Some notes for propagating Jade cuttings

As most of you know by now we have a lot of Jade. It’s not the kind that is typically used for bonsai however it does propagate with almost no effort. Here are some basic tips for growing Jade from cuttings.

When making your cuttings, be sure to use a sterile, very sharp knife!

The stem must be cut back to a point where there is no indication of rot or other disease.

The surface of the cut should then be lightly dusted with a rooting hormone (Roottone®) with fungicide.

The cutting should then be left in a warm, dry place until a callous developes over the cut.

This usually takes anywhere from 1-2 weeks, depending on the thickness of the stem.

The cutting may then be planted into sterile potting soil, or set temporarily into a rooting medium such as vermiculite or perlite.

Watering should be kept to the bare minimum (barely damp), and then gradually increased as the roots begin to develop.

Ideally, the soil temperature should be kept at 75 degrees F. which will speed the rooting process considerably.

Jade leaves can also be used to create a clone, but this method will take much longer before you have a specimen size plant. Leaves will take only a few days to callous, after which you simply insert the base of the leaf slightly into lightly moistened potting soil or rooting medium. It may take a month or longer for the cutting to root and the plantlet to start growing from the base of the leaf.

Gradually increase the watering as the plant grows until it has reached a size suitable for repotting.

With either method, feeding should be withheld until the new plant has become established, and even at that point should be a dilute half strength mixture of the fertilizer.