When to Prune an Indoor Jade

Timing

• Jade plants are evergreen and can grow all year long. Reducing their water and eliminating fertilizer from fall through late winter, however, lets the plants go dormant for a well-deserved winter rest. Keeping the plants dry and in an area that is dark overnight, and is about 55 degrees Fahrenheit during dormancy, can encourage buds to form that start blooming when you begin watering again in late winter. Even if your plant doesn't flower -- and most won't when grown indoors -- the time to prune a jade plant is early spring after any flowers fade and before new leaves and shoots form.

Annual Pruning

• Jade plants bear tight clusters of blooms on the ends of branches and can look leggy as they age. Cutting back to an old leaf scar or node where a leaf once grew encourages a new branch to form on bare growth. To keep a younger plant from becoming leggy, prune back tips to a lateral, or side, branch growing in the direction you want, or pinch off branch tips to encourage the buds that form at the joints between leaf and stem to branch out with thicker growth. Cuts heal on their own, and new growth takes only a few weeks to cover the scars when you prune in the spring. Bypass pruners, which handle stems up to 1/2 inch in diameter, are sufficient for trimming jade plants.

Root Pruning

• Slow-growing jades like to be somewhat pot-bound so containing the roots can help restrict growth and encourage blooming. Every three years or so, though, combine the spring pruning of upper growth with re-potting. When you don't want the plant to grow much bigger -- or don't want to invest in a pricey new pot -- slicing 1 inch from the outer shell of the compacted root ball all the way around and re-potting it in the same pot with a layer of fresh potting soil revives the plant, while keeping its size in check.

Considerations

• Clean, sharp blades avoid transferring disease to jade plants and doing unnecessary damage that can let in disease and insects. Spraying down the blades with household antiseptic cleaner and wiping them dry with a paper towel avoids transferring disease among plants. Spring is also an ideal time to start new jade plants from cuttings. Prunings cut down to a few inches, with lower leaves removed, can be used to start new plants. Jade plant cuttings root easily in moist potting soil once the raw ends dry and callus over in a week or two. Note that jade plants can cause contact dermatitis and gastrointestinal upset in humans when ingested. They are also considered toxic for cats and dogs.