Hi bees,

Great job saving this jade! You can generally use any pot that has a drainage hole, with a few other things to consider. You don't want a very large pot that will take a long time to dry out between waterings. You do not need a shallow bonsai pot , but make sure it's not too big. Smaller pots may also cause your plant to become root-bound over time. Terra cotta pots are great because they absorb water. As for your mix. You can buy cacti and succulent mix and mix it with at least 50% perlite. This will give your soil some aeration. It does not help with drainage at all so you need to be extra cautious when watering. I wouldn't use the same soil it's in now. New soil will provide some needed nutrients that may have already been expended in the old stuff.

If you post some pictures we may be able to offer some further helpful advice. If you can't post a picture maybe offer the size of the plant so we can direct you on an appropriate size pot!

-Erica

I prefer shallower, wider pots, for stability, as jades get top heavy. Do not reuse the soil, you'd be far better off with new soil. I don't recommend any peat based soil, so you'll have to take Erica's advice on that. I use a gritty mix consisting of only turface and grit. 50# of Turface is $12, and 50# of grit is $7. $21 is not that much money for a mix that is optimum for your plant's health, and lasts forever. Think of it this way, $5 for a little bag of peat mix, which will require a repot at least once a year. After a couple of repots, you are up to $20. You'd then have spent $20 on what, 10 to 20 pounds of peat mix? If you went the gritty mix route, you'd have 100# of mix that you can reuse.

Short version: pay now or pay later.

Joe