I have an old jade plant (age unknown) but from the size, I assume it's
fairly old.

The plant has always been in a southern window. I water it once every
few weeks. When I water it, I soak the soil but do not let it stand in
runoff water. It stays inside all year. I have no insect problems with
it.

Since last summer, the plant has started to droop. The plant itself is
in very good shape with no soft tissue and only an occasional leaf drop,
usually in the fall (I live in NY state).

Here is a URL showing the plant:

http://ny.existingstations.com/Jade/Jade.html

The plant is 4 feet across and 20" high from the top rim of the pot.
Before last summer, it never hung below the top rim of the pot and now
it hangs 14" below in some places. All the "trunks" used to stand up
straight and as you can see from the large horizontal trunk, they are
loosing that vertical stance. Maybe it's top heavy?

I'd like suggestions as to what, if anything is wrong, and what I should
do or if it should just be left this way.

Thanks for the help.

Charles

"Charles Woolever" wrote in message
...
I have an old jade plant (age unknown) but from the size, I assume it's
fairly old.

The plant has always been in a southern window. I water it once every
few weeks. When I water it, I soak the soil but do not let it stand in
runoff water. It stays inside all year. I have no insect problems with
it.

Since last summer, the plant has started to droop. The plant itself is
in very good shape with no soft tissue and only an occasional leaf drop,
usually in the fall (I live in NY state).

Here is a URL showing the plant:

http://ny.existingstations.com/Jade/Jade.html

The plant is 4 feet across and 20" high from the top rim of the pot.
Before last summer, it never hung below the top rim of the pot and now
it hangs 14" below in some places. All the "trunks" used to stand up
straight and as you can see from the large horizontal trunk, they are
loosing that vertical stance. Maybe it's top heavy?

I'd like suggestions as to what, if anything is wrong, and what I should
do or if it should just be left this way.

Thanks for the help.

Charles

If the leaves have a red tinge around the edges, the plant's getting enough
light. Otherwise, it's not, and it'll tend to get leggy. Yours appears to be
in pretty good shape, but I wonder if it's getting pot-bound. According to
"Crockett's Indoor Garden", they'll survive pot-bound for years, but not
always thrive. Does the plant perk up at all within a day of watering, or
does it still droop? And, does the water seem to pass through the pot more
quickly than it used to?

I'd repot it (with someone else's help, to avoid snapping branches). Go to a
pot size that allows maybe 3" of extra soil in all directions, and make sure
it's a heavy pot, to provide some weight to counterbalance the plant.
Repotting can be done at any time of year. The plant should be fed every 3-4
months. If you break off any stems during repotting, they can be rooted to
make new plants. If you can find rooting hormone powder, it'll help.

Your plant has gotten leggy and top heavy.

You need to trim away unnecessary branches and stake the main trunks.


"Charles Woolever" wrote in message
...
I have an old jade plant (age unknown) but from the size, I assume it's
fairly old.

The plant has always been in a southern window. I water it once every
few weeks. When I water it, I soak the soil but do not let it stand in
runoff water. It stays inside all year. I have no insect problems with
it.

Since last summer, the plant has started to droop. The plant itself is
in very good shape with no soft tissue and only an occasional leaf drop,
usually in the fall (I live in NY state).

Here is a URL showing the plant:

http://ny.existingstations.com/Jade/Jade.html

The plant is 4 feet across and 20" high from the top rim of the pot.
Before last summer, it never hung below the top rim of the pot and now
it hangs 14" below in some places. All the "trunks" used to stand up
straight and as you can see from the large horizontal trunk, they are
loosing that vertical stance. Maybe it's top heavy?

I'd like suggestions as to what, if anything is wrong, and what I should
do or if it should just be left this way.

Thanks for the help.

Charles

"Crockett's Indoor Garden"?!!!

ROTFLMAO!!!!

Crockett died a long time ago. It's time to let it go, Dude.



"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

"Charles Woolever" wrote in message
...
I have an old jade plant (age unknown) but from the size, I assume it's
fairly old.

The plant has always been in a southern window. I water it once every
few weeks. When I water it, I soak the soil but do not let it stand in
runoff water. It stays inside all year. I have no insect problems with
it.

Since last summer, the plant has started to droop. The plant itself is
in very good shape with no soft tissue and only an occasional leaf drop,
usually in the fall (I live in NY state).

