Jade plant carnage - guilt, soil and repotting

September 17, 2015 6:47 AM

So our big office jade plant - given to ME by a green-thumbed former co-worker and the wonder of the floor - fell over in the night and broke into a million pieces. What do I do?

The plant overbalanced - due to the only place we could put it, it had grown too heavy on one side. We have many big healthy branches between 18 and 30 inches long, and we have the core of the plant, which has only one large branch left. The tricky bit is that the central trunk is broken and the large branch is coming off to the side from the core.

How much and what should I repot? In particular, what do I do about the core, since it has one large branch but a broken central stalk?

I am going to need to buy new pots and more soil - what should I get? What do you recommend in terms of repotting process, tips and tricks.

The poor plant! I am a terrible plant parent!

posted by Frowner to Home & Garden (10 answers total)

You can replant as much as you want - even single leaves and most of it should take root. We had a big gnarly jade and were able to separate it into 3-4 large plants and 12+ small ones. One of the large plants didn't make it, but the rest are still growing today. I am not a plant person and I didn't use anything special beyond whatever potting soil we had on hand. If you are able to turn the plant on a weekly basis, that might even out the lopsidedness of any pieces. Ours tend to bend toward the sun and get tall if we don't prune them. You could send the smaller pots home with anyone who wants one.
posted by soelo at 7:07 AM on September 17, 2015 [2 favorites]

When I was a kid we had a jade so big that my dad stuck it in a half barrel outside one summer and we couldn't get it back in the house. Some branches broke off in the attempt, and Dad re-potted a couple and they happily became independent trees. I think at least one of them (or a third-generation decendent) is still in my parents' house today, 20+ years later.

So I say re-pot as much as you want, and find a way to compost the parts that can't be easily planted.
posted by that's candlepin at 7:49 AM on September 17, 2015

The big box home improvement stores carry a potting soil mix for succulents, so you might give that a try.
posted by PorcineWithMe at 8:02 AM on September 17, 2015

There's a succulents lady at my farmers market, and when I asked her what soil to use for replanting into bigger pots she told me that African Violet soil is an acceptable substitute for the succulent soil, which can be harder to find, especially in smaller quantities. It worked for me, so if you can't get the succulent soil there's another option for you.
posted by Room 641-A at 8:22 AM on September 17, 2015

Jade trees are tenacious - as others point out, you can likely replant even small parts and be on your way to an independent plant. I've had luck potting them in bagged soil for succulents with a handful of worm castings or organic compost mixed in to kick up the nutrient levels a bit.
posted by ryanshepard at 8:22 AM on September 17, 2015

Jade plants for everyone!

Succulent soil (I think it's equal parts sand, peat, perlite) is best. You need soil that drains well, which is why African violet soil works. You can also get good quality peaty soil and mix it 2:1 or 1:1 with perlite. The result should be soil that still crumbles loosely when moist.

Take a sharp knife and make a clean diagonal edge on the cuttings before planting. If you happen to find "rooting hormone" grab some of that for insurance (you dip the cutting in it). Get some little sticks to gently prop up any larger cuttings.

Next time just rotate the plant a quarter turn with every watering!
posted by zennie at 9:00 AM on September 17, 2015

You could think of it as a disaster, or as a jade-portunity. Everyone gets a jade plant!

If you want to be really great about rooting it, you could get some rooting hormone and read through these promising advice pages: 1, 2.
posted by amtho at 9:40 AM on September 17, 2015 [1 favorite]

No guilt necessary! Now you will have a bounty of jade plants in your office! My parents have a large jade plant growing in their backyard, and storms or animals often break off the branches. When the conditions are right, sometimes they'll root right where they fall.

Propagation isn't too complicated - the keys are patience and resisting the temptation to overwater. The soil others have suggested will help with this, as well as a container with proper drainage. This article offers an alternative if you aren't able to find succulent or African Violet soil.
posted by photoelectric at 3:31 PM on September 17, 2015

pots - anything with drainage holes in the bottom

soil - as mentioned above, coarse, well-draining soil. At Home Depot, etc, this is sometimes labeled as ‘cactus soil’ or ‘cactus, palm, and citrus soil’ rather than ‘succulents soil’. I’ve used a couple different brands and all were fine, but this Miracle Grow soil was the most noticeably effective in making cuttings I replanted grow fast.

For the branches that you are going repot, let them dry out and scab over for a few days or a week before you pot them. This helps prevent root rot. (Although a lot of times it will be fine anyway if you don’t wait).

For the central trunk and the big branch, you could just cut off the branch as low as you can, and let it dry out and repot it with the rest of the branches. And if you also cut off the part of the central stalk that is broken, you could probably replant the empty stalk itself too. It might grow new branches eventually? I'd probably just throw it way/compost it though since you have so many other branches/new plants.
posted by car s at 7:17 PM on September 17, 2015

Everyone's advice is spot-on. Jade plants are remarkably resilient - we had one "leap" off our second floor balcony, which we didn't notice for a couple of days. Rescued, repotted, doing great 20 years later. MrJane left one in his un-air conditioned, unattended classroom over 2 months one summer and that one is also doing just fine, now, too.
posted by sarajane at 4:50 AM on September 18, 2015