I take it this Jade hasn't had much light?

Drooping, weak, spindly (etoliated) growth is usually an indicator of low light conditions.
However, giving this plant more light will not correct its form at this point. It does need a
pruning, followed by an increase in light.

What sort of soil-mix are you using? We recommend a porous, fast-draining mix that is mostly
grit - inorganic ingredients like pumice, turface, perlite, sharp gravel, et cetera - and a
small part organic material, such as fine bark or cactus and succulent soil.

The Jade doesn't really need to be re-potted - save only to change out the growing medium.
The container-size is fine, as is the size/mass of the plant for the container it's in.
What the plant needs is light primarily.

Josh

The plant stays indoors and gets a moderate amount of light...but definitely not enough direct light. Once I get this under control, I plan to maybe keep one outside and another in a window with better exposure inside.

I'm pretty sure I initially potted in a prepackaged cactus soil mix. Will that still be ok? I don't have a lot of room to buy/store all of the individual ingredients to mix my own.
As far as the bits that have started to sprout their own roots farther down the stem...can i prune those off and start them as their own? What would be the best way to do that? I hate to just toss those if they would be able to be propagated. Do I just cut off under the new roots? How deep should I plant the cuttings?
My ideal situation would be to prune and propagate those bits and then repot into one or several pots to make a couple of nice clusters.
Thanks for your help!

Hey Danielle, I hope you don't mind me making this easier.
{{gwi:526792}}
When I see roots popping out like that, usually that means the main root system is damaged, maybe stayed wet too long and rotted.
This plant wants to grow upward. You can trim it any way you like.
You could cut all the hanging parts off and let that new growth shoot up.
You can divide up your cuttings however you want. Just make sure you let the cuts callus over first.
When cutting, keep in mind that the segment you cut will usually shrivel up and pop off. If you leave too long of a cut segment, it can rot and spread to the next segment.

Hanzrobo,

Pls. be careful what you tell folks, they need not be alarmed unnecessarily.

To my knowledge & in my experience, Jades often do that, grow aerial roots (& often it indicates nothing). While I don't currently grow Jades, much of my knowledge about them came from pretty Jade-knowledgeable folks (CactusMcHarris & Norma, formerly known as Crassulady).

I do thank you for linking the pic as I was no able to see them the way the post was done originally, from here in my office.

Okay. I've never seen a happy Jade do that. That same advice came to me from Norma concerning a different plant. I don't mean to alarm anyone but this plant looks like it's trying to escape.
I think all the advice given so far has been great but I'd like to hear some other opinions on the roots.

Hi, Danielle.

I think it's a good plan to propagate several Jades from this plant in different containers.
All the growth is very spindly and weak, however, so the cuttings won't have a lot of vitality
to root quickly and produce strong plants. It'll work, but it'll be somewhat slow.

You're right about those sections with roots. Cut well below the roots because whichever node you cut
will shrivel. After cutting, let the cut-end callus over (dry for a day or three), as Hanzrobo said.
Then, carefully pot the cuttings so you don't break the delicate roots. Wait 3 - 5 days, then water.

"I'm pretty sure I initially potted in a prepackaged cactus soil mix. Will that still be ok?
I don't have a lot of room to buy/store all of the individual ingredients to mix my own."
- I cannot recommend bagged potting soil, which is most often peat moss (check the ingredients).
- I don't know what's available to you, but I'd rather grow a Jade in pure Perlite than bagged soil.

Josh

Thanks everyone for your advice. I had a feeling that I was going to have to hack up the plant to save it. I found a thread a couple of years back about propagating jade from cuttings that suggests several different ways (in water, callus, etc.), so I might try to save as much as I can and try to restart them in a few different pots each different way. Then follow the advice and hope for the best.
How deep should I plant the cuttings? Any other tips would be welcome as well. Wish me luck! (Thanks too for linking the photo...couldn't figure out how!)
:) danielle

Don't try the water method...it's really a waste of time.

When I have longer cuttings, I like to pot them at least 2 or 3 nodes deep.
Roots will emerge from each node.

The main stems are completely salvagable. I would unpot them, prune them, and then stand
them upright in a new, free-draining mix. With more light, they'll backbud quite well.

Josh

thanks josh (and everyone)! wish me luck :) i'll try and post pictures when the deed is done. what is the easiest way to do that?

Good luck ;-)
Online photo-hosting site - then paste the HTML code in this box, hit preview, and viola!

Josh