Here is a URL showing the plant:

http://ny.existingstations.com/Jade/Jade.html

The plant is 4 feet across and 20" high from the top rim of the pot.
Before last summer, it never hung below the top rim of the pot and now
it hangs 14" below in some places. All the "trunks" used to stand up
straight and as you can see from the large horizontal trunk, they are
loosing that vertical stance. Maybe it's top heavy?

I'd like suggestions as to what, if anything is wrong, and what I should
do or if it should just be left this way.

Thanks for the help.

Charles

If the leaves have a red tinge around the edges, the plant's getting
enough light. Otherwise, it's not, and it'll tend to get leggy. Yours
appears to be in pretty good shape, but I wonder if it's getting
pot-bound. According to "Crockett's Indoor Garden", they'll survive
pot-bound for years, but not always thrive. Does the plant perk up at all
within a day of watering, or does it still droop? And, does the water seem
to pass through the pot more quickly than it used to?

I'd repot it (with someone else's help, to avoid snapping branches). Go to
a pot size that allows maybe 3" of extra soil in all directions, and make
sure it's a heavy pot, to provide some weight to counterbalance the plant.
Repotting can be done at any time of year. The plant should be fed every
3-4 months. If you break off any stems during repotting, they can be
rooted to make new plants. If you can find rooting hormone powder, it'll
help.

From: Charles Woolever

I have an old jade plant (age unknown) but from the size, I assume it's
fairly old.

The plant has always been in a southern window. I water it once every
few weeks. When I water it, I soak the soil but do not let it stand in
runoff water. It stays inside all year. I have no insect problems with
it.

Since last summer, the plant has started to droop. The plant itself is
in very good shape with no soft tissue and only an occasional leaf drop,
usually in the fall (I live in NY state).

Here is a URL showing the plant:

http://ny.existingstations.com/Jade/Jade.html

The plant is 4 feet across and 20" high from the top rim of the pot.
Before last summer, it never hung below the top rim of the pot and now
it hangs 14" below in some places. All the "trunks" used to stand up
straight and as you can see from the large horizontal trunk, they are
loosing that vertical stance. Maybe it's top heavy?

I'd like suggestions as to what, if anything is wrong, and what I should
do or if it should just be left this way.

Thanks for the help.

Charles

I have a bunch of jade plants outdoors, I live in San Diego. This winter
when we got our first major rains several of the plants did exactly what
yours is doing. I thought it was either root rot or someone had fallen on
the plants. But to my amazement, the problem corrected itself on its own.

My theory is that large jade plants, when exposed to excess water after
having been in drought mode, take up too much water and the trunks are not
able to support the extra weight. After the plant adjusts to having regular
water, their trunks eventually get stronger and can support the weight.

Could this be happening in your case? Did you have a period of extended
drought followed by a good soaking? Just a thought.

Please explain exactly how long it takes before a book becomes useless, in
your opinion. Also, explain WHY you believe this is so. Have jade plants
changed because of the advent of the interent?

"Cereus-validus....." wrote in message
m...
"Crockett's Indoor Garden"?!!!

ROTFLMAO!!!!

Crockett died a long time ago. It's time to let it go, Dude.



"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

"Charles Woolever" wrote in message
...
I have an old jade plant (age unknown) but from the size, I assume it's
fairly old.

The plant has always been in a southern window. I water it once every
few weeks. When I water it, I soak the soil but do not let it stand in
runoff water. It stays inside all year. I have no insect problems with
it.

Since last summer, the plant has started to droop. The plant itself is
in very good shape with no soft tissue and only an occasional leaf drop,
usually in the fall (I live in NY state).

Here is a URL showing the plant:

http://ny.existingstations.com/Jade/Jade.html

The plant is 4 feet across and 20" high from the top rim of the pot.
Before last summer, it never hung below the top rim of the pot and now
it hangs 14" below in some places. All the "trunks" used to stand up
straight and as you can see from the large horizontal trunk, they are
loosing that vertical stance. Maybe it's top heavy?

I'd like suggestions as to what, if anything is wrong, and what I should
do or if it should just be left this way.

Thanks for the help.

Charles

If the leaves have a red tinge around the edges, the plant's getting
enough light. Otherwise, it's not, and it'll tend to get leggy. Yours
appears to be in pretty good shape, but I wonder if it's getting
pot-bound. According to "Crockett's Indoor Garden", they'll survive
pot-bound for years, but not always thrive. Does the plant perk up at all
within a day of watering, or does it still droop? And, does the water
seem to pass through the pot more quickly than it used to?

