do that once a month with your regular the rest of the time (15-20 ppm) per week so you are keeping it growing and producing leaves but also with a little more light giving it blooming nutrients. Don’t forget your trace minerals including calcium to make strong cells — if you want a plant to grow well and then bloom well ..then you have to feed it on a consistent basis but small amounts and make sure it has the light necessary for photosynthesis. Give it a kelp feed once a month. Some plants tolerate shade and indoors week — doesn’t mean they grow at optimum rate or bloom the best. Tolerate is survive not thrive.

Pam

I have few blooming jades, and they are not fertilized, def. not regularly but very sporadically. They may get some water leftover from watering the veggie garden during the summer - maybe once or twice -, but that is usually not left over. They spend as much time as possible outside here in cold Ontario, Canada, but have to overwinter indoors. Here is Akai, and one of the green-leaved jades blooming right now:

They need lots of light and some cooler temps in the fall (when days are shorter) to bloom, and have to be bit mature (but not really old plants). And they grow compact, with nice leaves, have a good color - as long as there is plenty of sunlight.