We have a 35 year old jade that is always sending new growth down towards the floor. It is in a 15" dia. pot. We don't want it to get any bigger as it's overrunning our room. Can we trim back to a decent size without killing it? Should we just cut it all back at one time or a few main branchs at a time. If I kill this plant, my wife will kill me. Help!

Usually mine won't do airroots unless I am giving it enough water. I would be careful pruning large branches because you'll end up with a large scar that will be there for life.

I find it easy to ruin the look of a jade by excessive pruning. Usually I just take those pieces around the edges where there is new growth since it will easily be covered by the new growth. I just don't like the look of the parts of the plant that have scarred over. But that's just me.

As far as killing it by pruning it. That would be very hard to do. They are very hardy as long as they don't get root rot.

Hi there.

I would start by pruning any straggly, weak growth that's weighing the tree down. Or causing too much strain on the stronger parts of the tree. Better to selectively prune than to have an unwanted snap later on. Make your cuts just above a node, or ring.

If you can, post a picture. It will better illustrate what's going on.

By the way, if you end up pruning you can pot lots of the cuttings and make a new, full jade plant.

Thanks for all the help. I had trimmed most of those roots that had grown below the level of the top of the pot when we returned from Florida. Right after that one of the main stalks in the center of the plant made a right turn! I tried to remove some of the weight, but this morning while I was standing in the kitchen, I heard a crash. The weight of the off balance piece broke the branch right off. By the way, tkhooper are you saying too much water is causing the plant to send out air roots, or not enough water?

in my experience, they will send out air roots whether the watering is perfect or not. air roots are just part of the plant.

I have a jade plant that is very spindly it looks healthy other wise,is there a way to bush it up more without hurting it?

In my experience with trying to bush up spindly plants, it is usually achieved by trimming at the tips, but this needs to be done from when the plant is small, as it's harder to bush up a plant that has become quite tall, without resorting to more serious pruning. I have a few jade plants, and have found them quite resilient, as they flourish even with my amateurish efforts.

amery...I removed your post.
We do not allow spamming on our forum...


Cindy

PS...I just removed you from the forum, too...I'm in a bad mood today.
*poof*