how to rescue my "rescue"

9 years ago

Hi, all. I'm new here and have been enjoying the wealth of information on succulents, and in particular, jade plants. I am new to these types of plants as well as to the forum. .I'm afraid I can't post any pictures. I may be writing waaay too much, but I am trying to answer the Q's I know you might have.

I rescued a pitiful looking (with good "bones") "largish" variegated jade (looks like tricolor--I'm excited; all I have are a reg. jade and a hobbit). It's 16" from base of trunk to top of plant, with 3 main trunks 1/2-3/4 inch diam. and several branches off of all of them. And 16" wide at widest.

The plant was obviously just repotted (in wet, thick dirt). It was very wobbly in its ordinary plastic 6" pot, and an attempt was made to support it with a couple of skinny sticks. I needed to have it bagged rather than in a box to support it on the trip home. The plant in general is "floppy"--not sure if it is because of the heaviness of the many smaller branches, many new-growth, or because when I immediately removed it from the pot and soil, I found a tiny rootball of about 3" diameter. So I would guess that it was rootpruned? Plus it looks like the whole plant was chopped off of a larger specimen because there is just nothing but this tiny rootball at the foot of the trunk. The roots are "thready", not like aloe roots--does that mean they're young or is that what they're always like?

I don't know how to rescue it now that I have it drying out. I know the "pros" on this forum are very brave with chopping and pruning, etc. I really want to cut it back a LOT and make use of all the new-growth prunings (most of them are gray for half their length and then green and vary from about 3-6" length.) I also want to remove one of the three main trunks. Just not sure if this is too drastic for a plant in its condition--although I think it would have to be healthier if I did something!!

Instructions/suggestions for how to go about:
1. pruning the plant,
2. preparing the cuttings,
3. if I decide to remove one of the trunks, how do I prepare it to be a new plant,
3. amending the soil (I have a succulent soil I'm pleased with, and have picked up landscaper's sand, large-size perlite, and fir bark--which may be larger than it should be); I don't have time nor space to do a true 5-1-1 or gritty mix at this time

Sorry this was so long. I am really thrilled to have found this site, and to be in the presence of people who know what they're doing!

Thanks much!!

Comments (2)

Joe1980
9 years ago
I suspect the plant you have was not root pruned, but rather root "rotted", due to the poor soil. Peat based soil, which is so very common, is usually a death sentence for most any plant, especially jades. With that said, if you opt to use peat based soil as a base for your new soil, you are asking for trouble at some point, even if you amend it. Organic ingredients like peat moss decompose into smaller and smaller particles, eventually turning into silt, which will just fill in the space between the larger particles, clogging it up. So, all I can recommend on that is to make the effort to get your jade(s) into a gritty mix, because I won't point someone in the direction of an inferior soil, but if you choose to do it, just be aware of the possible consequences.

As for pruning, without a picture it's hard to advise on what to cut, and each person has their own idea of what they want their jades to look like. I like to create trees out of mine, very much like bonsai. Be mindful of the tendency to be top heavy, and prune out any branches, or thin out the leaves, to prevent breaking of important stems or trunks. For support, I left a description of that in the other post that you asked me that, but in short, I use solid electrical wire to more or less tie it to the pot. Also, pay mind to the type of pot you use; I like to use pots that are heavy and wide based, to provide balance and tip over protection. Nothing is worse than coming home to find your jade(s) tipped over and the potting mix dumped out because of a wind gust.

For cuttings, let the wound dry a bit and form a callus. I place the cutting into some gritty mix in a smaller pot, and support it with wires as I would a repotted jade. The wires typically stay for a year, or until solidly rooted. I have used little clear plastic containers, so I can see the root development. With the gritty mx, the worries of rot are very low, so you can water when the mix goes dry.

Hopefully that addresses some of your questions, and guides you in the right direction.

Joe
sweetlily
Original Author
9 years ago
Joe, you have done exactly what I needed--given me a basic, to the point explanation of what to do, how, and when. I know these things have been gone over before on here, but I was having trouble not having everything in one, concise post. My memory isn't what it used to be, so this helps a lot.

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my Q in such a thoughtful way!
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