I'd repot it (with someone else's help, to avoid snapping branches). Go
to a pot size that allows maybe 3" of extra soil in all directions, and
make sure it's a heavy pot, to provide some weight to counterbalance the
plant. Repotting can be done at any time of year. The plant should be fed
every 3-4 months. If you break off any stems during repotting, they can
be rooted to make new plants. If you can find rooting hormone powder,
it'll help.

Top heavy....compared to what? They grow as large as dogwoods in the
tropics.


"Cereus-validus....." wrote in message
m...
Your plant has gotten leggy and top heavy.

You need to trim away unnecessary branches and stake the main trunks.


"Charles Woolever" wrote in message
...
I have an old jade plant (age unknown) but from the size, I assume it's
fairly old.

The plant has always been in a southern window. I water it once every
few weeks. When I water it, I soak the soil but do not let it stand in
runoff water. It stays inside all year. I have no insect problems with
it.

Since last summer, the plant has started to droop. The plant itself is
in very good shape with no soft tissue and only an occasional leaf drop,
usually in the fall (I live in NY state).

Here is a URL showing the plant:

http://ny.existingstations.com/Jade/Jade.html

The plant is 4 feet across and 20" high from the top rim of the pot.
Before last summer, it never hung below the top rim of the pot and now
it hangs 14" below in some places. All the "trunks" used to stand up
straight and as you can see from the large horizontal trunk, they are
loosing that vertical stance. Maybe it's top heavy?

I'd like suggestions as to what, if anything is wrong, and what I should
do or if it should just be left this way.

Thanks for the help.

Charles

Top heavy as in the top growth is far more luxuriant than the branches can
hold upright.

Note that the plant in question is being grown in a window, not in the
tropics, under far less than optimal conditions. The growth is very lanky
and not at all ideal for the plant.

I have seen plants of it grown outdoors in southern California that were
small trees. The massive trunks were fully capable of supporting the much
more compact top growth.


"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
Top heavy....compared to what? They grow as large as dogwoods in the
tropics.


"Cereus-validus....." wrote in message
m...
Your plant has gotten leggy and top heavy.

You need to trim away unnecessary branches and stake the main trunks.


"Charles Woolever" wrote in message
...
I have an old jade plant (age unknown) but from the size, I assume it's
fairly old.

The plant has always been in a southern window. I water it once every
few weeks. When I water it, I soak the soil but do not let it stand in
runoff water. It stays inside all year. I have no insect problems with
it.

Since last summer, the plant has started to droop. The plant itself is
in very good shape with no soft tissue and only an occasional leaf drop,
usually in the fall (I live in NY state).

Here is a URL showing the plant:

http://ny.existingstations.com/Jade/Jade.html

The plant is 4 feet across and 20" high from the top rim of the pot.
Before last summer, it never hung below the top rim of the pot and now
it hangs 14" below in some places. All the "trunks" used to stand up
straight and as you can see from the large horizontal trunk, they are
loosing that vertical stance. Maybe it's top heavy?

I'd like suggestions as to what, if anything is wrong, and what I should
do or if it should just be left this way.

Thanks for the help.

Charles

Crockett's book was a useless piece of coffee table anecdotal fluff catering
to dummies when it came out. It was never to be take as gospel. It certainly
isn't even a horticultural reference book either.


"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
Please explain exactly how long it takes before a book becomes useless, in
your opinion. Also, explain WHY you believe this is so. Have jade plants
changed because of the advent of the interent?

"Cereus-validus....." wrote in message
m...
"Crockett's Indoor Garden"?!!!

ROTFLMAO!!!!

Crockett died a long time ago. It's time to let it go, Dude.



"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

"Charles Woolever" wrote in message
...
I have an old jade plant (age unknown) but from the size, I assume it's
fairly old.

The plant has always been in a southern window. I water it once every
few weeks. When I water it, I soak the soil but do not let it stand in
runoff water. It stays inside all year. I have no insect problems with
it.

Since last summer, the plant has started to droop. The plant itself is
in very good shape with no soft tissue and only an occasional leaf
drop,
usually in the fall (I live in NY state).

