TBA,

You've done well. One suggestion on getting a pot-bound plant out - let it soak in water first and dump/pull/cut away from the pot.

No, I don't think you have to wait, and as to style, it's your call. I would likely leave only the strongest side branches, as these will help the plant grow more heft, IMO, but cut just about anything else.

As for tools, I use an Exacto knife, but that's because I have one. Otherwise, anything sharp and clean should be fine.

Josh and others who are keen cutters will no doubt have some more advice.

Personaly, they look good enough to me to grow nice and short and full for a while..Those trunks will get thick with the tops like that. The more sun the better..

I use my fingers and pinch, or knife, or scissors..

I love what you did, and that pot you had to break, what a shame..I like it..I love the little pot..You can always grow it like a Bonsai and keep it in that pot for years, trimming the roots and top growth..

Nice Job!!

Mike.

Keep an eye on the kitty litter in your mix. Many of them are not fired at a very high temperature and will turn back into clay when watered.

Schultz clay soil conditioner and Schultz aquatic plant soil are both Turface products repackaged for a different purpose. Napa floor dry also makes a good substitute for Turface.

My only concern about what you did is the kitty litter.

You did a great job! You really have an eye for the Jades
(my personal favorites). I would let them grow this summer and then in September, as Norma suggests, that is when to cut them back. It encourages flowering as well as shaping.
Val

The kitty litter is called "Special Kitty Kitty Litter". It is the Walmart brand cheap cheap cheap kitty litter. This specific brand was recommended in a bonsai forum, so I decided to give it a shot. The nearest supplier of Turface to me closes before I get out of work, so I figured I'd give the litter a shot. I don't think it will dissolve into clay. I'll soak some later today and see, but it is a relatively small component of my mix.

On other jade threads, people have suggested putting more inorganics like granite in the mix. Right now, my mix is bark-heavy. I think that it should be ok, and if it doesn't seem to be working, I'll repot again.

TBA,

You can get 50 different soil recipes and they all will work depending on your own cultural conditions and practices. The mix of sun, light, water, wind, heat, type of pot and drainage, etc. are those conditions/practices, so if it works for you, great, if not, you'll change things. Personally, I go for more inorganic matter, because I like to keep my Crassulas on the dry side, but all that matters is if it works for you. You can, with your cuttings, test different mixes - chances are what works best for you C. ovata will work with 95% of other succulents, too.

Great job!

If you want a BIG Jade, you really do need a big pot! (Unless you can grow in the ground/raised bed).

I think you'll find that the Jade in the smallest pot will commence growing the soonest.
However, the Jades in the larger pots will out-size the Jade in the smaller pot eventually.

Make sure to test that Cat Litter.

Josh

Al,

Jeff's right - we all have a favorite mix. Mine is simple... about 2/3 coir and 1/3 perlite. It's a nice, light mix and works really well for me.

I'd probably let them be for now, too. Or maybe whack one back and leave the others. But the key is to acclimate them over a few weeks into full sun, because they can burn. And oh is that ugly! But the full sun is really important to getting the compact growth. Now, if you do whack one (or all) back now, the advantage is that you can put your leafless trunk out in full sun right away and the new growth will come in super compact and gorgeouly colored.

Since you now have three, experiment!

Denise in Omaha

I tested the cat litter, and it didn't turn to clay, but it didn't exactly not turn to clay either... It became somewhat of a thick chunky soup. The biggest chunks remained chunks and the smallest bits became like clay. I'm not sure what behavior I'm looking for, but it is just a small component of the mix, so I hope it will be fine.

I hope...

CTB,

Don't waste your time and the plant - get rid of it from your mix and use something that doesn't turn to sludge.

Val thank you, so I haven't lost my touch, you sure made my head get big. You must be careful with little old ladies that can't spell, we are very brittle. LOL Norma

So what are some good replacements for the crappy kitty litter? I understand the function of the stone and the bark. I know Turface would be best, but I cannot get it. I don't really know what Turface is and how it looks/behaves.

