i went to a local nursery on my lunch break and got a 'baby jade' plant and another jade that was unnamed....i looked around and think it might be 'gollum' jade? the leaves are kind of tubular, curling in on the edges. do you know the name?
i also got a couple succulents for $1.25 a piece, a kalanchoe fedtschenkoi margarita and something called 'hardy living stone'. i found someone on craigslist who can give me some cuttings but i'm not sure what they are yet.
do you have any advice on care? they came in small containers, when will I know that I need to re-pot it? i have a bag of miracle grow soil....i've read that using sand with it helps with these plants, any advice on what to pot them with?
the website seems very friendly, thanks for the help in advance! joseph
The only advice I can give you is to re-pot them now, I would go up 1 size in the pots and I would also add some sand to your MG soil. Have good drainage in the pots and be light handed on your watering. Hope I helped a little.... Christine
christine, that is excellent advice. but, i will add, go no more than one pot size because it is hard to regulate the moisture if the pot is too large if you aren't a veteran plant person. and even if you are, sometimes it is anyway!
i wouldn't use potting soil that has fertilizer in it. the plain stuff is easier so you can control when and how much fertilizer they get is better. most succulents go into a dormant period and they shouldn't be fertilized then. most go dormant in winter; some in summer.
you'll want to add lots of perlite (don't breath in the dust) or aquarium soil (ceramic bits) to add drainage - these succulents don't like soggy soil and it tends to cause root rot.
when you repot (only go one size larger and only if they look like they are in too small a pot now), let them sit in the new soil for a week and then water...this gives the roots time to heal over from being disturbed. water thoroughly and then let the soil dry down a bit before watering again - depending on container size that can be anywhere from a week to as long as three (for very large containers). and, yes, definitely use containers that have drainage holes. unglazed clay pots are the best to use for these types of succulents.
you definitely DO NOT want to water the living stone too much. in fact, barely water it at all! whereever they are from they get barely any water - in fact, you'd be better off lightly misting them just a few times a year. i've tried them a few times and even without watering them, they still bit the dust...they're gorgeous - VERY specialized care though.
can you post pics of everything? then we can help you with id's and then you can research care (or we can help with that).
okay, i have some questions for this. i posted this in the main forum before i read this.
i got some miracle grow cactus potting soil. i assume this will work?
when i transfer the plant to this type of soil do i need to water it? it is totally bone dry right now.....maybe just some water in the bottom to give the roots something to shoot for?
you see the cutting in one of the pictures...it is a tricolor jade. it is actually most of the root pulled out from a very small plant. i put it in the miracle grow cactus, put some water in it and then let it drain figuring it still has the root and it'll need some water. i assume i should just let it totally dry out now? or should i repot it in another container with the totally bone dry soil?
i'll post a pic of the baby jade and the unknown jade later. i now know it isn't a gollum, i got one of them and it is totally different. it looks really similar except isn't as 'clumpy' i guess....the leaves are a really dark green and the sides kind of curve inward like a taco but not nearly as far folded in...
here is a picture of the plant that looks like the 'unknown' one. i found it on a website. you see how it looks like the gollum? the sides curve in, it is even more noticeable on new leaves.
Last edited by obsessis; Aug 13th, 2008 at 10:29 AM. Reason: Added third pic
Here are the pics of the plants that I have at work, a baby jade, the 'unknown jade' on the right and a big jade plant that i picked up today on my lunch break....i couldn't wait for the small one to grow big so I figured I better get a big one to satisfy my want right now.
What do you think about re-potting these? The jade that I bought today is really thick but short....I think there are 10 to 12 stems that go into the dirt. Is that too many to have in a pot that size? it looks really crowded to me....should I move it to a bigger pot? maybe prune some of the leaves? the leaves and branches are pretty crowded....
Any advice you guys could give me would be GREATLY appreciated. I have already gotten great advice here and you guys seem way more friendly than people I've talked to at other forums.
edit: here is a close up picture of the 'unknown' jade plant....resembles the gollum/ET jade when the leaves are first sprouting.
Last edited by obsessis; Aug 13th, 2008 at 01:58 PM.
the cactus soil is good. i prefer the schultz's brand as it doesn't have added fertilizer. for these plants, the added fert won't hurt, so it's okay to use.
they'll all do much better in unglazed clay pots - with drainage holes at the bottom. if you don't like the look (i don't) you can place the pot into a larger, nicely painted ceramic piece (that's what i do) - just make sure it's large enough that you can get the clay pot out easily :) if the clay pot is too visible, i'll put some of the decorative sphangum moss around the top to cover it up.
normally when transplanting from the store container, i try to do it within a couple of weeks (i give them some time to acclimate to conditions here before putting them through the stress of repotting). i make sure to clean off the roots well (the peat that the growers use is NOT good to leave around the roots as it'll turn hard as a rock and then the roots won't take up the water) and then pot in the new container and let it sit for a week, maybe ten days, and then do a good watering. since the new soil is bone dry, i do it in small increments (cup or so) and let it soak down for a few minutes and then do a bit more (i move around the pot so all the soil is getting moistened) and continue to add small amounts and let it soak down and when i start to see some coming out of the bottom, i stop adding more. let the excess drain off (i usually let them sit for about 15 minutes) and discard it.
first pic: the one on the left could be 'hobbit' rather than 'golum' (i hate when they tag wrong or when people mess up the tags in the store! ). it'll need a pot an inch wider in diameter - and maybe one a little deeper, too. what a pretty, pretty jade!!! i love the types that get that red blush on the tips of the leaves!!! it's getting proper sunlight if it's got that coloring. you can either split out what's there and repot both groups in the same size container as the whole bunch is in or go with leaving them together and putting a in a pot that's two inches wider (and that size will naturally be deeper) and then spread them out a little when you repot. they look so nice together i'd do that - spliting it in two may detract from the visual appeal. the cut piece - i wouldn't have watered it right away. did you let the cut end callous over for a couple of days? if not, i'd pull it up and let it dry and then put it back in the soil. let it sit for a week before watering and then get it on a regular schedule.
second pic: the two larger plants in the back both look like kalanchoe - nice variegation on the one on the left! i've not seen it in that form before!! they can both go in containers that are the same depth as what they're in now only i'd definitely go with something round - those look like two-inchers, so a comparable round one would be three inches. the one on the lower right...could you do a close-up of that one? can't see the leaves clearly enough. it definitely needs a new pot that's at least and inch larger in diameter.
last pic: the one on left i would increase the pot size by an inch wider and go with one that's a little deeper so the roots have a good amount of room...that should do for a couple of years (they grow steady, just not all that fast). the one in the middle, i'd split out into two groups and put each in the size container that the whole bunch is in now. the one on the right can stay in a container with that same diameter - you'll need something deeper though. it might be 'hobbit' sometimes they tag the plants wrong at the growers and sometimes people at the stores move tags...
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