Help! My mother in laws Jade Plant is in dire need of my attention and I donāt know where to start! Iām sure it shouldnāt have dangling branches but Iām reluctant to cut it as itās 15 years old but if I have to I can chop prop and replant. Iāll defo repot it just as soon as Iāve got enough medium haha.
Hey there š Iād be happy to help. Completely understand the fear of giving an older jade a haircut, but as someone with a 30 year old jade that was a prop from a 60+ year old jade, Iām happy to tell you that pruning them from time to time is perfectly healthy for the plant and helps it become bushier over time. (Iāll attach a photo of my grandmotherās 60+ yo jade for reference. Sheās pruned once a year and sheās a very happy tree of a jade plant). If youāre looking for help with cutting, cut between the nodes (the stripes along the stem, or where the leaves are sprouting out). The nodes are where the plant will grow new roots, so if you want to remove some of the lower leaves to give more nodes for your props to work with, giving the plant more places to develop roots and more likelihood or successfully propagating, thatās also an option. Cutting between the node diagonally is also often recommended. The drooping could be because it was overwatered or in serious need or a repot, or simply because itās become top heavy. My grandmotherās jade is pruned as often as it is to avoid this, especially because of its size. Iāve had success with propagating the larger branches in water, but it takes some time for them to develop roots. If youāre gonna clip smaller pieces with more leaves than ātrunkā, I would recommend filling some small pots (with drainage holes) with perlite, pouring some room temp water over the perlite, and sticking the smaller cuttings in, adding water when the perlite dries out. I did this recently for my jade props and they rooted within 2 1/2 weeks, a lot faster than the branches in water. Hope this helps!
Another possibility would be that the jade is stretching for light. Would you happen to know how much light it gets in a day, or if itās in a south window? Jade enjoy lots of light, and can begin to stretch to literally try and reach more light. If you think that might be the case, try to find a brighter window for it, and if you donāt have a brighter window, you might want to invest in a grow light. Do you need any help with the repotting process?
1 gilla Itās in a window but not a massively sunny one, she has nowhere else to put it sadly. Plus she has a dog that would destroy it if it could reach it, itās safe where it is. I think itās a combination of being too heavy and not enough lightā¦ I didnāt see your second post till after Iād replied to your first one sorry lol
1 gilla
Adrian, that potted blooming jade is SO GORGEOUS š¤© Love reading your advice on posts. Jades are my favorite plant at this point, I rescued mine from a CVS and I'm hoping to grow it for many years, can't wait for it to be more tree-like.
1 gilla thank you š I canāt take credit for the big 60+ jade, though. That would go to my grandmother and my aunt, who has taken care of it since she passed away. Jades are my favorite, so I try to help out when I can, especially since I know how long they can live š± best of luck with yours
1 gilla Thank you so much!! Iāve taken a cutting off the plant earlier this year and propped it in waterā¦ and it took a while to root lol. Itās now in a pot and doing amazing! With how big some of the branches are Iām worried Iāve not got the resources to prop all of them. Would you suggest I repot it first or chop it first? Or all at once? Thereās obviously going to be some level of shock so want to minimise this as much as a can or get it over and done with š¬
0 gillningar I think either option would be alright. Mine was repotted first THEN propagated, but the shock is gonna come from the repot, not the haircut. Personally, I would cut it first to avoid any injury or loss of branches during the repot process if you have to put the plant on its side or anything to get it out of the pot or remove its soil. I avoid miracle grow like the plague with all my jades, so please donāt risk that brand if you havenāt used it before, especially given the age of this jade. Even their succulent stuff with an extra bag of perlite nearly killed everything I repotted with it within a matter of 14 days. I highly recommend Espomaās Organic Cactus and Succulent soil. Itās never failed me, I use their brand for all my soil needs, and you donāt have to add extra perlite to their bag when repotting the jade. It looks like yours is in a terra cotta pot, so as long as itās got a drainage hole and itās allowed to drain out during waterings, it should be just fine, but if itās become difficult to lift it to actually water it or let the water drain, you might wanna change it out for a plastic pot with multiple drainage holes. The biggest thing with repotting is that the pot matches the size of the root ball, especially with jades. They enjoy getting rootbound and being snug in their pots, so making sure the pot is only 1-2 inches larger in diameter to the root ball (not the size of the plant itself) is key. And as a lil tip, if you come to find it is very rootbound when repotting and that the soil has become very dense or hard to remove, soak the plantās roots while it still has the soil on it in a bowl/pot for 30 minutes in a mix of 1 part hydrogen peroxide to 2 parts room temp water. Thatāll help kill any possibly bacteria in case of any root rot, as well as loosen up the soil so you can more easily remove it from the roots and replace it with fresh stuff.
