thanks for all the nice comments :) I cant tell u right now what the diameter is, you'll have to w8 for the weekend before i can tell you that :) The tree took a bit of damage last year (09), my dad had forgotten about it, and i wasnt brought out from its dark dry winter spot before late may, so it lost a few leafs. As you can see the other jade in the back ground took it pretty hard too, it used to have a big thick crown, but last year (09) it lost all its leafs + a big branch that fell off. He made about 20-25 new plants out of the branch and gave them to the local store owner, and she gave them away to the locals. both jades is about the same age and has both served as mother plants in a greenhouse. the plants was taken inside in the middle of November, this time they got to be inside the house and not just a cold dark basement as usual :) heres my own little jade that i broke of a bush in Portugal last year in june. i hope that it will some day look my dads :) im not really sure how im gonna prune it, any suggestions? i was thinking of cutting it down so that it only has the 3 bottom branches left.

Thank you all for the prompt responses. First of all, yes, I'm new to succulents. I've had no interest in growing anything that couldn't survive outside all year in my native climate until recently. I've specifically become enamored with crassulas (largely because it was a mature jade given to me that kick-started the obsession). In the last two months, I've poured over these forums on a daily basis, done quite a bit of research elsewhere, and it's gotten to the point where almost everything I read I've already learned, digested, taken notes on, etc. I understand I can't gain experience on the internet, but I'm going to milk what it can offer me for all it's worth. Why do I want to separate the trunks? Because I work with bonsai, and I want to train these as "large" bonsai. I agree that aesthetically it looks great now, but I won't like the way this plant will look in the future if I leave both trunks there. I know that much. I would also prefer the plant puts all its growth into the one trunk as soon as possible. The bigger they get, and the closer their bases grow together, the harder this is going to be down the line. I didn't think this would be a big deal. And if it is, fine. I'll just whack one trunk off above the soil line and try to root it. I'm not offended (really), but not sure why this would be considered overly ambitious. To clear up confusion on my #2 point: I was concerned that if I were to cut these in half (beneath the soil line) that I would run the risk of the plants rotting after I planted them and eventually resumed watering them. They BOTH would have roots already attached, but BOTH would need to heal the separation cut before being watered. While it's claimed that I haven't learned that "your new plant can stand to be bare root for a while, does it no harm at all. As long as it's not in direct sun & is kept DRY, it can be out of mix for a while", I actually have learned this. I've read that and learned that, but it's always phrased similarly. This stuff is all relative. What's a "while"? With other plants, that could refer to a few hours. The plant has been uprooted and dry for a 8 days now. Specifics can be rare when you start looking for them. That's where my confusion comes from. I was never concerned about a week, but two? three? If I were to cut them in half, I would have to leave them unwatered for even longer. What's my limit? As for my plucked leaf theory... the more leaves that were plucked, the softer and wrinklier the branch. (And that's no stretch, it's plain as day). It's the only variable that was changed. I'm just not sure why seeming "anxious" or "ambitious" prevents me from learning how to properly execute a procedure on a notoriously "easy" plant to work with. I've worked successfully with much trickier plants for many years. I can plant the jade as it is, care for it perfectly for years and years, but I'm not going to learn a thing about separating trunks beneath the soil until I ask about it, learn about it, and do it. Right? I'll be right back here asking the same thing, which can be soiled down to: "how risky is this?" If it's obvious I don't "get" some things, please point me in the right direction to acquire that knowledge. After months of reading, I think I get the "basics" (and am tired of reading them, as I'm sure you're all tired of posting them). I just have some specific questions, because I AM ambitious, and eager, and curious. That's why I'm reading the manuals, so to speak, before doing anything I'll later regret. I'm sure everyone can understand that. Oh yeah. As for the cuttings not holding water? They are not potted up. I was advised to let them callus over for at least a week before doing that. It's funny, actually, because they are "standing up DRY in an empty clay pot in the shade". Or were, rather. I moved them inside earlier today, since the trunks have lost 20% of their size in that environment. Thank you, again, for all the responses. I hope my tone isn't too defensive, just trying to clear some things up. I really appreciate the responses. Gray

Thank Mike, hugs buddy your a great guy:) Josh has helped me a lot also and I appreciate his direction. I went ahead and cut the bottom branch off and wow what a differance it made to the overall look of the Jade plant. Also when I cut the branch away from the main trunk I had to give it a little tug to get it out of the pot....Take a look at the roots on this thing already! And how the plant looks now after the branch is removed...I dont know about you all but to me it makes a world of differance in the overall style/look of the plant. I will pot the leaf babies in their own pots when them come in for winter. This mother plant has been in that pot for 2 years, I think I will give it a nice new mix this winter. If anyone would like to have this branch baby plant let me know I wont be keeping it. Mary

Thanks for the excellent article Passionflow. This whole issue is made trickier by the lack of a good ID on my plant. Not knowing if it is a short day or long day plant or even what temperatures it will survive makes the manipulation riskier. Without a good ID we also don't know what the normal flowering season should be. My plan: 1. I will go back through my seed stash to see if I can narrow down the varieties. 2. I will stop all fertilizing except for some potassium and stop being so nice on the watering. 3. I will use caution and not drastically cut back the plants. But I WILL take a fair number of cuttings to see if this might trigger a response. This will also give me "backup plants" in case of a drastic failure. 4. Since I have more than one specimen of each plant and some are smaller than my main monster plant I will put some outside - our temperatures range from 4°C at night to 15°C in the daytime. This may be cool enough to trigger a vernalization response without a huge risk. 5. I can also put some in a filtered light environment on an "underdeck" outdoors in case they could benefit from a part-shade situation. This would mimimc the growing out from under the tree canopy scenario. 6. Regarding the molissima, our hot humid climates are a far cry from the high altitudes and environmental conditions it likes in Colombia so I know I'm swiming upstream with this one and will settle for foliage. A couple more questiosn: Am I correct in assuming that once passifloras achieve maturity and do start flowering that any plants started from cuttings will also reflect this maturity? In citrus, I have read that sometimes a flowering response can be triggered by scoring the bark of the tree all the way around the trunk. The tree thinks it is dying and this triggers a massive flowering response...risky but interesting if I have a sacrificial plant.