Here is a URL showing the plant:

http://ny.existingstations.com/Jade/Jade.html

The plant is 4 feet across and 20" high from the top rim of the pot.
Before last summer, it never hung below the top rim of the pot and now
it hangs 14" below in some places. All the "trunks" used to stand up
straight and as you can see from the large horizontal trunk, they are
loosing that vertical stance. Maybe it's top heavy?

I'd like suggestions as to what, if anything is wrong, and what I
should
do or if it should just be left this way.

Thanks for the help.

Charles

If the leaves have a red tinge around the edges, the plant's getting
enough light. Otherwise, it's not, and it'll tend to get leggy. Yours
appears to be in pretty good shape, but I wonder if it's getting
pot-bound. According to "Crockett's Indoor Garden", they'll survive
pot-bound for years, but not always thrive. Does the plant perk up at
all within a day of watering, or does it still droop? And, does the
water seem to pass through the pot more quickly than it used to?

I'd repot it (with someone else's help, to avoid snapping branches). Go
to a pot size that allows maybe 3" of extra soil in all directions, and
make sure it's a heavy pot, to provide some weight to counterbalance the
plant. Repotting can be done at any time of year. The plant should be
fed every 3-4 months. If you break off any stems during repotting, they
can be rooted to make new plants. If you can find rooting hormone
powder, it'll help.

Interesting. His advice was always dead-on. The original Victory Garden book
was equally good, except for his outmoded dependence on chemicals. What
innaccuracies did you find?

"Cereus-validus....." wrote in message
. com...
Crockett's book was a useless piece of coffee table anecdotal fluff
catering to dummies when it came out. It was never to be take as gospel.
It certainly isn't even a horticultural reference book either.


"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
Please explain exactly how long it takes before a book becomes useless,
in your opinion. Also, explain WHY you believe this is so. Have jade
plants changed because of the advent of the interent?

"Cereus-validus....." wrote in message
m...
"Crockett's Indoor Garden"?!!!

ROTFLMAO!!!!

Crockett died a long time ago. It's time to let it go, Dude.



"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

"Charles Woolever" wrote in message
...
I have an old jade plant (age unknown) but from the size, I assume it's
fairly old.

The plant has always been in a southern window. I water it once every
few weeks. When I water it, I soak the soil but do not let it stand in
runoff water. It stays inside all year. I have no insect problems with
it.

Since last summer, the plant has started to droop. The plant itself is
in very good shape with no soft tissue and only an occasional leaf
drop,
usually in the fall (I live in NY state).

Here is a URL showing the plant:

http://ny.existingstations.com/Jade/Jade.html

The plant is 4 feet across and 20" high from the top rim of the pot.
Before last summer, it never hung below the top rim of the pot and now
it hangs 14" below in some places. All the "trunks" used to stand up
straight and as you can see from the large horizontal trunk, they are
loosing that vertical stance. Maybe it's top heavy?

I'd like suggestions as to what, if anything is wrong, and what I
should
do or if it should just be left this way.

Thanks for the help.

Charles

If the leaves have a red tinge around the edges, the plant's getting
enough light. Otherwise, it's not, and it'll tend to get leggy. Yours
appears to be in pretty good shape, but I wonder if it's getting
pot-bound. According to "Crockett's Indoor Garden", they'll survive
pot-bound for years, but not always thrive. Does the plant perk up at
all within a day of watering, or does it still droop? And, does the
water seem to pass through the pot more quickly than it used to?

I'd repot it (with someone else's help, to avoid snapping branches). Go
to a pot size that allows maybe 3" of extra soil in all directions, and
make sure it's a heavy pot, to provide some weight to counterbalance
the plant. Repotting can be done at any time of year. The plant should
be fed every 3-4 months. If you break off any stems during repotting,
they can be rooted to make new plants. If you can find rooting hormone
powder, it'll help.

Top heavy, relative to the volume of earth it's growing in.

"Cereus-validus....." wrote in message
. com...
Top heavy as in the top growth is far more luxuriant than the branches can
hold upright.

Note that the plant in question is being grown in a window, not in the
tropics, under far less than optimal conditions. The growth is very lanky
and not at all ideal for the plant.

I have seen plants of it grown outdoors in southern California that were
small trees. The massive trunks were fully capable of supporting the much
more compact top growth.


"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
Top heavy....compared to what? They grow as large as dogwoods in the
tropics.


"Cereus-validus....." wrote in message
m...
Your plant has gotten leggy and top heavy.

You need to trim away unnecessary branches and stake the main trunks.


