Thanks Smoochas!! Honestly, I really don't know what I'm doing,lol...I'm one of those that cut...and then wonder if I've done the right thing? Josh is giving you the right advise. I really need to follow his advise for the next "whacking"...He knows what he's talking about. PG is right about rooting taking so long especially in this heat. I had a small cutting that took over four months to start putting out a "few' tiny roots and that was in the fall/winter(which is the best time for me to root Jades) ...its very hard to have patience believe me I know. I wasn't blessed with much. Don't give up and good luck!

OK, Ed. Now you're freaking me out: I shaved off parts of the bottom of the trunk because it was the only way I could expose any raw flesh that would offer a possibility of rooting. This was not only unnecessary, but dangerous. I'm assuming you mean the side of the trunk, not the bottom. Did you water after you did this? Any open wound allows entry of fungus. This can kill the plant. Please, take it out of the container, remove any soil, and inspect very carefully. Any softness means trouble. Fungal infections move slowly upwards through the plants vascular system. The only way to cure this is to transect the stem above the infection. You can see this as dark colored tissue in your cross-sections. Cut upwards in 1/4-1/2 inch increments with a clean knife dipped in rubbing alcohol until the section is clean, free of dark colored vascular bundles. Then you let it sit around in the air for a few days to callous over. Then, place it into a container with dry growing media and wait for roots. It will take a long time with a stump that big. One month per inch is something I've read, but I think it's better to simply say that bigger stumps need more time to root than small cuttings that can root in days. New growth means it's time to start watering again. There are a couple of ideas that all succulent growers come to understand. They are: Benign neglect: leaving a plant alone unless the plant's health will suffer. Don't fuss over it. Don't water too much. Give it the right amount of light, not too much not too little. It's a simple idea, but one sometimes hard to practice. If in doubt, DON'T! It means just what it says, and applies to any action you take. Don't water if you are not certain the soil is dry, top to bottom. Know your plants normal growth pattern. Many succulents are dormant in the winter and watering then can kill them. Others are dormant in the summer, and want no water even though it may be 100F and dry dry dry. Succulents are better able to withstand long dry periods, but will not tolerate more than a few days with wet feet. I guess that's enough for now. Go save your plant :-) Brad

Jades are durable enough to prune any time, but now is particularly good because summer is the season where the most robust growth occurs. You can start pruning and shaping any size jade, so long is it has a good root system. You should avoid messing too much with the really small ones that may not have a lot of roots, because more foliage equals more photosynthesis, thus more energy. The methods I use are to clip off any branches that aren't pleasing to me, and to pinch out new growth on branches that I don't want to grow too fast. This will direct energy to other branches, as well as towards thickening the trunk. Trunk thickening is something that comes with age, but as I said, pinching new growth will hasten the process. I prefer to grow my jades to look like mature trees, so I also like to remove the bigger leaves that are growing along the main branches, leaving the leaf clusters towards the branch ends. Fear not, because jades take pruning well, even trunk chops. Just sit & stare at it, and envision what you want it to look like, and prune as necessary. Just remember, more leaves equals more energy, so removing too much can slow down energy production. That's why you leave a lot of "sacrafice" branches when growing bonsai trees. You get the added energy, until you get the results you want, then you remove the sacrafice branch. Branches off the main trucnk also help to add girth to the trunk, so don't get too carried away and lop off all your lower branches. Another tactic I use for adding character is to grow a jade from the get-go, with the intention of a single leader, not allowing it to split into a Y shape. It's hard to take a jade with a short trunk that splits off and shape it back to a taller, single trunked tree without disfiguring it. Take one of your cuttings that has a single leader, and dedicate that one (or more for that matter) to be grown as a single leader tree. You'll love the results as it ages and thickens into a bonsai type tree. Good luck! Joe

Natural light, gradually introduced, will be best to help your plant recuperate. The leaves of this species ought to be very thick, very large, and colorfully edged. I've heard that Fafard is a decent mix for peppers and other plants, but I think it still has a fairly hefty percentage of peat moss...and that's the main drawback. Of course, I've also noticed that Crassula arborscens is a thirsty Crassula, so some of that extra moisture probably helps. Josh