Toni, you posted same pic for 2008 AND 2009.

Christopher

Hey, Toni!
You know what you have to do.... ;-)
Bigger pot, looser mix, and light but consistent doses of fertilizer.
I guarantee your Jade will grow. It wants to grow!

Josh

Chris, LOL..Sheesh..You're not going to believe this.
On Flickr, where my pics are stored, I typed in Jade sunset, in the search box.

You can check for verification.

Anyway, I snapped both pics..The dates pics are taken, 'they have it printed, not me,' are different, but pics look the same..Even the temperature is the same.

One pic was snapped Oct 18, 2008
Second pic was snapped, Feb 27, 2009

ROFL.. I don't get it. Or, maybe I snapped both pics on different dates to see if there was any new growth? Doesn't make sense. lol

Josh..In spring, if roots are tight, I'll up the pot size. Soil can't get any looser..It's totally dry after watering, sometimes the same day.
And, yes, fertilizer. My sux are fertilized w/Fish Emulsion, but it's been a longg time since they're last dinner. Thanks..

Hey, Toni!

If that's the soil in the pic, then it can certainly be looser!
Even the Gritty Mix takes longer than a day to dry, so maybe try that ;-)

Put the Jade into a larger pot regardless of what the roots are doing.
If you want this Jade to put on size, you've got to give it greater root-run.
And since you'll be using a larger container, you'll want a faster-draining mix
to reduce the risk of root-rot.

Lastly, please don't use Fish Emulsion. Save that for the outdoor gardening.
Fish Emulsion must be broken down by micro-organisms before the nutrients
become available to the plant. Use, instead, a synthetic fertilizer that delivers
a precise dosage that will give you the most bang for your buck.

Josh

Josh, Josh, Josh, :)

My succulent mix dries super-fast.

If you look at pic two, soil 'right side' is dry. Sometimes, before snapping a pic, I hose leaves for the picture...succulents aren't misted like tropicals.

Josh, lol, I've been fertilizing succulents and bulbs w/Fish Emulsion for years.

The reason. First, FE is organic. Second, since most succulents are slow-growing, I figured, because nutrients need to break down before becoming available to a succulents, FE would be a suitable solution. Make sense or not? lol. Too funny.

But, honestly, since my surgery last year, 95% of my plants, tropicals and succulents, haven't had a drop of fertilizer since 2009. I know, terrible!!!

Even my 16-yr-old Gardenia Tree was fertilized w/timed-release, once in a two-year period.

It's not a matter of laziness, it's a matter of pain. lol.
Hauling plants in and out has become a major chore, taking three-four times longer.
This autumn, I started bringing plants indoors two/three-weeks earlier than usual, yet it took longer than ever.

Anyway, what type of fertilizer do you use, and how often? Remember, IL isn't CA. lol. Even though your part gets cold, 'unofficially,' winter is much shorter than here.
There were times it snowed as late as May..last days of May.
One year it snowed in June!!! Snow showers, but snow.

Some July nights reminded me of LA,CA in late October.
When I went to LA, days were 80's/90's, nights, 35F. People wore winter coats.

After repotting, should I cut the top off? Toni

Hello!
No, I wouldn't cut the top off after re-potting.
Re-pot and let it regain some energy before doing any top-pruning.
Of course, you could do some top-pruning now, and then re-pot later.

Toni, Fish Emulsion sits in the container if it isn't broken down in a timely fashion.
There are so many reasons not to use it indoors in containers, but I won't belabor the point ;-)

I use Foliage Pro 9-3-6 (the same thing that Mike and Puglvr use).
I fertilize my succulents infrequently, a few times a year. During the winter,
I add a dilute amount just to keep adequate nutrients available to the plants.

By the way, we had snow on June 15th this Summer. Flurries, but still snow ;-)

Anyhow, I'm acutely aware that IL isn't CA, which is why I encourage everyone that lives
in a climate colder than mine to make special efforts to loosen their mixes. If my plants
aren't happy in peat-based mixes in my fairly mild climate, then I can't imagine plants
being happy in peat-based mixes in colder parts of the world.

