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Jade Plant Care

connie77connie77 Posts: 151
in Plants
Hello All, just need some advice please on how to prune my Jade Plant? (She) has two branches growing out horizontally from the main trunk, ( see pic) I want to cut them back as she is getting a bit unbalanced, also can I remove the new growths at the bottom at soil level & grow them on? She was given to me by my Mother in Law & bought as a Ten pence cutting by my other half when he was Ten, so I have to keep the legacy of the Thompson Jade Plant alive , no pressure ! 

Posts

  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Break a bit off anywhere and poke it in damp soil in a well-drained pot. Don't water again until the top inch of soil is dry.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    I keep mine heavily pruned to try and keep it to a manageable size. If you cut it back fairly hard it will grow a much thicker trunk and better branches. I remove anything that starts to droop downwards, any growth that's too spindly and anything that isn't going to make branches where I want them. You can prune the worst stuff now and then shape it up if needs be in the spring. Just snap the branches off but support the stem below where you want to snap it so you don't take too much off. Where you snap it you will get two or three new shoots forming and once you know the shape you want you can pick off the ones that are growing the wrong way. Basically decide how you want the plant to look and prune to achieve that shape.
    The plant will be dormant over the winter so keep it somewhere cool and bright, and don't water it. In the spring it will start to grow again and then you can feed it some specialist succulent fertiliser which will help get solid branches. They're heavy feeders in the summer and do better out in the greenhouse or somewhere nice and bright. They don't like too much direct sun though.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • connie77connie77 Posts: 151
    Wild Edges, the side branches I want to remove are quite thick , I wouldn’t feel comfortable snapping them,  🫢
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Be brave ;)  Honestly if you look at the branches you'll see how they're made up of connected sections. They snap at those connection points really easily no matter how thick they are.
    If you want to take cuttings then the bigger the better. Think of succulents like a battery and the larger the battery the more charge they have for growth. Wait until spring to take cuttings to regrow though. You can take the cuttings now if you wanted but just put them in totally dry soil and don't water until the spring. They'll have plenty of stored water and nutrients to grow roots if they want. I've taken succulent cuttings and not planted them for over a year and they still root fine afterwards so don't feel rushed.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
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