3 gillningar If you wanna repot multiple ones at once without running out of pots or glass jars or bottles for the props, you can try the perlite method in a larger pot and stick all of the props together. I did that with mine, then once they developed roots, I removed them from the perlite and placed them together in soil. The key with the perlite is that you remove them once they started forming enough roots, otherwise they can rot quickly (thatās the downside to how quickly they can root in perlite)
Thatās super helpful!! Thank you again! I used Westlands cactus and succulent mix and found my jades love it! Even my Gollum loves it! Iām going to have to invest in some perlite I think and give it a go (never used it before) and also will need permission from the mother in law to prune it š¬. The pot itās in is plastic and Iām assuming itās got drainage as itās sat on a dinner plate šā¦ couldnāt tell you often itās watered either lol! Itās going to be an afternoons work for sure š the taller one in the picture is the cutting Iāve got from it.
This is one sheās bought me and Iāve repotted in the Westland mix
And my wonderful Gollum š
Cuties! š„° so relieved to hear you donāt use miracle grow š®āšØ you have no idea how many people Iāve had to sadly tell that itās the soil thatās killing it. 70% of the time I come across folks with jade problems here, itās got to do with them repotting with miracle grow recently. Never their fault, especially with those new to plants, but itās heartbreaking how many folks blame themselves when itās the soil killing their plant. Had to ask just in case. A lot of folks around here joke that it should be banned š best of luck with your mother in lawās jade š sounds like itās in good hands
3 gillningar This oneās my pride and joy, Elena. Iāve got about 5 jades now (7 if you include recent props), but sheās definitely one of my favorites. Iām hoping to turn her into my grandmotherās jade someday
And this oneās a variegated jade, if youāre looking for any different types of jades to try.
Stunning!! This is what Iām striving for too! Iām going to repot mine in the spring and have 3 in one pot rather than 2 pots! Likely Iāll end up keeping a handful of cuttings off the mother in laws! šā¦ not sure how I discovered Westland tbh, it suddenly appeared everywhere and was good value for money. Think I stumbled upon their orchid mix on Amazon when I was repotting my phalaenopsis orchid and it started thriving and even produced a second bloom! Been my go to since then š thank you so much for all your wonderful advice! I shall come back and re-read everything once Iāve plucked up the courage and carved out a few hours one weekend lol!
2 gillningar Iāll have to check Westland out!š¤ I found Espoma from my Ace Hardware and my local nurseries, mostly because they refuse to sell miracle grow, so I was lucky enough to start off with quality soil. I hope you get some props from your MOLās jade! My aunt gives me and my cousins cuttings from my grandmotherās jade, so itās become a fun family heirloom to grow our own from the props š
2 gillningar Hey there š any update on your mother-in-lawās jade?
1 gilla Hello! How nice of you to remember!! Not as of yet no, Iāve not had the time. Planning on doing it this weekend if I get a couple of hours free š¤š» but with a 5 year old and a house to keep on top off Iām not holding out much luck lol. But I will try and Iāll keep you posted! š
1 gilla Thatās great that your mother-in-law signed off on letting you repot it, though! Wishing you good luck! šš
1 gilla Hello! The repot and chop has been done! Sheās also surrendered it to me as well! Sheās not really bothered with it! Itās been downsized and put in the best mix I can make š„°ā¦ the soil it was in looked like it was from a garden and was almost clay, was horrible! Itās got barely any roots either and Iām praying Iāve done enough to save it š¤š»ā¦ Iāve also got 6 cuttings in perlite as well. Perlite is very new to me so Iām hoping Iāve done it right š¬ x
š¤š»š¤š»š¤š»
Looks great! Great job! The trick with perlite is to check on the roots at least once a week, and only add water to it when it dries out. Itās a great medium for propagating, but because it grows so much faster, itās important to monitor the roots so the props donāt sit in there for too long and start to rot. Once they start forming fairly long roots (likely within about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 weeks), put them in some soil and bottom water them so the roots are getting the water but the soil isnāt so wet that itāll overwhelm the prop.
1 gilla Thatās wonderful thank you for the advice! šā¦ I think also once the main plant is established and starts growing I may have to prop it again to encourage more full growth, itās a bit spindly right now. Given itās had a hard day today (house move, repot and chop) Iāll let it do its thing till next year and reevaluate. Iāve got those 6 props as well as 3 other established plants so I think I may combine them somehow. Got plenty of time to plan š
1 gilla No problem! And if youāre worried about it taking a while for the roots to grow, especially on the main plant, you could try to dipping it in some rooting hormone. I like to add a couple of drops of hydrogen peroxide to the water to kill any bacteria and give the roots more oxygen. Seems to really help the roots develop and reduce the risk of rot during the prop process.
1 gilla Good idea! I have some hydrogen peroxide somewhere so next time I water it Iāll pop some in to give it a helping hand. The medium is made up of potting mix, orchid bark, cactus & succulent mix and perliteā¦ Iām hoping itās happy. Although I think anything is better than what it was in lol. Iād of just used a succulent mix but I didnāt have enough š¤¦š¼āāļø nevermind, itll be fine.
1 gilla Hello!! Thought Iād provide a little update on the mother in laws jadeā¦ it looks like the mama plant has taken and itās pushing out new growth already! Youāll have to zoom in but I can see 3 little sprouts here! Iām made up!
