I can't offer advice on root pruning sorry, but wanted to say WOW, what a big beaut that jade is :)

Thanks bunkfree! I agree. It's a stunner, and deserves the lime light and TLC.

It's amazing how few roots for such a large plant. I would make sure to clear away all the tiny pockets of water retentive soil before you repot (into the bonsai jacks?). The new soil will dry much more quickly, so you'll be watering more often. Thus any pockets of old soil will stay soggy and potentially cause rot. Btw, you will be amazed at how many more roots you have at the following repot in a coupleafew years. And no, I don't see it necessary to trim any roots except the inevitable broken ones. Beautiful specimen.

ez

Thank you, Ez! There seemed to be a good wrapping of thin roots around the inside of the pot. - but they were easily broken as I attempted to break up the compacted soil. These are the roots that are left. I would assume the ones that fell away with the soil are dead ends.

This may seem like a dumb question, but can I rinse the roots to remove the excess dirt? I was afraid to give the roots any contact with water.

I rinse roots to better inspect them for breaks/tears, and to get the pockets of old soil all washed away.

ez

Great. I'll do that. What do I do about any breaks or tears?

I rinse as well, and use a toothpick to gently wiggle between roots to loosen those pockets of old soil :)

Impressive, indeed !!!

amazing! :)

I think jades never have a large root system, and what it has looks fine to me. I wouldn't go looking for trouble but I would probably trim off the very straggly roots. If it were me I would have kept the rootball intact too. Keep dry for a while after the repot, and out of full sun. A truly beautiful tree. Any idea of its age? All good luck with it !

To get out the extra dirt, even with my smaller plants, I spray them hard with water. It won't do much damage, but it is really effective for moistening and breaking up the hard soil. Damaging roots is no big deal, either. I have never had a jade that got transplant shock.

Kate, I cut them off clean. They will develop a protective callus in a few days.

Marguerite, this post may sway you otherwise: http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/3801279/gritty-mix-working-pretty-good

The first photo is a jade plant pulled out of an honest-to-God bog of potting soil.

A root inspection 5 months later to check for rot showed an impressive (at least to me) root development. I attribute it to the gritty mix, and am looking forward to seeing the roots at the next repot.

ez

Bunkfree, good advice with the toothpick! Marguerite, no idea of it's age, unfortunately. Ez, do you mean cut the roots off clean? Cut them all?

Oh, I just re read your previous comment, Bunkfree (I meant Ez, just edited ;) ). You're referring to the roots having breaks or tears?

Oh, ez, thank you, I understand that a jade can do very well with its roots substantially docked, and sometimes it's necessary, but I would have left the rootball as it was all the same, since there was no evident rot or anything. Just the way I am.

If you mean when I initially said I have no advice on root *pruning or trimming*, yes. :) I am not experienced enough to give advice on it.

I use the toothpick and water to remove the old soil - but I don't generally do root cutting or pruning of any sort. I pull off obviously dead stuff, and in some cases I pinch off more scraggly stuff with my fingernails.

Some members here are more experienced (particularly in the field of bonsai) and could offer advice on cutting roots ... generally speaking I always try to preserve *all* the good roots a plant has when repotting. :)

Kd

Kate, if a root is mangled, torn, or whatever, I would cut just above that and remove what was damaged. Like cutting off split ends :), just getting rid of what is damaged. It's a conservative process to remove as little as possible.

ez

I love it! Super jealous!

Awesome Jade. Might be the biggest variegated I've seen..may I ask what you paid for it? Must have been a cool nursery.

Thanks Jalcon! $40. Had to have it.

Here's my question to all. I'm about to leave on vacation for the weekend. Can I pot it in the mix when I get back on Sunday? Or should I make sure to do it before I leave. Is it safe to leave in open air for that long? I have it propped up in the pot I'm going to pot it in. I'm afraid to lay it on it's side and break any branches.

People do it both ways, hopefully they'll share. I usually pot mine up right away, for fear of breaking a branch or something. I brace them in the pot, leave them in the house, and keep the soil dry for a few days. Then I water them, put them outside in morning sun only, and a week or so after that, back into full sun.

ez

Ez, I feel the same; about it breaking while I'm gone. If I pot it tonight, then I know that nothing (cat) can't knock it over. Hopefully I'll have time before we have to hit the road.

Such nice plant!

How do you know for sure roots were super dry?

Potting mix looks quite good, what did you made it of exactly? After 4 days, it may be thirsty if fast draining mix. Is that window sunny whole day? Is there ac in your home?

If you've had it potted up dry for a few days, I think you're golden. You're roots will take some time to fully recover and begin growing new ones (maybe a week or two?), so monitor soil moisture before watering (I use a chopstick in the soil 5-10 minutes and see whether it is moist or dry when I remove it) and give it a break from full sun during this time.

ez

Hi Rina,

No AC, we leave the windows open for ventilation. It's a south facing window, so it gets the most sun in the house. The potting soil is pre mixed by Bonsai Jack. I checked the roots right before I repotted it just now. They were half the size from when I left the plant on Wednesday, and more brittle feeling. A few broke off. They were still white, and moist on the inside. It just seemed like a few layers were drying and easily came off of them. I couldn't take a photo, because there's no one else here to hold the tree so I can take it. It was hard enough potting it on my own without any branches breaking. I was afraid to lay it on it's side. it's very round, and heavy. I was afraid the smaller branches would break.

Ez,

I left it out of soil since wednesday. I just potted it today. The mix came dry, it's not the least bit wet. Do you think I should water it?

I didn't realize that you were potting it today, I thought you 'peeked' :)

Judging from what you said, the roots dried up. If there are roots, the plants could be watered. Only if there are no roots at all it shouldn't. Since many dried, did you need to cut many off?

Did you leave it in sunny location bare rooted?

I asked about AC since that makes it bit cooler. If potted, it could take bit longer for mix to dry out - but your plant wasn't potted.

Ah, I see. I didn't have it in any direct sun while it was un-potted, but the lack of AC probably had a lot to do with the roots drying as much as they did. Some dried and fell off on their own. I cut two to be sure there was still some white living root. From what I saw there are still roots, just less volume.