We understand your love for your plant. Welcome to the forum!

First, there is almost no way to kill it. They are very tough and resilient. What gives me pause is your comment about no roots. Did you trim them aggressively to fit the new container, or were they missing, having rotted away?

The trunk and limbs store enough water to last for months, so be patient and wait for roots. It might take a few months for new roots to form. Be patient. Fussing over the plant and worrying too much will kill it. Report is soil that is 75% or more inorganic materials like perlite, pumice, gravel, turface etc. In the 1/8 to 3/8 inch size range. Avoid peat. Sand will compact into cement. Don't use it. No commercial C&S mix has enough inorganics to make a free-draining soil. You can use it for your organic component, but no more than 10-20% of your mix.

You can directly upload photos in the cactus gallery forum on this site, or use a free photo-server like Photobucket. You upload your photos there, and the site will generate the HTML code you need to post links to your photos, or to display them directly in a post. It's not too difficult. Folks here will be happy to help if you need more assistance.

Again, your plant will be fine. Welcome!

Brad

Brad said it perfectly! Welcome!

Josh

Thanks man. It's day three and I'm still sweating. Small limbs seem are still firm and after your note, I'm feeling more hopeful.

I haven't repotted in almost 6 years. When I pulled the plant from the pot, there were almost no roots and the ones that were left were dry, lifeless threads of waste. 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. Mind you, the base of the trunk is almost 5 inches in diameter. I didn't use rooting hormone because I thought it was too caustic, given that I was using chemical rich Miracle Gro potting mix (apparently not the right choice). Should I pull it again and add more inorganic material? I'm afraid it will shock it... more.

Still cant seem to upload photos. I'm selecting photos directly from iphoto with the choose photo button but after I hit submit photo, a window pops up with the message "failed to complete upload". Under the category selection, I'm choosing container gardening since there isn't another description that better fits.

Thanks again,

Ed

You didn't need to cut the base. New roots will emerge from any node below the soil-line....
heck, roots will often emerge from nodes above the soil-line even. Essentially, you now have
a very large stump cutting - which will take time to re-leaf and root.

I would scrap the Miracle Grow entirely, and mix together inorganic ingredients such as Brad listed.
For the organic component (less than 25% of the total mix), I would recommend small, screened bark.

Josh

thanks Josh!

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

Brad, you rule. emitch, if you're using Photobucket, I recommend dragging individual photos out of iPhoto, into your 'Pictures' folder, and upload from there. Just note the file numbers or re-name them after you do. Your files will remain in iPhoto and create duplicates in 'Pictures'.
In Photobucket, on 'upload from' make sure 'my computer' is selected then click 'select photos and videos'. Box should pop-up. Select 'Pictures' in drop box, highlight your photo'(s) and click 'open'. That should start your upload.
When it's done, click 'save and continue' and it will take you to your album.
From there, each photo will have a drop box. Click on the box next to 'HTML code to copy the photo. Then just paste that code anywhere in your post.
{{gwi:528894}}
When you hit 'preview message' your photo should replace the code.

Whoa Brad. That's insane. I'm totally freaked out now. The reason I did that is because about 6 years ago I was moving my jade from south Florida to my new home in Tennessee. I drove with it in the back of my car. Short story is that the trunk completely snapped clean off and left only a stump. I didn't know what to do so when I got home I just stuffed the new base into a pot of dirt and within a few months it was thriving. I thought I'd try the same thing. I've kept the soil moist so far but the thought of fungus is going to give me nightmares. Dadgummit!!! Let me get to work here. I'm off to Home Depot. Thanks for the instructions...

Welcome to the forum Ed! Good luck...Brad gave you some GREAT Advise. I wish you the best with your plant, we're all rooting for you (no pun intended).

If you can't figure out how to post pictures directly...email them to me and I will do my best to post them here for you. My email is on "My Page".

Please keep us posted!

Nancy