Soooo… I repotted one of the two Jades. Now, I'm a little worried if I'd done it right and if I got the right mix for it. Hoping to again tap into everyone's wisdom. I'd removed the Jade from the pot there was a lot of roots. Mostly thin ones webbed on the outside against the pot. It took a while to get the old soil off and some of the thinner roots came off in the process. I know as much that losing the thinner roots when repotting is okay but I still had heaps left - definitely more than the 1/2 of what I started with. Oh and I didn't know I needed to rinse the roots either. Then when I opened the bag of Succulent/Cactus mix from the nursery, it wasn't as loose or gritty as the mixes I've seen on the threads here. I didn't think I could leave the Jade out of the pot so I reluctantly repotted it with this mix. And now I don't know if I should go to the shops, grab something to mix in with the new mix it's in and in the process further trim the roots. Is that going to be too stressful for the plant to be repotted twice? It was cold and very windy last night so I've kept him in my kitchen in a well-lit corner for now so he doesn't topple over. If I do prune the roots, is it right that it's around 2/3 of it? I've put photos of the mix it's currently in, the plant in this new mix and also a Coarse Grit product I've seen and considering mixing to provide more aeration.

Issac, is that area always that shady? Or are you trying to slowly harden them off? If in the early stages of hardening them off, they should still get a few hours of morning or evening sun. I have a couple little jades and mine are already out in full direct sun from 8am-2pm. If these plants are receiving enough sun and are fully rooted, they should not need any staking. I also agree with the dear lady, Greenclaws, your mix still looks a bit heavy on the organic. With regards to pruning, try to envision how you would like the plants to look. For example (if your plants were mine), the pot with the bricks in the last post -- I'd cut off the little branches near the base and get rid of the one growing at the out edge of the pot. But, then, my personal preference is for nice section of trunk before having branches for that tree look. I would also plan on either chopping those branches facing the house back by about a third in hope that in doing so some branching might occur on the naked opposite side or I would consider trying for a bonsai look in which all of the growth is sweeping to that one side. (With as many jades as you have, I'd lean towards the latter idea as something fun with which to play around. If it fails, no great loss.) In your second to last post, I probably wouldn't cut where you have the line. Instead, again because I like a bit of trunk before branching, I'd get rid of the lower two branches and instead keep the trunk all the way up to the next fork. Once the plant gets a bit more growth and had recovered from the pruning, I'd shorten the branches above the trunk crotch in hopes of getting them to branch further for a bigger canopy.

I have had branches fall off of a jade tree before. It generally left a clean 'scar' on the trunk or branch. Like this - When that has happened, my plant was too wet. It can be a problem for me during the wet and rainy summers with high temps (which can also cause the jades to sort of shut down for a little while). You may want to be sure your pots are drying out well between watering intervals. On the left side you can see where I had trimmed a branch. It is rougher, but healed over well. You can get new growth from that area where the branch was jettisoned. (a different plant here - I guess I've had it happen a few times!) And of course, after pruning you will get new growth. This jade plant looked similar to your plant. Its branches were shaky or bouncy or floppy acting, too, because all the leaves were at the end of the long branches. So I gave this one a good whack. It looks pretty good now - about a year later. You can clearly see a pruned area that has branched with new growth on the upper right. Like Rina said, I like to leave some leaves on the plant when I give it a good whack. I don't think it is necessary, but I feel like the leaves help feed the plant and lead to a faster recovery. And after the plant recovers from the first cuts (as marked by Rina or others of your choosing) and start showing new growth, you can go back and prune more from other branches if you choose to do so. I have the advantage of keeping my plants outdoors all year long. So adequate sunlight is not a problem. Be sure you are getting the best light available during the winters. If it can go outside during the summer that would be great. Just introduce it to full sun slowly so it doesn't burn. Good luck! I'm sure things will work out fine for your jade.

mickeee Get some perlite, or pumice if available (and perhaps some small gravel). Best if screened using a kitchen strainer to get rid of dust, or at least rinsed. Add to your C&A mix, as it isn't often well draining enough. You don't have to separate plants, but they often look better if so - JMO :) Prunned off pieces could be rooted too if you want more plants. If unsure of something, take clear photos and post.