One of my jade plants toppled over since it had grown top heavy. Three branches fell off. In the attached photos, the plant has one main branch that leans out. Should I cut it off from the main trunk? Also, after letting the ends of the three fallen branches scab over in a couple days before I root them, since the bottom of the stems have large leaves, should I remove some of the leaves so when I plant the rooted branches in soil, there is enough stem to submerge in the soil?

Thanks in advance!

Yes. I have done it by removing lower leaves and letting everything scab over. I try to plant them 1-1 1/2" deep.

Thanks Bill for your helpful response. What do you think I should do about the main plant and the one large branch growing off to one side? Should I cut that off at the main trunk?

I would hold off for a little while. Keep it staked and if your rooting is successful, then you can prune it to the height that you would like.

The main trunk is already established and doesn't need to be rooted. But I did transplant it into a new pot. Is that what you mean? I should wait to make sure the main plant is settled into the new pot (heavy clay pot so no more tipping over) before I cut off the large branch? I was wondering if losing three large branches and repotting it was already enough trauma.

You can cut the leaning branch off but, what your plant really needs is a lot more sunlight.

Yes, more light.

Thanks Daisy l and Baja for suggesting more light. Unfortunately, my property has a lot of mature trees so most of my windows don't get much sunlight. I have two windows facing south and that is where the jade plant is. I'll try moving it to the other south facing window to see if that helps. Thanks again so much!

By the way, Daisy l and Baja, why do you think my jade plant needs more light?

Because the leaves are spaced too far apart on the stem and the leaf edges aren't red.

Thanks for the helpful insight. I had no idea. This plant and all my other jade plants are from my parent's two large jade plants that never had red leaf edges. Are all jade plant species supposed to have red leaf edges? Thanks again so much!

Jade plant - Crassula ovata. Yes. And they should bloom in winter.

I don't think indoor jades normally bloom and I don't think they normally develop red edges on the leaves. Those are features of outdoor plants, where they definitely are useful signs of adequate light. Flowering requires a lot of light (more than is typically available indoors, sometimes more than is available outside) and the color change in the leaves requires a lot of UV (which is typically cut out of the spectrum by ordinary window glass).

The hallmark signs of low light that stand out to me (beyond the leaves being spaced far apart on the stem, as Daisy mentioned) are top-heavy stems and falling branches. With strong light the stems grow slower, stronger, and more compact, and falling stems are essentially never an issue.

From your branch cuttings, you can certainly twist off some of the lower leaves, and they can also be rooted. Just put them by a warm, bright light area and wait patiently to make new roots or leaves.

Looking at your plant, it does need much more light, the color of the leaves is a give away, too deep green, typically the leaves are apple greenish in color if it is receiving good light and at times gets some reddish edging on the leaves.




My jades gets the reddish hues during winter, when it gets a combination of cold stress and lots of sunlight. And if it really gets very cold a lot of the leaves and branches turn red all over.

27Feb2012 - when we had some overnights in winter that went down to 20F for a few hours. Then some rains came at that time too in winter.

When kept indoors on a sunny windowsill, Jades will develop thicker stems, shorter internodes, and reddish leaf edges.

Repotting discourages flowering.

Think of pruning as being like getting a haircut. You prune not to make the plant more or less healthy, but to make it look - shape and size - the way that you want it to.

Thank you Will C, Tarev, Baja and Daisyl for all your helpful feedback. I live in Zone 5 (IL) and while I could bring my jade plants outdoors during warmer seasons, I haven't because I don't want to get any bugs. I assumed the care of my parent's two large jade plants, which they used to put outside during warmer seasons and it would flower sometimes (they also lived in Zone 5). After my father passed away and my mother could no longer care for them, she handed them over to me. They were not receiving hardly any light in her home and were hardly watered (over a month with no watering). I was careful to not over water, but the leaves were always wrinkled and felt soft. Both plants eventually died from root rot and they had gnats, which I tried to treat but the jade plant branches dropped as they died off. I kept all the cuttings and have dozens in various shapes and sizes. The plant that I pictured is one of the older cast offs that grew to a good size. I need to take Will C's advice and prune my jade plants because the stems sometimes grow in U shaped/very curved). For sentimental reasons, I feel bad even tossing out one leaf, so I wait for it to scab over and I root it in water. I thought the rich green color was an indication of good health. I bought a great succulent liquid fertilizer and I dilute it more than the directions and my plants seem to really respond well and put out more baby leaves. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075156RPZ/

I may have to buy a grow light because my house only has two regular size windows that face south unless I put all my plants in my husband's den where he has a larger window facing south... Thanks again, I am truly grateful to everyone for sharing all your wisdom and advice!