just rescued a Jade on the road, what do I do now?

16 years ago

Hi everyone. I found a jade, in sopping wet soil, and only 3 stalks on one side of the pot growing, they're pretty spindly and bend over a bit, not stiff and abt the width of my little finger. It looks like there were more stalks on the other side which might have died. Anyway, I unpotted it but saw there were ants crawling all over the soil, so put it back in pot and on my fire escape which gets direct sun in morning (north facing.) I don't want to put it inside near my other plants in case it gives them cooties! Any thoughts on what I should do? should i abandon it? leave it on the escape and see how it does in a couple weeks?

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Comments (6)

susancva
16 years ago
If it were mine, I'd buy a clay pot if it's not in one already and judging from your description, the pot should probably not be more than a 6 inch pot. I'd get rid of as much of the old soil as possible and repot in cactus/succulent soil with some extra perlite added in. I would not sit the plant in direct sun but some bright light. Before you know it, you'll have a nice jade.

Jades are more resilient than I once thought. After reading a lot of the posts on GW about pruning Jades, I finally got the nerve to try it and I must say it made all the difference in the world!

Hope this helps.
Susan
birdsnblooms
16 years ago
Sanjna, I agree with Susan..a clay pot is best, and better well-draining soil. Also, after visiting the C&S forum, I've learned ppl who cut back their jades find themselves w/lovely plants.
Since you found ants, I'd check for scale/aphids. The two usually go together. Then again, ants can find a home anywhere their little hearts desire..I found ants on my desert rose, checked for other insects, but didn't find any..guess they just liked residing on this one plant.
If you decide to cut back, and find the Jade insect-free, root cuttings in separate pot.
Karen (Pirate Girl) is the expert C&S grower..She can explain in detail. Toni
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This is not the optimal time to be re-potting. The very best time would be later in Spring, between flushes of growth, after the plant has recovered some of the energy reserves that it lost during the Winter. I am telling you this to prepare you for the worst and so that you'll have more reasonable expectations. That said, you are in a warmer zone...and that can make a great deal of difference. In other words, a Winter re-potting in your climate will be less traumatic to the tree than a re-potting at this time of year in, say, Michigan or Ontario. I would not recommend "aggressive" root-pruning. I would simply try to unwind and straighten the roots in order to keep as much as possible. Of course, you will want to remove any roots that are girdling other roots/trunk, any j-hook and strangely angled stiff roots, et cetera. If you are determined to go forward with this re-potting, follow these tips: 1) Prepare all your materials ahead of time (a helper wouldn't hurt, either). 2) Work quickly but carefully - fine-roots will dry out and die within 5 minutes of exposure. 3) A bucket of semi-warm water will help remove old soil and won't shock the roots with cold temps. 4) When you re-pot, add a little mix at a time, then use a chopstick to work the new mix into ALL the air-spaces between the roots. Be very thorough. Do not leave open pockets around the roots. 5) Orient the tree so that it is upright and balanced (not leaning one way or the other). Secure the tree to a stake that is located at the edge of the container, not against the trunk (as in the pic). The more secure the tree is, the faster the roots will establish themselves in the new mix. 6) Water the tree well with semi-warm water, then place the tree in an area that is sheltered from direct sun and wind for approximately two weeks. Check the soil moisture every three days, making sure not to let the tree become too dry - a newly re-potted plant needs to stay more moist than a fully established citrus (which should dry down a bit between waterings). 7) After two weeks, begin to fertilize again at reduced strength. Let me re-iterate, however: now is not the best time to be re-potting. Josh
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mkiker
16 years ago
Ants are strange. I don't know a lot about them but it seems like they make second homes in places. I parked on an ant hill once and my car was full of them for weeks, with no food for them just ants happily walking around my dash. Be careful not to let them get a foot hold. Be merciless.
sanjna
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for your thoughts! I'll try repotting in clay and check for insects. It's gonna have to stay on the fire escape though, bc no way its sharing a window sill with my babies until it's dewormed! It's not direct sun, really, since it faces north, some slanting sun from the east hits it at around 7-10am. I think it should be able to handle it. (FLW!!)
sanjna
Original Author
16 years ago
Ok, Thanks all for the advice. I unpotted, and tried to wash away all the soil - it was really tough,even under running water, half the roots came off even though i was super gentle. I washed most of the soil from the roots, and put it in a clay pot with better draining soil. Since 1/2 the roots were gone and the growth was spindly anyway, i lopped off 1/2 the plant...from strands of about a foot per stem, to 1/2 a foot long, so it's just 3 sad-looking stalks now, no leaves. I'm gonna wait a week, then repot the cut stalks into soil. Now it's in a north window (not escape). Is there anything I should have done differently? Toni? Susan? Pirate Girl???
Thanks!!
greenjude
16 years ago
I'd pick off a couple of leaves and stick in course soil in a cup with drainage, just in case the original doesn't make it. Jades are so easy this way; I'm growing a lovely one (with big holes in the bottom!) from one leaf picked up off of HD's floor. :)

Good luck - I love plant-rescue stories!

Jude

just rescued a Jade on the road, what do I do now?

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just rescued a Jade on the road, what do I do now?

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