wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello,

I've had a little Jade plant in my office for a couple of years now. It
doesn't get much light (read: no sunlight :|) other than from the
fluorescent bulbs, but has been growing a bit. Unfortunately, at some
point this summer (during my absence) it "lost its composure" and
fell/bent sideways. Since then I've had to prop it up with a stick...
but the stem is like a large spaghetti now and I'm not sure what kind
of prospects the little guy now has.

Any suggestions. Pardon the complete-plant-illiterate post; hopefully
in patching this little Jade up I can learn a thing or two about
plants.

Thanks,
Mike

By a jade plant I assume you mean crassula arboscens\ovata
otherwise known as a money tree.*

First of all, these plants are tough as old boots. Give it a good
watering by standing it in a bowl of water with the chill taken off,
until the water shows on the surface. The plant would benefit from a
regular monthly(ish) feeding with a lowish nitrogen liquid or powdered
fertiliser (including trace elements). Any fertiliser will do. However
if you insist, you can pay more for a special houseplant fertiliser
"baby bio" or similar.

You can tell when the plant needs watering when the leaves or pads are
spongy to the touch. When it's been well watered the pads will be rigid.
So its water and feed throughout the year whenever the leaves are really
spongy to the touch.

Also when its been watered it should really regain its upright shape.
However propping it up, if necessary, will do it no harm

These plants are very easy to propagate from cuttings. Either
from individual leaves, or leaves plus a piece of stem which has broken
off. If you notice, the stems all have knuckles similar to bamboo,
and these break off at the knuckles when the branches get
overburdened with leaves, fall to the ground and regrow from
there. In nature that is. The plant also makes arial roots.

All the Crassulas are South African, Southern hemisphere in origin and
so most species continue growing through the Winter. In fact they
can grow all year round. I've had the best success with flowering, in
plants on North facing windowsills. In this situation they also make
a more open candelabrum shape.

All plants benefit from a bit of sunlight now and again. The more
sunlight they get - unless grown under special growlights -
the better they'll do. Maybe you could leave the plant on the
windowsill over the weekends when nobody's in the office to object.
Or take it home for a holiday.

Everyone has their own recommendations for compost for repotting.
My own, gun to the head figures, would be around 50% peat based compost,
30% sharp grit, and 20% coarse sand. With the bottom third of the
pot first filled with pea shingle to promote good drainage.





michael adams

* http://www.bcss-liverpool.pwp.blueyo...ula_ovata.htm*