How to Clone Jade Plants
The jade is a houseplant with thick, fleshy leaves that is easy to care for and grows very well in the low lighting environment of a home. If given enough space, a jade plant will grow into a small, shrub-like tree up to 5 feet in height. Jade plants need little water and prefer warm environments. You can easily propagate a jade plant by rooting a leaf bud cutting. This process is known as cloning. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Locate a leaf node on the stem of a jade plant. A leaf node is the point where a leaf emerges from the plant.
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Position a pruning knife about an inch above the leaf of the plant. Slice inward halfway through the stem of the jade plant. Turn the knife parallel to the branch of the jade plant and slice along the length of the plant until your knife is about an inch past the leaf.
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Turn the knife so that the blade points toward you and pull the blade outward, slicing off the leaf and a shield-shaped section of the leaf node.
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Fill a 6-inch peat pot with peat moss. Create a planting pocket by hollowing out the center of the container.
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Place the leaf node into the planting pocket and cover with soil. The node should be buried 1/2 to 1 inch below the soil. The leaf should stick out of the soil.
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Water the plant so that the soil remains as damp as a wrung-out sponge. The plant will sprout roots and grow from this cutting.
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Tips & Warnings
Select a jade plant that is free of disease and bug infestations. Jade plants are extremely susceptible to mealybugs, which look like white puffs of cotton. Spider mites also plague jade plants. They can make a jade plant loose its green color and appear dusty and speckled.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit liane de jade image by Unclesam from Fotolia.com
