Jade plants, sometimes called money tree plants, are easy-care succulents with shiny, leathery leaves. Ensuring that you regularly prune jade plants ensures that they never overgrow and become difficult. And since they can grow up to 3 meters tall with increasing age, a regular cut will save you a lot of hard work later.
You are probably wondering how to prune a jade plant – or at least what to look out for when pruning a jade plant. Don't worry anymore, we'll explain everything to you today!
Helpful products for pruning jade plants:
What is pruning and what does it do?
Pruning jade plants is a valuable skill for learning healthy plant growth. Source: Steve Wedgwood
Pruning is when you freshen up your plant by cutting it off. It helps keep your plant healthy by cutting out any damaged or diseased parts of your plant. It also keeps it tidy and looks good.
Regular trimming also promotes the future growth of your jade plants. As soon as they are pruned, their stems release new leaf buds. You can bring your plant to a denser and firmer shape.
When the flowers of jade plants fade, the used flowers are removed by cutting or dying. It is not an essential part of the care of jade plants, as the flowers usually fall off by themselves, but do not harm them.
Jade plants tend to be top heavy. If you are in an area that is regularly blown by strong winds, you should slow down the top growth to allow for better air circulation. This reduces the strain on the trunk or stems. Sure, they can take a lot, but why do they risk wind damage?
Pruning a jade plant
Jade plants are fairly easy to care for. In fact, learning how to properly trim them is one of the few "difficult" parts, and it's not that difficult. Careful examination of your plant and its stem structure is all you need to know where to cut. Let us take a closer look at how you can prune your jade plants for the best leaf and stem development!
Wait for your jade to reach maturity
As a rule, do not prune jade plants that are less than a year old. Younger plants are more at risk of pests. In addition, the leaves are particularly important when a plant is young. It takes a while for juicy jade roots to develop, and until they do, they rely mostly on the chlorophyll that they store in their leaves.
Younger plants also don't have as many forks from the main stem. Pruning the wrong plant at a young age can lead to developmental disorders.
Choose the right season
Note the small leaf buds that form on the stems of this jade plant. Source: Anika Malone
When should you prune your jade plant? I recommend doing the main cut in early spring, when the weather has warmed up, but before it starts to generate new growth. In warmer weather, your plant jumps back quickly and leaves beautifully.
Avoid pruning in the winter months. The cooler weather does not allow the cut stems to become stubborn and may keep them moist and not healed. This can create a place where pests or diseases can enter the plant. For the same reason, I recommend avoiding late autumn.
Select a day on which the weather forecast has not predicted rain for at least three days. This gives the cutters time to start crusting over the trimmed part.
Visualize the desired shape
Take a close look at your jade plants. The stems and stem should consist of dozens of interlocking segments. In the places where your plant can bring new growth, you have to decide where to cut.
Use a piece of thread or ribbon and tie it around the branches to be cut. Then take a step back and imagine what it will look like when you finish cutting. This can help you make shaping decisions before making the first cut.
Pruning a jade plant can help develop two different and different growth patterns. If you want something bushier, remove very few lower branches and focus on shaping it so that it is visually appealing. For a shape that looks more like a jade tree, remove the lower branches with a sterilized pruner and cut the canopy lightly.
Tips for pruning money plants
Never remove more than a third of the plant if you can avoid this. While a jade plant can take a heavier cut, you have a healthier plant if there are enough leaves and branches.
If you want to make a cut, find a point directly above a leaf node. If you leave the leaf knot behind, two new branches can develop where the previous one was.
Always use a sterilized pruning shear or a sterilized branch knife. This will reduce the risk of disease spreading.
Let the cut surfaces become stubborn after pruning the jade plant branches. This can take a few days. So try to prune everything when the weather is dry and warm for a while.
As part of the care for jade plants after pruning, you should water the base of the plant for a while. This also enables the branches to develop new callouses via their stem ends.
If you want, you can use some of the trimmed material for the cuttings! Choose stem pieces with a length of at least 10 to 20 cm. A stem with several leaf nodes is ideal. Make sure the scissors are sharp enough to get a clean cut. Let your cuttings dry and heal for a few days. Once the end is removed, you can try letting it root.
The green thumbs behind this article:
Kevin Espiritu
founder 
Lorin Nielsen
Lifetime gardener