"Charles Woolever" wrote in message
...
I have an old jade plant (age unknown) but from the size, I assume it's
fairly old.

The plant has always been in a southern window. I water it once every
few weeks. When I water it, I soak the soil but do not let it stand in
runoff water. It stays inside all year. I have no insect problems with
it.

Since last summer, the plant has started to droop. The plant itself is
in very good shape with no soft tissue and only an occasional leaf
drop,
usually in the fall (I live in NY state).

Here is a URL showing the plant:

http://ny.existingstations.com/Jade/Jade.html

The plant is 4 feet across and 20" high from the top rim of the pot.
Before last summer, it never hung below the top rim of the pot and now
it hangs 14" below in some places. All the "trunks" used to stand up
straight and as you can see from the large horizontal trunk, they are
loosing that vertical stance. Maybe it's top heavy?

I'd like suggestions as to what, if anything is wrong, and what I
should
do or if it should just be left this way.

Thanks for the help.

Charles

"Cereus-validus....." wrote in message
. com...
Crockett's book was a useless piece of coffee table anecdotal fluff
catering to dummies when it came out. It was never to be take as gospel.
It certainly isn't even a horticultural reference book either.

I'm looking at the book, and I can't see any evidence that it claimed to be
a horticultural reference book. Hortus Third - that's another story.

Hortus Third was a real snafu. L.H. Bailey must have been spinning in his
grave.

It was mostly compiled by grad students (not the experts in most of the
various plant groups) who didn't even bother to do the horticultural or
botanical research necessary and it was completely out-of-date when it was
published. It was trashed by reviewers from everyone from orchid growers to
rose growers. It has far too many mistakes to be taken seriously.

The treatment for succulent plants is very inconsistent and completely
useless. Many of the plant names claimed not to be of horticultural value
were actually validly published and listed in Index Kewensis and/or Index
Londonensis.

The treatment for Plectranthus (which should have included the obsolete
genus Coleus as a synonym) was a shameful atrocity. If they had bothered to
look, they would have found the widely grown African, Asian and Australian
species had been completely revised several years earlier and the literature
was sitting right there the whole time in the Cornell library completely
ignored.

It is one overly expensive paperweight!!!!

It only goes to show that in actual practice horticulture is little more
than botany's idiot stepchild!!!


"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"Cereus-validus....." wrote in message
. com...
Crockett's book was a useless piece of coffee table anecdotal fluff
catering to dummies when it came out. It was never to be take as gospel.
It certainly isn't even a horticultural reference book either.

I'm looking at the book, and I can't see any evidence that it claimed to
be a horticultural reference book. Hortus Third - that's another story.

The problem is that there is really no up-to-date single publication that
fulfills what Hortus Third was supposed to do. The best you can do is to
purchase a book that specializes in a particular plant genus or topic, if
such a book exists.

Timber Press would probably be your best place to look for such specialty
books.

http://www.timberpress.com/index.cfm


"Charles" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 17 Feb 2005 06:28:17 GMT, "Cereus-validus....."
wrote:

Hortus Third was a real snafu. L.H. Bailey must have been spinning in his
grave.

It was mostly compiled by grad students (not the experts in most of the
various plant groups) who didn't even bother to do the horticultural or
botanical research necessary and it was completely out-of-date when it was
published. It was trashed by reviewers from everyone from orchid growers
to
rose growers. It has far too many mistakes to be taken seriously.

The treatment for succulent plants is very inconsistent and completely
useless. Many of the plant names claimed not to be of horticultural value
were actually validly published and listed in Index Kewensis and/or Index
Londonensis.

The treatment for Plectranthus (which should have included the obsolete
genus Coleus as a synonym) was a shameful atrocity. If they had bothered
to
look, they would have found the widely grown African, Asian and Australian
species had been completely revised several years earlier and the
literature
was sitting right there the whole time in the Cornell library completely
ignored.

It is one overly expensive paperweight!!!!

It only goes to show that in actual practice horticulture is little more
than botany's idiot stepchild!!!



What would you recommend in it's place? Other than a good library
nearby, which I seem to not have.


--
Charles

Does not play well with others.

On Thu, 17 Feb 2005 06:28:17 GMT, "Cereus-validus....."
wrote:

It is one overly expensive paperweight!!!!

Thank You!!!! I bought the da** thing and it was useless when I
tried to look up any useful information. Thanks to hurricane Ivan and
you I no longer need to feel guilty for being a dummy.