One of my goals is to
find a fat ol' jade tree, maybe a couple of feet high and with
a big
single trunk--3-4" or so. I am expecting that I'll unpot the
tree and
remove a lot of the soil to reduce bulk and weight. If I were
to remove
a good deal of soil to expose the root ball, and wrap the
rootball in
plastic, (this would be true of any cacti I buy) would that be
harmful
to the plant? I'm assuming that since they prefer dry
conditions with
only occasional watering that having the roots exposed like
that,
although wrapped up, will not be harmful. Any suggestions will
be
helpful.

None of the jade trees (Crassula sp.) are native to North America
as far as I know, so you're just as likely to pay the same for a
nursery specimen in AZ as here. You'll have to extend your
honeymoon for South Africa to find them in their native habitats.

Cactus you will find, as they are native only to the Americas and
any cacti found elsewhere are exports -- despite local rumors to
the contrary.

In NY, all the cacti (except, perhaps, Opuntia sp.) probably will
be indoor plants for 8 months of the year.

Cactus are often sold (via mail) with NO soil on the roots, so
carrying them soilless in a box on the plane (?) should be no
problem.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Only where
people have learned to appreciate and cherish the landscape and
its living cover will they treat it with the care and respect it
should have - Paul Bigelow Sears.

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