Hey MrLike2u... Yes its has been awhile since I had the NBC...It was given to me from one of my girlfriends...she actually divided the whole plant and repotted it for me...I guess that it was in so much shock that it took several years for it to bloom...But the last time that it did bloom, I had about 20 flowers...I even had to call out for my trip...it was that important for me to see them bloom that night!! (I work for the airlines) but thankfully, the scheduler loves plants too!!! So she resheduled my trip by two days!! So I did get to see the magic that night!!! SO when I lost the plant...i was really bummed...needless to say that the Mr/Mrs that donated it to me was a kind person..and I certainly am thankful... The fragrance is hard to describe to some..but the ones that have had the pleasure of witnessing this ....is priceless!!! Did you understand what i as trying to explain earlier in the post about you saying that you could see something? "prior agreements will always be respected..." Thank you for the compliments on the screens!!! They are a little large for me... But I will be excited to get started...They are 3/8 1/4 and I need to find the 1/8 or insect screen...that will be on the list to do tomorrow!!! I will definately keep them dry... Question? Where can I find the covered screen that i see others cut into small squares to cover the bottom of the holes in the pots? It looks like its plastic or something like that...Any ideas? The only thought that comes to mine at the moment is needlepoint or crossstitch netting...Thanks for any help!! Hope all is well up north!!! Take care everyone... Laura in VB

Hi Mari & welcome. Condolences on the loss of your brother, I'm sure that makes a strong connection w/ this plant for you. CMcHarris is right that all the info. you need for Jade 101 is already here, his suggestion of searches of this forum is excellent. Hey Toni, Pls. be careful w/ your suggestions. Among other things you've suggested the addition of coarse sand & then later said 'soak the entire rootball'. For a 'total beginner' as she called herself, I'm afraid that'll lead to rot. I wish to amend the suggestions above, first skip the sand entirely. You can achieve the fast drainage we seek w/ more perlite, say 50/50 soil mix to perlite, no sand. Sand is largely not a good idea & can cause problems. Also, when you water, water 'til you see water come out the drainage hole on the bottom. If water collects there, dump it out no longer than 1/2 hr. after watering. Pls. do not soak your plant, nor let it sit in collected water for longer than that or you're likely to have trouble. Toni's a very experienced grower & a couple of the tips she shared (which I'm amending) are fine for her or other experienced growers, since you said you're a 'total beginner', they're not for you. That is, not in the best interests of this plant.

It does look very much like the Crassula ovata, and maybe it droops due to the light as Kaktuskris mentioned, I am taking one of the baby's home and providing adequate light just to see how it performs, I have 4 Ft. T8's that I have over driven in the greenhouse, does it sound like that set up would give it the light required? My green house captures a considerable amount of light, then with addition of the artificial light, could I be going over board? I have a Jade in my living room that came out of the same dumpster that looks totally different, I have never seen any color other than green on it, and it grows very upright I may have to take pic this evening and post it. This particular commercial green house has provided some very interesting plants via the dumpster, I am very blessed to be able to dumpster dive weekly, in the next several months it will be like a gold rush between me and my retired neighbor he cant climb in and out as well as I do.

I would advise to not put stones at the bottom of the pot, it is a myth, and one that serves no purpose. Commercial cactus/succ compost is generally still too peaty and we tend not to use it alone. You can mix it with perlite and horticultural/chicken or even aquarium gravel for a better mix. If you have had it for years, it should be much sturdier than it is, and hopefully it will get there. Ez...I see the plant as being leggy and also etiolated, it needs better light, but that's just my take on it I guess :) I personally don't think it will fatten up much and form that many branches apart from where it has already begun to sprout from being pruned. IMHO it will only develop a better crown and trunk if pruned back much more.