I would put mine in their own pots, smaller ones, wack off the tops, take off lower branch in front, and any other branch that crosses over another. If that is you want a smaller compact plant or bonsi, Also start putting them in more light so when the new growth starts they will grow more slowly and compact. Gradually offer them more sun. it is winter now, and the will be getting stronger as winter passes. So you won't need to do due to much. Cut down on fertilizer and water, fertilizer make them grow too fast and lanky.
If you aim is to turn into a round trimmed bush just leave them alone and trim them when they get leggy this will thicken the top growth, and you can shape them into what ever you want. I really think the others would have already responded to your mail, and if you just stroll down the page I think you will see several plants trimmed. Then check pages 2-67 there is enough information you can write a book and if all else fails check out the FaQ/ Remember this is not a C. ovata 'Jade' forum, there are other Crassula that are more attractive. Sedum my be of interest to many of you, many can take the cold weather of the forest of Europe, Canada, and mountain rock cliffs of Mexico and acatually grow 8 feet tall or more have wonderful flowers that smell sweetly and come in all sizes. Check it out. Norma

Good morning, Deburn!

I hope this particular Thread will help get you started, if you haven't seen it already.
I'll be back after work to answer any questions you might have. Check it out:

Jade Plant Questions


Josh

I'm not a fan of jades, finding them boring and tedious so I'd whack the whole thing down and put a cool plant in that container.
Tally HO!

Not so nice a post Beachplant, if not interested you could have just skipped it; you needn't be nasty to other folks like that.

Tally is just jaded....that's all.... ;)

Deburn, I apologize for the rather rude welcome you've received.
If you decide to stick around, of course we'd be glad to help.


Josh

Hi everyone, thanks for your replies and sorry for my delayed response. I was at work all day and just got back!

Norma, thanks for detailing the two options: compact/bonsai vs bush. I did look through a ton of jade threads but everything I saw that was related to whacking was from people who had already whacked their jades and knew or seemed to know what they were doing.

Before I went and chopped off my jade I wanted to get some input from people who've done this before and who have been growing C&S for a long time - like you and so many others that I feel I've gotten to know quite well, from reading their comments! Seriously!!

Also, it seems like jades are one of the few options if you want to work on something in late fall (don't want to say winter yet!)

Pirate Girl and Josh, thanks for stepping in! And Josh, thanks for that link. I had not seen it before. I will read it before I ask any more questions, which probably wont be tonight because I'm wiped :-)

Beach, maybe you were in a bad mood (or fed up of all the jade threads :-)) so I wont be offended, (unless of course you do it again :-))

Thanks everyone! I love these forums (it's funny, I never was that into C&S before I started coming to GW regularly) and my interest in plants has deepened because of the knowledge and helpfulness and friendliness I've found here and I look forward to learning more!

deburn

Hi everyone, just wanted to let you know that I got pulled into a big project at work and most likely wont be able to do anything for the next few days :-(

Josh, that link was very helpful because it gave me a good idea of how to plan my own whacking! I do have a couple of questions, but I'll hold off till work settles down a little

deburn

I don't think any of these are large enough yet for a major trim. That will reduce the number of leaves (where all the food is made), and it takes the plant a while to recover. A plant left alone in strong light, a good soil mix, with proper watering, and light fertilization in early spring and fall, will probably grow thicker faster than a plant of the same diameter after a major trim. Trimming makes limbs look bigger than normal because new growth appears on older limbs. Plants I have wacked have all been 6-10 years old before the first cut.

Your plants are much smaller and thinner than four year olds in my backyard. I think you should not trim at all, just concentrate on growing them well. Separate the plants. The root system of jades is only a few inches deep, so plant in shallow clay containers about 4 inches diameter. You could leave four together in a larger diameter shallow bowl and make a jade forest. Get rid of that awful looking peaty soil, and make your own mix that is at least 75% perlite, pumice, gravel, etc. Orchid bark and redwood fines are good for the organic component. Give them as much light as you can, outside if possible.

You could play around with one or two, chopping down any green stems, leaving only older brown stems no more than four to five segments tall. There may be no leaves at all after your done, but come spring, they will sprout new growth, and by the end of the summer, you will have plants with relatively thick trunks compared to the new growth. You could even make a direct comparison of the trunk sizes between trimmed and untrimmed plants. That could be an interesting experiment. :)

Brad

Hi everyone. Finally was able to complete the job after some "rude" interruptions from work :-) Turns out they actually need me to work in exchange for the money they give me.

Anyway, I bare-rooted the plant and found that it had 5 main stems, with two of them having a double stem in the shape of a vee, if that makes sense.

I was surprised to see that the root systems on all of them were pretty small. Is that an indication that the plant was stressed? If yes, was it because of soil?

Since this is my first time, I didn't want to prune back too hard, so I compromised - I pruned some of the stems and branches and tip pruned the rest.

Let me know what you think!

deburn

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I love my pruner - it's like cutting jelly! Or something
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The 3 that I root pruned. Couldn't do the others without cutting off a bunch of smaller roots.
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The clay pot that I bought for the plant was too small, so I had to use this one
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the cuttings
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I know it doesn't look like much - and it isnt' compared to most of the whacks that I've seen - but it's more than what the pics seem to indicate. I might prune some more later in the season

Since you asked.....

Well, you certainly have more of them, but I would have heeded Brad's advice and given them a light trimming only, if that.

Whacking them is much more effective on older, established plants. When they're younger they'll get larger more rapidly if left alone. There is a point of diminishing returns and I think you may have reached it, but cheer up and fear not, they'll be OK in a few years.

Oh no! I didn't see Brad's post till you mentioned it! That's too bad. Well, I'm glad I didn't go all the way.

With all the posts I read, I must have missed reading suggestions about whacking after a certain # of years. Live and learn, I guess

Aye, that's the ticket.