Jade Plant

[Shade]

I have a jade plant that I originally pulled out of my moms plant and was 1 inch tall. It is 6 1/2 years old and is now over 3 feet tall and more than 4 feet wide. My dilemma is that I have transplanted it once (or twice lol) too often and is getting too big to manage. It weighs over 90 pounds. I was wondering if anyone has ever downsized a jade's pot? I really need it to be one pot sized smaller. Am I just out of luck or has anyone ever done this and if so how do I proceed?

[Happy Days]

Wow! That is a gorgeous Jade plant. I must say I've never "downsized" one quite that large or heavy but it can be done. They respond well to root pruning and also branch pruning/shaping. You should have lots of cuttings to repot or give away, that's for sure.

[baileysup]

WOW! That's the nicest jade I've ever seen! Good job man! And good luck with the downsizing.

[rainbowgardener]

I haven't done it, but they make bonsai out of jade plant, so I'm sure it is adaptable to being pruned down. As noted, you want to prune the roots as well as branches, by an equivalent proportion. And in general pruning things you don't want to remove more than 1/3 of the plant or roots.

[Shade]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I will just have to try it and see what happens. It's my favorite plant that I own but is getting WAY too big.

[Green Mantis]

Oh my goodness, it's gorgeous.

If it was me I wouldn't do anything to it, except try and find a bigger place in the house to put it.

I agree, I have never seen a jade that beautiful and big, "ever" Congratulations.

[Shade]

Thanks Green Mantis! I may just leave it alone...it just depends on how difficult it will be to move it outside in the summer and back inside in the winter.

[LindaD]

Hi Shade..thanks for the great picture. If you follow the advice about trimming the top and roots of the plant back up to 1/3 you should keep the plant alive. Of course if you do this again in the next growing seson you may be able to pare it back again, if it doesn't grow too much in between.

If there is a local plant society that has a sale, they may appreciate tiny jade plants as a contributon, if you have tiny pots to start some up in. Of course if you start a few for yourself and are not successful in getting the big one back to a more manageable size you can have a few to carry on with if the big one finds a new home at say a local city greenhouse where all could enjoy it. Good Luck

[UrbanGardenDiva]

First of all, congratulations on such a healthy looking Jade. Crassula are my favorite as I have just gotten into bonsai. Have you considered pruning it back? It would surely survive and you could have many babies! I have great success with my 11 year old potted jade. I prune it once a year and it seems happy and healthy in a 10 inch pot. Like you, no room for one that size!

[Shade]

Thanks Urban. I have never pruned my jade in the nearly 7 years I have had it other than scraggly branches. It usually self prunes by dropping branches that are too small. I really like the natural look instead of the neatly pruned look. I will have to see how much it grows this year when I sit it outside this spring. It always grows fairly rapidly each summer when its outside. It's currently my favorite houseplant. I really don't want to cut it back unless absolutely necessary, however I may have to with it growing to such a large size.

[baileysup]

I would totally take off some of the lower branches, so that it looked more like a tree. That jade would make an outstanding bonzai! Just some lower ones. Not too much.

[baileysup]

If you "down pot" it, it will surely lose some leaves. That's only if you cut roots though. PS. Get rid of the ones on the bottom.

[Shade]

I am not so concerned about it losing leaves. It loses 50% of it's leaves every year when I bring it inside. Right now it is at about 50%. I haven't set it outside yet but will soon. I really love the way it looks with all the branches and really do not want to cut it back, but I realize I will have to do so if I downsize. I am going to see what happens this summer. I will see how big it gets by the end of fall before I make a decision.

[teacup63]

I have to say your jade plant is amazing. I have to ask how you got it to be so big? Light (when you have it outside what side of the house do you have it on) water? fertilizer? I just have to ask these questions because mine is also my favourite plant. It is no where near as full as yours, nor as big and it's probably 20 years old or more. The only cuttings i've taken are the ones that have fallen off and I've grown babies from the parent plant. I've transplanted it at least a couple times because it became root bound. I was thinking i'd put it into a smaller pot (yours looks like a smaller pot than mine) which I'm sure wouldn't work since the roots are almost touching the pot all the way around now and are as deep as the pot. please share how you got your so healthy looking.

[Rose bloom]

So what did you do, Shade?