Hey, Brandon!

Go for it! Now is a fine time to work on Jades...they're fairly resilient, as long as you don't overwater them.

You can gently pull them apart, you can use a knife, or you can yank them as hard as you like. ;)

This is the key: Re-pot them in *dry* porous, free-draining mix, and do not water them at all for about a week.

This short waiting period allows injuries to the roots to form a callus, which reduces the potential for root-rot.

Next question: What sort of potting mix can you provide?
Bagged, peat-based potting soils are no good, in my opinion.
Avoid peat moss like the plague.


Josh

Glad to hear that it sounds like I can't do too much damage with my rookie ways, at least with the separation. I will be sure not to water them too soon.

Here is what I currently have in my potting mix collection:

Miracle grow potting soil

Cactus and succulent mix

vermiculite

perlite

Would any combination of these make a good potting mix for the jade?

Brandon

Use at least 2 parts perlite to 1 part C&S mix. If you want to be really lean and mean, use 9 parts perlite/gravel/pumice/turface to 1 part C&S mix.

Do not use vermiculite. Do not use MG potting soil (lots of peat and fertilizers).

I have never seen any commercial C&S mix that doesn't need a lot more pumice/perlite/etc. You can use it as the organic component in mixes, but it shouldn't be more than around 20% of the final mix. Always err on the dry side.

Brad

Bingo!
Brad's advice is sound!

Josh

I start with Miracle Grow C&S Mix and add perlite until it looks like dirty gravel. I'm not sure of the exact ratio. It's not the ideal mix, as I am learning, but better than just using the C&S mix on it's own.

I recently bought a Jade plant that broke into two plants as soon as I went to re-pot it. They each had their own roots and they weren't even intertwined. Now I have two in the mix described above. I am pateintly waiting until next week to water them. :)

Thank you all for the advice! I will probably do this as soon as I get home from work tonight.

Brandon