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Pruning A Leggy Jade Plant
Pruning a leggy Jade plant is something we all find ourselves doing with these beautiful plants. And that’s because they look so much better when they’re short and bushy than when they’re stretched out. But how do we go about doing this? Let’s first take a look at why a Jade plane becomes leggy and how we can prevent that before moving onto pruning a leggy Jade plant.
Why Is My Jade Plant Leggy
The most important thing to do is to work out why your Jade plant is leggy so you can prevent it from happening again in the future. You don’t want to prune your plant for the same problem to happen again straight away. So what causes leggy Jade plants? The simple answer to this is a lack of light. When there isn’t enough light for your plant it will grow longer before it puts out new growth in an attempt to reach that light. This is what gives it a leggy appearance so if you want to avoid this make sure you move it closer to a light source.
Pruning Your Jade Plant
Now it’s time to look at pruning a leggy Jade plant. First of all you’ll need a sharp pair of scissors like these ones from Amazon, it’s important that you use sharp scissors or sheers as you want to make a clean cut on your plant. As well as using sharp scissors it’s important that they are clean as you don’t want to get dirt in the cut.
You’ll want to do your pruning in the spring or summer months so that your plant has plenty of time to grow and recover. Look at the areas that have grown too long and leggy and cut them off with your sharp pair of scissors. Be careful not to cut back too much as you still want a plant there to grow from, try not to cut back more than a quarter of the foliage.
What To Do With The Jade Plant Cuttings
The great thing about pruning a Jade plant is that propagation is done via cuttings so you can make new Jade plants with the cuttings from your pruning. Of course if you don’t want to you can just put these cuttings in the compost but what a waste that would be! Instead take your cuttings and place them in a glass of water. You can then water as these cuttings will slowly develop roots. You might find this process takes weeks but it could take months depending on warmth and light. Once the cuttings have established a root system of about two inches it’s time to pot them. Take your cuttings and pot them in soil with a well draining mix. Cactus soil is a great choice for Jade plants. Once your plant is potted you can look after it the same as you do the mother plant but now you have several Jade plants rather than one.
Going forward make sure all of your Jade plants are close to a light source to prevent them from becoming too leggy. A compact bushy look is much better for a Jade plant than an elongated leggy look. And if you do find the stems elongating remember there is nothing wrong with pruning a leggy jade plant. All you need is a pair of sharp scissors, a new location for your plant and a bit of patience. If you’ve found this useful then why not take a look at one of our other articles about Jade plants:
Hopefully we’ve managed to help you learn about pruning a leggy jade plant. If you have any other questions about this plant’s care or general appearance then let us know in the comments below. And remember although pruning a leggy jade plant can be a very effective solution, it is often better to avoid the problem from starting in the first place, so if you’re lucky enough to get one of these beautiful plants make sure you find it a nice bright spot to sit in from day one. Good luck with your Jade plant!
Where do you make the cut ?