Whacky Jade whackers...more pics and ??'s

15 years ago

Hi there, have been reading with great interest the posts on here regarding Jade plants and how to shape them etc. One of you asked for more pics so here are my 2 Jades that are around 8 yrs old from cuttings. They don't get any special treatment other than watering/feeding every 2 weeks or so and they both usually flower for me during the colder months here in the UK. They weigh a TON! I've picked off all their leaves and trimmed them on the odd occasion and they now look like this...

{{gwi:485693}}

{{gwi:485697}}

I welcome any comments/suggestions as to how to deal with them now they have reached this stage. Do you think the new growths are a bit to leggy, do some of the branches need removing? etc etc. Realise it's down to personal taste, but I want to know what your opinions are!! Both pots are 7in in diameter at the top, both plants have 'trunk girth' of 10inches, and they're 18 and 21 inches tall from soil level respectively. They usually live in the g/h during the summer months but at present are in an unheated room for the winter as the heated/south facing rooms rooms are full of my other more tender plants (d/h says enough is enough!). I think that's why the growths are a bit lanky so I'm considering another whack, but where, how severe?...what do you all say?

Gill.

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Comments (6)

greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
15 years ago
I love the shiny brown trunks!
And the green leaves are so...green!

There are many vertical branches crowding each other in the canopy, so you might consider removing, say, three main branches from the inner canopy.

The first Jade has a nice flattish top, which could lend itself to an African tree style shaping.

Thanks for sharing.

Josh
puglvr1
15 years ago
Greenclaws,

Wow!! That is a beautiful Jade...thick trunks and very healthy!! Thanks for posting!!

You've done an awesome job in the last eight years, I don't think you need any advise, lol...you seem to know what you're doing! Great growing!!
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Sure, Luke, that would work (if I'm picturing it correctly). From which pot will you remove the bottom - the 4.5 inch? You needn't, as the roots will exit the drain holes and happily delve into the gritty mix. You might want to give your Port's even more room, of course. They'll grow fast, I tell you... I rooted a large cutting last year in a one-gallon black nursery pot, and I still have it in that container. I'll re-pot this Spring into something wider but shallower. Josh
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greenclaws UK, Zone 8a
Original Author
15 years ago
Helo Josh, think the top one could do with being a little wider and still keep the flat top. As you suggest it's kind of reminiscent of the African acacias. Some judicious pruning needed here to achieve this, and also to thin out the canopies on both as I too think they're crowded. BTW, I like your pic of your mother jade with its roots exposed. It's a lovely open shape and I can see what I would like to achieve.
Puglvr, hi there. Think its been more luck than judgement actually!! At one stage the bigger one got so top heavy it toppled over, I didn't notice for somw time and the branches then started to grow upwards...you can imagine what it looked like once it was stood upright again....a complete and utter disaster. It looked like it was terribly windswept had been growing in a persistent gale!! Only a severe 'whack' bought it back again.
After previous cutting back I've just left all growths to grow on uninhibited...will now change my method to prune, let new growths just begin, then rub out unwanted ones to make it grow where I want it to.
Am considering making a start on them both..but it seems so cruel!!
jefe12234
15 years ago
That's a very nice looking trunk, but the new growth looks etiolated. It definitely needs more light. Chop those branches back and give it direct sunlight and the new growth should come in much more compact.
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
15 years ago
Howdy, Greenclaws!
Yes, Acacia trees! Exactly what I was thinking.
If I had the two of these, I'd certainly devote the flat-top Jade to an Acacia silhouette, or something similar. Can't you just see it? Purple stormclouds, their bellies split with lightning...and, then, the Lone Jade, majestic and unafraid, taunting the night sky....

I'm glad you commented on my mother jade....she's the one that started my Jade collection. Few plants have captured my interest in such a way. Anyhow, the Jade trunk is really what does it for me. I love the texture.

As you know, I thinned a great many leaves from this Jade in December. I cut away the full-sized leaves (especially those that were hindering other leaf development), which allowed light to penetrate the "canopy" (and allowed me to see the branches more clearly). I turn the plant constantly, always trying to catch the light and balance the growth. Anyhow, here are some shots from December, immediately after the thinning. I include the top-view to show the branch structure (my apologies, it's not the best pic).
{{gwi:485700}}

{{gwi:485704}}

Josh
greenclaws UK, Zone 8a
Original Author
15 years ago
Howdy to you to Mr Greenman! Thanks for those extra pics, they will be a real help when I pluck up the courage to alter them both...both are excellent pics to show exactly what you mean by the clever branch spacing...hope mine turn out half as good! Will have to ask no2daughter/partner for tips as they go to S.A regularly to vsit his home/family!!

They will need to be moved from the n/w facing room where they are at present as they get no direct light..hense the lanky growth I guess. Trouble is I'm running out of space in the other sunnier rooms as I have loads of other stuff grabbing what sun we are getting during these colder months...our light levels can be very low during this time of year, and not that much better in the summer when the sun is supposed to shine!

Ok, I'm off to get a good look at them from all angles before taking a large dose of courage, (I'm a 6ft wimp I know!)...suppose it will be just like a very bad haircut...it will re-grow soon if I mess it up!!lol!
Cheers, Gill.

Whacky Jade whackers...more pics and ??'s

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