the clippings are actually in the back by the window

I agree with what Rina has told you. And kudos for having a south facing window and even adding additional light.

Many sites will tell you to add perlite or vermiculite to the soil. As Rina said, you needed perlite and not vermiculite. That is a lovely pot. If you would like to keep your plant in it, even tho it is a little large, I would recommend a very gritty mix. This will help prevent overwatering - or more accurately, water retentive soil that will harm your jade. Your watering schedule has been good and you do not have rot, but the grittier mixes will prevent this from happening, too.

Full disclaimer - I am partial to gritty mix because I live in wet southwest Florida! You can make your mix 50-70% perlite and soil and probably do great! Things don't look bad right now. In fact, things look pretty good.

I won't comment on any pruning - because I am terrible about doing any pruning on my plants. I procrastinate until pruning is a must. There are some great folks who will give you some suggestions. Let them know what your ultimate vision for the plant is. By saying you want upper branches, you mean tall with minimal under branching? We all have different ways of saying what we mean.

Congrats on getting your thread started!

the weird thing is i researched jades a lot and it said use half vermiculite and half potting soil... obviously there is some different thoughts... i will take your advice i will buy some perlite and put it in the soil and about the long branches ... i kinda like them and whats the growing season?

and is it ok to prune a couple branches now or is it to late... i don't go full prune like some people

Pruning a couple of branches for aesthetics is fine now or almost anytime. Major prunig should be done during or before active growth. You will see these sometimes listed as "winter growers" but that seems to be from areas that have an exceptionally hot dry summer. I am in NJ similar climate to yours and they seem to grow spring through fall and slow down/stop growth in the short cool days of winter. Larger plants often flower in winter though. Vermiculite holds moisture but perlite helps with drainage. I think those sites meant perlite and not vermiculite. Keep the plant close to that south window and turn occasionally. If you can get it outside in the summer it will benefit greatly but it is not necessary. Enjoy!!

Vermiculite holds a very high amount of water. Due to its fragile composition, it also breaks down easily and will impede drainage in sometimes just one year.

Miracle grow potting soil also holds a high amount of water. It also compacts over time (one or two years), leading to unhealthy roots after that period, due to lack of oxygen.

When growing jades indoors, you want a less water retentive mix, especially if you do not have very high light levels.

Perlite holds very little water and prevents soil compaction, which is why it was suggested instead.

Gritty mix takes this further, where you get less water retention and good aeration of the soil, leading to healthy roots and plants.

Pot size should be determined by root ball size. If you have a suitably sized pot, but poorly draining/water retentive mix, care will be difficult but manageable. If the pot is too big, the drawbacks of the soil are amplified and the plant is likely to go into decline.

Just my thoughts and background on the experience above!

This is all good advice. In the picture where you are pointing to the two cuts (those are done quite well, btw, cut flush to the branch), The branch between your fingers could be left in place for a few years to help thicken the base of the trunk(if you're looking for a stout tree trunk effect).

One thing I would suggest to help with the light issue that wouldn't cost too much is this grow light bulb, or one similar: CLICK HERE The '6400K' means that it has a broad light spectrum beneficial to plant growth. I have a plant in a west-facing window all winter. I place the lamp on the opposite side from the window, and rotate the pot a quarter-turn each time I water.

ez

i like the long branches and i will put perlite in instead but i cant believe that that site told me to put in vermiculite

and how long does it take for growth to turn brown? is it over the winter?

No definite time for branches to turn woody. Very dependant on growing conditions.

In a very windy location, the stems will turn woody faster as they need to be stronger to survive. Similarly, if the branches need to be strong enough to support themselves.

It can be encouraged or discouraged to some extent with intervention, but I think that only goes so far.

is there a way for you to table top the pot lower in the window just beneath sill level ?

maby...

and about the woody ness so about how long on average?

shawneerie17- "i cant believe that that site told me to put in vermiculite". Some sites simply copy what they find on another site- esp on commercial sites where their knowledge is sales. This can get repeated many times w/o any proof whether it is true or not. Keep at it and knowledgeable, reliable information sources will become more apparent.

ez

these are all the angles of my jade it without the lamp(you can see why i added the lamp)

and leaf size the un woody part of every branch is about 6 inches

Use the back of your hand and keep it in front of that bulb for an hour or two. Burnt your hand didn't it ?

Heat is a killer guys that bulb is to close

shawneerie, if your Jade were sitting at windowsill-level it would get more Southern light. It is sitting too high in the window and missing the good light. With rotating your plant in that good Southern window you would not need the extra lightbulb.

Your plant is beautiful, and since you care so much about it, it will surely become more beautiful through the years of your care and learning.

ok i will try to get it to windowsill level

:) it is a beautiful plant .... my mother lives in Brisbane, Australia and her jade plants are growing outside in her garden ... jades are like weeds over there ... all I can add is to agree with everyone else... lots and lots of sun (or extra lighting) and not very much water ... the vermiculite/perlite confusion is so annoying but it is an old problem ...wrong information spreads.

ok thx i moved the tv will upload photos tommorow

I grow my jades in the "Gritty Mix", and only water the ones inside every 2-3 weeks, so your soil in the end might cause root rot. And yes more light, your jade looks a bit etiolated, and that's not reversible.

These lights are really good indoors: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002JQBQZQ?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00

Rob

I agree that the mix should be much more porous - perlite rather than vermiculite is a must.

More light, more rotating, and judicious pruning. It looks much better than other Jades that are in low light.

Josh