Pruning the Jade

To the best of my recollection (define best? I can't do any better than this?) my Jade plant is around ten years old. It was a teeny little start from a mother plant that Becky owned once upon a time. Hers has since expired, but mine has grown huge. Through the years I have started new plants from the leaves and and little branches and given them away. Sarah's plant has grown suffiently that even she is giving away starts to her relatives. (Becky's plant has great-grandchildren!)

Yet, mine was getting so large and awkward looking that a thorough pruning was needed. I don't know anything about pruning a Jade other than "cut off the parts that are bothering me", So that's what I did today while listening to a rebroadcast of the Seminary Centennial Commemoration which occured yesterday in SLC. (And it was excellent, by the way.)

Look at this basket of trimmings. Oh, so sad! Each one of those leaves could easily be a brand new plant, but I don't have the space or the inclination to make it happen. (I already have 3 starter Jade plants in pots around the house!) If I take out the trash soon, I won't feel so guilty.

I should have taken a "before" photo, but the knife was in my hand and little branches were falling off before it even occured to me. Of course, I had been thinking about this for weeks, and already knew which branches were doomed, but I had to work quickly before I lost the nerve. Here is my newly pruned, much lighter and airier looking plant. Because it is a survivor, the branches will soon sprout new little leaves from top to bottom. I'm hoping it will fill out and be a little more bushy without being leggy.

There was this one branch, however, that simply would not fall from my hand into the trash. No, it was determined to have another life, and so it fell instead into a vase of water, and will eventually send out roots. In a month or so, I will set it into a pot with soil. Like I need another Jade plant. Anyone out there want to adopt this one when it is ready?