Jade Plant Pruning

Q. I have a jade plant that is very healthy but has gotten so large I can hardly move it. what do suggest to do with it? It has many long branches, some about 1-1/2 in diameter, and is maybe 3-4 ft. wide. I was contemplating cutting off the branches and starting new plants as I have done before, but want to know what is the best way to cut back the plant and keep it healthy.Thanks for any suggestions.

Jade Stemroots A. Jades respond well to pruning. Very hard to prune a jade the "wrong" way. You can approach pruning a large jade much like how you might approach pruning unruly tree branches. An arborist once told me a good rule of thumb: the cuts you make should look like you didn't really cut much. (I took this to mean leave main branches alone, and remove rogue branches and stems that detract rather than add to the overall balance.) Use sharp scissors! Clean cuts will heal quicker. For large plants, you probably want to prune to redistibute weight so it's not so top heavy or lopsided - unless of course that's the look you're after, don't let me stop you. Make cuts close to the branch so not to leave unsightly "stumps."

Restarting new plants: one thing you can look for are reddish-brownish root hairs poking out of the branches. These hairs can be less than a centimeter or two long. With roots hairs, your cuttings are good to plant directly into a new pot, no questions asked. Jade branches minus root hairs are more dicey to plant and may not take off. Sometimes cuttings without root hairs left to dry at room temperature will mysteriously sprout roots weeks after being pruned, and then planted with confidence that they will regenerate into a new complete plant. Happy pruning!
Jade Leaf Sprouting