yes! it's a jade. i don't know about repotting it. i tend to leave my plants rootbound & water more. just cos its easier for me.

for the rest: lotsa sun. water when slightly dry, never let it get soggy.

fertilizer? not certain, but someone else here will let you know. as to dirt i just use plain old potting soil for everybody.

my jade has gone from being 2 leaves to a nice tree about 1 foot tall. it recently survived a move during winter only took 2 smaller branches off. but i just planted them in the side of the pot. they seem to be doing fine.

good luck w/ your new baby. lil.

You can pot it up now...it is entering the growing season...make sure the pot is one that will support its weight as it gets top heavy. Then....as soon as the nights are safely in the 50's, place it on the North side of the house (gentle morning sun only) and it will really take off. You will be surprised how fast they grow when they get some time outdoors. In the fall, bring it in and place it in a southern window, but slow the watering waaaaayyyyy down...only water when it gets thirsty. You will be able to tell, because the leaves will get a bit wrinkled (not a lot, just a bit)....you will get the hang of it.

Have fun!

It's often best to look for something like bulb pots, the kind that are not necessarily as tall, but definitely wider than the usual flowerpot style, and it will be a lot more stable, plus if you pot the jade just a little bit off center, it'll look like you have a bonsai (and you kind of will).

Thanks so much for all your help. I have it in a window now that will give it a few hours of morning sun. I believe I'm going to look for a different pot to put it in. I just don't want to go too big on the pot and kill it. Or maybe I should wait until it gets a little bigger to repot it?

lil - How long have you had your jade? It sounds like it's doing wonderful. Thanks for your input.

webkat - Thanks for your advice. I have the perfect place to put it as soon as the nights get warmer here.

lucy - If I go with a wider pot that's not as deep, how wide would you recommend the pot is? This plant is tiny, about 3 inches high.

Dawn, did you notice up top of this forum there is a link to Cacti & Succulents? Loads of Jade people over there, too, so it might be fun for you to read their posts--especially as far as fertilizer in concerned.

If you've already got a pot for it why not just go ahead and pot it up. Looks like its got a ways to go before it gets top heavy. Also, for the future, nothing says you HAVE to fill the whole pot with soil. Before I transplanted my jade it was in the bottom half of a larger pot and lived there happily for a long time. I was able to add soil to bottom and sides when I wanted to by just moving it up a bit. Sandy

Dawn,

Going from a 1.5" pot to a 2" pot is not much of a difference. If you're going to repot, you might as well pot up a little bigger....3" should be good. Unglazed clay pots (like the one you have your jade in now) are good for succulents because they absorb water quickly...but as long as you get a pot with drainage you'll be fine.

As for soil, DO NOT use regular potting soil. There is cactus/succulent soil you can buy, but even that is not "coarse" enough. I would get the cactus/succulent soil (in any nursery) and get a bag of perlite (also in any nursery), and mix about 1/3 perlite to 2/3 soil. You need very good drainage for succulents.

As for fertilizer, once a month or even once every two months is fine....no more than that. I wouldn't fertilize in the colder weather though (just Spring and Summer). You can use cactus/succulent fertilizer or any houseplant fertilizer. I'd do a search in the C+S forum...there are so many choices for fertilizer.

Enjoy your new jade!

Gabi

Great advice from all! I'll just add one little comment about watering. Though it is very important that you do not water your jade too frequently, it IS critical that you water thoroughly when it IS time to water. No little sips. As a matter of fact, when I water my jades, I let them soak for a bit, to make certain that the entire soil volume is completely saturated.

If you make your potting medium very coarse with the perlite (as suggested), you will not have to worry about the over watering....just don't underwater your plant!

Good point Rhizo. That's one thing that I find a lot of people don't realize about watering. I have many "plant friends" at work, and they just pour a little water in their plant whenever they water. I make it a rule that when I water, I bring each plant to the sink and continuosly water until the plant is heavy and the water has gone through the drainage holes several times. My jade is in an 18" pot and about 3 feet tall so I can't bring that one to the sink! That gets watered on my balcony or in the tub.