Hi CTB,
There is a product called Floor Dry you can get at a Nappa Auto Parts store. Part # 8822. I'ts a good size bag for about $7. Alot of us sub it for Turface. It retains moisture.

It looks alot like the litter. Here's a pic.

{{gwi:5064}}

Ok, floor dry it is. Can you recommend a mix ratio?

Thank you all for your opinions.

I mentioned several replacements above. I use equal parts bark, granite, and Turface on my Jade, but you may want to reduce the Turface portion slightly if you're using Floor Dry, since it holds more water than Turface. Also, it helps to sift it with insect screen to remove fines.

Jojo, you're picture looks like Turface to me. Floor Dry is pure white when dry and gray when wet.

Penfold,
Your right. LOL!! Teach me to do something before the coffee kicks in...ROFL!

Thanks for catching that. Yes, it is turface, and Floor Dry is more white, I must have deleted my floor dry pic.

And thanks for adding in the sifting, and reducing portions.

Norma~ Your funny and I doubt brittle..:)

Jojo

Believe me Jo Jo I am, I changed a great deal lately. Like I had a life changing experience, or perhaps it just my age. LOL This past year has been rough. Norma

I got the NAPA floor dry and repotted everything. My mix was 2.5 parts gravel, 1 part bark, 1 part floor dry and some gypsum. I got my hands on a sifter, so I sifted the bark and the floor dry, though very little got through the insect screen.

Since the big jades were in their original peat potting soil for so long and had become so horribly compacted, I went to work on the roots again with my pocket knife. I think the roots are about as free of that old soil as they're going to get.

{{gwi:549632}}
Here's the components. After actually screening the bark, I finally understand what the bark is supposed to look like. Stupid question for you all, how do you mix your mix? I mean, physically, how do you combine all the different components to make an even blend. I probably spent 20 minutes pouring the stuff from one 5 gallon bucket to another and trying to mix it by hand. There's got to be an easier way...

{{gwi:549633}}
Before potting...
{{gwi:549634}}
After potting. I took denise's advice and whacked one jade. It is now sitting in the sun while the others are enjoying some shade. I also decided to give them all a drink for two reasons. 1) They looked thirsty. Their leaves were a little squishy. 2) I read elsewhere that the floor dry absorbs LOTS of moisture and I didn't want it to dry out the roots.

Thank you all for your helpful suggestions. I have been keeping plants for about two years, and I am just now starting to try to become knowledgeable about it. Hopefully they will all be happy with their new soil.

First, the mix looks great!
- I mix the ingredients in a plastic garbage bag (for small batches), or in an empty
wheelbarrow bed (for larger batches).

Second, the plants really did not need to be watered at all.
- The moisture from rinsing the roots is sufficient to keep the fine roots alive....
although it could also create conditions favorable to root-rot.
- After bare-rooting, a Jade's leaves will be soft and squishy for up to two weeks.
- The key is to resist the urge to water for approximately one week after re-potting.

Third, you've got the sun/shade correct!
Blast the bare trunk with UV...but shade the leafy re-potted Jades.

Josh

CTB,

They look good and the mix looks right - congrats.

i never get tired of jade threads. they always make me want to go and take cuttings of my plants lol
wesley

How long does it typically take for a jade to adjust to the gritty mix? Of the two outside right now (the smaller ones have gone to new homes) the one I whacked is growing one tiny red sprout. The other (with leaves) is getting wrinkly, soft, and looking pretty rough. I do have a third jade (not pictured) that I put into this gritty mix, which is also getting squishy in the leaves, but is not looking quite as bad as the other one.

I'm getting a little scared. What do you think?

Pls. don't be scared; those fat, fleshy leaves are holding water in reserve. These plants are much tougher than you seeem to think. IMO they can go at least a month w/out water.