Yes - it's true. Maybe I can explain it better with numbers: Let's assign numbers to 5 potential limiting factors numbers that represent their potential to limit growth. 5 means the factor is perfect, 1 means its horrid Let's say that it's 50 *, so temperature rates - a 1 There is a little too much P in the soil - a 4 There is a slight N deficiency - a 3 the soil is compacted and wet - a 2 Light is perfect - 5 What on this list is going to limit growth? - Temperature, Right? Even though there are other potentially limiting factors that are less than ideal, it is actually temperature that is THE limiting factor. So let's make temperature perfect. We then have Temperature 5 Light 5 P toxicity - 4 Soil compacted & wet - 2 N deficiency - 3 and the plant can only grow as well as the most limiting factor, which is now a 2. What do we have above as the factor that is now limiting growth? The compacted/soggy soil - right. Lets give it a perfect soil: Temperature 5 Light 5 Soil 5 P toxicity - 4 N deficiency - 3 Oops - now the N deficiency is limiting growth - but the plant is now growing better. It is now growing at a 3 level, where before it was at a 1 Add a little urea or other N source so the N supply is perfect, and we have Temperature 5 Light 5 Soil 5 N supply 5 P toxicity - 4 and the plant has improved it's growth rate to a 4. But plantings are never static, so let's say that the P level stays at a 4, but somehow the light supply is altered to a level of 3. Light had never been a limiting factor until that point, but as you see below it is now the most limiting factor. Flip the switch for your supplemental lighting, and the P toxicity once again becomes the culprit limiting growth. Temperature 5 Soil 5 N supply 5 P toxicity - 4 Light 3 In most cases, nothing is going to be absolutely perfect, but you can see why it's important to focus on all the potentially limiting factors as a part of the whole, and not on just making one factor perfect. It's not the perfect or close to perfect factors that will trip you up, and that are most in need our attention. It's by improving the most imperfect influences that you can improve growth. To move forward intensely focused on one issue at the expense of ignoring other issues, or to think that raising even 4 of the 5 issues to a level of 5 will improve growth when you still have issues in the 1 to 2 to 3 range doesn't jibe with science or logic. If you go up to the very first example I offered where temperature was at the level of 1 and limiting growth, even if you brought EVERY other limiting factor up to a 5, temperature, at a level of 1, would still limit growth to that level. We need to look at the factors that determine our own health holistically. We're only going to be able to keep our bodies 'just so healthy', and HOW healthy depends on the limiting effects of things like our diet, amount of exercise, nutrition, weight, medications ..... Plants are made of cells that grow, divide and die at varying rates, depending on many of the same influences that affect our own bodies' cells. Like us, we optimize plant growth and health by doing our best to eliminate all the factors that might be detrimental. No one thinks that eating only vitamins can do the job - or that taking just the right amount of vitamins can compensate for an unhealthy diet or cure every ill. Potentially limiting factors are called that because they have the potential to limit. We ignore them, any/all at peril of our plants' growth/vitality. Al

CVIS, are you in the always-rainy/cloudy weather pattern some people have had this summer? If so, that may be why it's been happy before but struggling this year, lanky growth and using less water. That could help explain why, if the problem is that it's been too moist. Is the pot is so packed with roots that water can't penetrate, in which case it might actually be wilting? It's so hard to tell from a pic, too dry and too wet look can look the same on the plant. This pot just looks parched to me. If the blinds are always at half-mast, maybe it's not so bad, maybe it's leaning down toward the light? The color of the leaves is pretty good. The trimming is not something I would do all at once, but gradually, starting with the lowest material to be removed, so it ends up looking like a tiny, well-formed tree again. The first thing to go are the flimsy green things coming from what I think are inappropriate places on the main trunk, and any in a wrong looking spot, or going a wrong direction. Then the main branches that are not right, just before the point where a branch starts to go in a wrong direction, that's where to trim it. Finish by finessing the smaller remaining branches so that anything not contributing to the overall structure in a pleasing way is removed. This is vague because we can't see the whole plant, but trimming any woody entity that has a natural general 'correct' shape to it is the same procedure. But that's just my opinion, I like a jade that looks like a big oak tree. Some people like to trim it back to a main stick with some shorter sticks and like that appearance better. But none of that matters, what people think. It's your tree, so what you want it to look like is what it should look like. When you have a pic in your mind of what it should and will look like when finished before making the first cut, you're ready to go with the pruner. IMVHO. I do not nor have not had a big ol' jade like that, just some much smaller ones, but have been told over the years I do a good job trimming in general, leaving a strong, pleasant foundation for rejuvenated growth. I would think new soil after that amount of time is a great idea, but you'd want jade repotting advice from someone with more experience than me. Definitely a huge fan of chunky, porous, well-drained soil for the replacement though, no doubt.

At the risk of sounding rude (which I hope I don't in questioning this), I'd just ask, are you sure it was cold enough inside your school for parts of the plant to freeze? If so, brrrrrrrr. If temperatures drop under 40 degrees, I don't keep my jades outside at that point, and jades certainly are not frost tolerant, but I would be surprised if your inside temperatures have dropped below 40? But maybe they have right next to a very old window during the winter. I only question it because other factors could cause parts of the plant to die off, and the plant may not have been at optimum health to begin with, based on it being indoors and not having big, healthy roots. It sounds to me, based on details such as your saying the root system is small, that the plant is probably not in well-draining soil and that it's possibly not receiving enough light (they don't thrive as indoor plants). Parts of the plant dying back and leaf loss are indicative of a situation where the roots are unhealthy (confirmed by a small root system), and rot could happen as the roots continue to die off. And no, there won't be a stench with the rot. If the root system is small, that's perhaps the biggest indicator that the soil is too heavy. If it's in bagged soil, even so-called "cactus soil" from a store or nursery, that won't be well-draining enough. You'd want to mix well-draining ingredients like pumice or perlite into that soil to lighten it. Also, it's important not to overwater. I wait until the leaves have a very slight give to them--the plant will actually tell you when it wants water. You don't want to wait until the leaves are wrinkled or anything close to, but you can learn to feel the leaves and discern if they are barely less plump than they are normally, and at that point I water and the leaves plump up again. And again, in the wrong soil the plant will retain way too much moisture for too long, so that'd be the first issue to look into. This post was edited by teatree on Fri, Jun 28, 13 at 20:27

I would suggest doing a thorough flushing with plain water if you are bottom watering only. Hard water mineral deposits can build up fast and can only be removed with top watering. Of course the mix must drain well to do this. Maybe repot into a grittier medium if you have access to the components. Also when you say afternoon sun, do you mean they are facing West? If indoors the best window would be facing South if you have one available. This time of the year they should be putting on growth and filling out with leaves or blooms. Best of luck to you Desirai. Tracy