Josh

I agree with Josh about the fish emulsion. It doesn't work in plants. It's incredibly difficult to maintain the microbes that are necessary to break down the FE in the artificial environment of the pots we keep our plants in.
I've been making the switch to gritty mixes. It's worth the effort. Especially in colder climates.

Toni,

Given that you're asking why your plant isn't growing, and the advice you've received might work (since the methods currently in use by you don't), why not try it?

I agree with the advice about FE - it's not for potted plants.

I do agree that if you repot in a bigger pot and fertilize that you will see tremendous growth. I had a jade in a small pot and it sat for years at the same size. Then I found a really need square pot and repotted in a much larger pot and it grew so much I thought it was going to take over my greenhouse. Give it a try.

How often do you guys have to water when you use the gritty mix? I finally have all the ingredients..well my turface is on the way (2 - 50lb) bags. Not sure how much that will be but I'm hoping enough for quite a few of my plants in my gh.

I wouldn't say that one size fits all with watering in the gritty mix.

It all depends on the size of the particles in the mix, how much you use of each ingredient, the size of the pots, the amount of light, the type of plant, the temps, and how often you 'think' you should water.

I can tell you though it seems that everyone I know that grows their jades in this mix are extremely happy with the results such as I.

Too many variables to live by the same rule.:-)

Mike

Happy Thanksgiving..I hope everyone has a fine day, and a finer dinner..Don't eat too much, though. :)

Josh, I'll have to decide which to do first..prune or repot. Think I'll repot. Last night I checked sunsets roots. It's so rootbound, I was able to lift the rootball from its pot in one piece. lol.
Josh, I don't use Peat w/succulents...'no Peat no black soil'..Remember I mentioned that before?

Josh, you don't fertilize in summer? Ever? Why only in winter, if you don't mind me asking???
Does fertilizing in winter include all plants? Succulents, tropicals and veggies?

Snow in June!! That's amazing. Even flurries is IL in the month of June is rare. What's going on? Has this happened before?

Is Foliage Pro the same as Dyna Gro? Do you add to soil or foliar spray?

Howdy Whip. I mix mediums, keep in plastic containers and label. Succulent blends have different ingredients than tropical blends. The succulent mix is very gritty, even though Turface isn't included.

If my mixes dried any faster, I'd be watering 24/7..lol.

Jeff. It's true, I asked why my C. Jade Sunset isn't growing, well, rather, growing slow.
But, other succulents are. 98% of my plants were started as babies, cuttings and sown seeds. When I got them, I didn't think ahead..Now, some are so large I don't know where to set and get sun, too..Especially Pachypodiums, E. Crown of Thorns and Agaves. Who'd have 'thunk?'

Hello Lady. Yep, don't have time to work on plants today..going to my sister's for Thanksgiving dinner.
Perhaps tomorrow I'll repot the sunset. Since it's so rootbound, locating from pot A to pot B won't cause problems. Thanks

Hey Mike..As you know, we both have more plants than a small nursery, lol.

Remember me telling you how fast my soil dries? If another soil method was used, particularly if it dried quicker than my mix, I'd be doing nothing but watering, lol.
I mean, I have to sleep. lol.

One large shelf is deep..too deep for me to reach. All are succulents and a couple cacti. They're watered 2-3 times, from Nov-Feb. The mix is bone dry, but since they're succulent they survive..in fact, a couple Aloes and Haworthias are in bud.

To those who have luck using Turface, or whatever this type of gritty mix consist of, it's great you found it. Especially those who lost succulents in the past.

Anyway, thanks for everyone's help. I enjoy hearing/reading how ppl care for their plants, respect views, even if I don't use one ingredient. :)

Again, HAPPY THANKSGIVING.. Have a Wonderful Day..hugs, Toni