Thanks, josh:). I was worried that the spot they were in was too hot. Their little leaves were so warm! I moved them back just in case. That was awesome to see.

Josh,

do you have any advice to offer on the bigger jade? It was poorly for a while, but now it is slowly recovering. Rina told me to give it more light and that helped a great deal. But it seems that all of the energy is going to the top and the leaves beneath remain semi flaccid. Is there anything I can do or should be doing with regard to pruning, watering, light, etc.? Will the bottom leaves fatten back up one day?

The lower leaves might plump back up...or they may be shed. You can try thoroughly saturating the mix by soaking the container for 10 - 15 minutes. Other than that, pruning and providing light will encourage leaves to grow on the lower trunk.

Josh

Ok, thanks, josh. I don't know that it's root system can handle being submerged. It's just growing back it, and I've been super careful with watering so as not to provoke rot.....but a good dunk won't hurt?

The leaves won't have any chance of plumping back up unless you water the plant.

Josh

Okay, I'll do it. It's in a gritty mix, so it should be okay. Sorry to sound dumb about this. I'm just trying to find the right balance between dry and wet, which seems kind of challenging with jades, to me.

In a gritty mix, you can water more confidently :-)

Josh

You're far more likely to under-water than over-water in gritty mix, Lauren. In fact, if you have a good mix, and you give it a little tap after thorough watering, you can water it every single day all winter and it'll be fine. Water doesn't kill a plant in wet soil. In most soil too much water prevents gas exchange in the roots, and that's what kills the plant. The whole point of gritty mix is to facilitate gas exchange so watering doesn't lead to suffocation of the roots.

Thanks Josh and Kwie. I think kwie's point about it being a "good mix" is where I'm falling short. At this point it's only grit, all the same size, and it is still wet three hours later.

Im gonna have to put it perlite until I can figure out where I'm going wrong.

Jeez.

What do you mean by only grit, Lauren? Gran-I-Grit or chery stone? Nothing else? If so, it's impossible to water it too much. Without an absorbent component, I don't think you can even water it enough to keep it alive.

The stone should be wet until you water it again. It is a myth that succulents "want" to dry out completely. No plant benefits from being completely dry. Some survive it, but none benefits. That myth has developed because, given only a choice between sopping, suffocating potting soil and total dryness, succulents survive the dry medium better. Remember, water isn't the problem, suffocation is. Grit breathes. You can pour water on Gran-I-Grit all day and never suffocate the roots as long as you have a good drain hole or holes.

Agree with kwie. Succulents should not be totally dry and not for too long. It is recommended to let soil dry up between watering which is better than sitting in wet soil. As someone said, check if the soil is totally dry and water day before...(something like that...:)

Love the quote, Rina. I laughed out loud.

Thank you all. I was worried because the grit was still wet, and I thought the roots would suffocate. I've been so precious about this particular Jade because I barely saved it from rot.

I didn't know the stones should remain wet. Sorry to sound dumb. I am trying to get this gritty mix thing right.

For now, I took it out of the mix, put it in perlite and tiny bit of cactus and soil mix that has pumice and perlite. It is resting in the soil, but I didn't wet it. I will give it a little water tonight because the roots are pretty dry now.

I am putting this poor jade through hell.

Thank you, Kwie and Rina. Anything else you have to offer would be beyond useful.

-L

Follow the light! :)

I fear you might love the poor thing to death. Since you already have have cactus mix and perlite or pumice, for now I'd say to stick with it. I'd mix it wet, 50:50 or as lean as 30:70. You can squeeze it out a bit and plop it onto a towel or newspapers to get out the excess water. Pack it in around the roots, and be done with it for the winter.

It might be better to try using gritty mix only when you can make a proper mix, and get more familiar with the principal behind it. Gritty mix has its own set of challenges, which are all the more difficult if you don't have a very thorough understanding of it. Lots people have the same issue that you're having. It's that steep learning curve you see mentioned so often on this forum.

Thanks, Kwie. I have some other plants in gritty mix that are doing very well. I just amended the mix for this plant, and that turned out to be a bad idea. So, I guess it's the tweaking the mix that I've not yet mastered.

But you are right: I might just worry the poor thing to death. I'll take your advice and give it a thorough watering and leave it be. I should mention, thought, we are still getting 100 degree days here in the desert. I wonder if it might need more watering before I pack it up for the winter? It is in a southern window that gets very, very hot.

I'll just keep an eye on it with your advice in mind. Thanks so much . I really appreciate your help and patience.

kwie

The quote, I believe, is from Japanese (?) bonsai master - sorry I don't remember in order to give proper credit. It gives me giggles too :)

Lauren

As you know, I use mix of grit + perlite and smaller amount of turface (between 10-25% at most). Turface holds more water, so depending on how much water retention is needed it could be adjusted. I have many jades potted in mix of only grit & perlite - all get same watering (water them at the same time) and I really do not see any difference in growth. Agree with kwie - sometimes we love them and pamper too much.

If it is kept 'hot', it also needs lots of light and perhaps more frequent watering. Less light I can give to most of the succulents, cooler and 'drier' I keep them. Past 3 winters they spent in temps just touch under 50*C without much fluctuation, and under some lights (didn't have natural light since they were in a dark basement).

Thank you, Rina, as always. Yes, I thought that since you don't always use turface, I could forego the turface as well. Of the plants I have in gritty mix, only one has turface. Admittedly, that one does seem slightly happier, but I still am kind of unsure of how much turface to use, so I stick with grit and perlite mostly.

when this jade gets a more robust root system , I'll move it back to gritty. The window it's in is "hot" because it gets so much sun! You were the one who advised me to give it more sun, and that has been the absolute best thing for it:).

I totally abide by that watering rule, ever since I first encountered it! It is a quote from al quoting his bonsai master. But I use it with my houseplants. With succulents, I've been going by the , "if in doubt, don't" rule. But as you point out, they don't like to be bone dry. So, I am trying to learn the balance. I am a reformed chronic overwaterer.

You have been such a tremendous help for me. Thank you.

Leaves spaced that far apart may suggest that it is accelerating length to reach the sun. This means it will need more light. Jades can do well in full sun, provided they are acclimated to it.

As far as watering is concerned, if you grow in full sun, it will need more frequent watering.

The newer leaves are not etiolated, thanks to a recent move to a much sunnier room.

I am going to water it more frequently now, as you all have suggested. It is in a clay pot with a fast mix, so that should guard against rot.

Thank you all.

Lauren

Thank you for the kind words.

It takes bit of trying to find the best ratios; I used to use 1/3rd of turface and found it too much. Kevin has pretty well same experience. I started using less of it, would say around 10-15% of the total volume seems to work very well, and many plants don't have any at all (I would use bit more, maybe up to 25%, if some more water retention is needed).

The new growth on your bigger jade seems to be more compact, so I would keep it in the sunny window. The smaller one is perhaps bit shaded by larger plants :) They grow very happy outdoors, in proper climates, and get really big - so sunlight is welcomed.