Starting a Kitchen Garden Indoors

Question:
I'm hoping to start an indoor kitchen garden, but of course my options -- like my space -- are limited. I'm thinking of growing a range of herbs in a pebble garden, as well as a Meyer lemon tree, and maybe a fig tree, though I've heard those aren't fruit-bearing when grown indoors. Any other suggestions for hardy indoor plants that can be put to use in the kitchen?

The room only has one window, in a corner, facing West. Not the best situation, but I was thinking of supplementing the natural light with a fluorescent bulb. The living room has better light, but there's a cat out there that'll apparently eat herbs, so unless I can figure out a way to build a shelf halfway up the window frame, it looks like I'm going to be gardening in my bedroom.

Answer (for now):
Given your limited space and light I would suggest starting your indoor kitchen garden in stages. This way you can begin with a few options that are typically easy and reliable, see how those plants fare, and then move on and branch out from there. Quickly before I forget, large fruit bearing trees can be a real challenge to grow indoors and yes, getting them to fruit properly can be extremely difficult. They need greater variation between daytime and nighttime temperatures, some seasonal temperature fluctuation as well, good airflow and circulation, and much more sunlight. I am sorry to say, but a few windows in an apartment that stays a constant 70-something degrees throughout the year is not going to be the easiest or best environment.

So, let’s talk about things that work. I have a close friend and coworker who grows a ton of herbs in her apartment in Brooklyn, specifically in an East-facing window. Every year she enjoys growing from seed or propagating from cuttings basil, cilantro, parsley and dill. When I asked her opinion she also mentioned that she enjoyed growing sweet marjoram a few times, and can keep rosemary going pretty if it is already a decent size. Depending on your level of patience you can try starting seed or you will be able to find all of these in small pots for cheap at the Farmer’s Market in Union Square (open Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays). If you opt for starting the seeds yourself, sow them as the packets suggest, water the seeds and soil well, and then cover your pots with Saran Wrap, or some such equivalent. This will seal in moisture and humidity for the period of time it takes for the seeds to germinate – essentially creating a mini greenhouse in each pot. After a few days or a week you can poke some holes in the Saran Wrap to slowly begin acclimating the seedlings to your much drier apartment. When the seedlings reach the Saran Wrap you can remove it, keep the seedlings moist on a regular basis, and perhaps the occasional misting with a fine spray bottle. Avoid direct exposure to A/C or any other strong wind source that might dry out the fragile new foliage before it matures and hardens off.

Let me know if this is helpful and any other questions you may have. Fruits and veggies will be harder to do in your conditions, but if and when you feel like taking on that challenge we can definitely help with both library references and personal testimonials.

Where to Buy a Meyer Lemon?

question:
I was wondering if you had advice about where to get citrus trees in NY, either in Brooklyn or Manhattan. I'm looking to get a meyer lemon tree. If you don't know a particular business, but have advice about resources to plant businesses in NY, I would appreciate your help.

Answer:
Especially this time of year Meyer lemons can be pretty hard to find here in the city. In the winter, even kept indoors, citrus trees require a lot of sun and humidity so I'm not sure of who would risk carrying them this time of year. If you ask around you might find that some vendors that typically carry them will not have them again until April or May. That being said, here are my recommendations. Just because I love to walk around there and see what people have I might try a search in the Flower District, 28th Street west of Broadway to 7th Avenue. Many will probably have an ornamental citrus called x Citrofortunella microcarpus, also called a calamondin, but perhaps you can ask if anyone could order a Meyer for you. Then I would try calling Chelsea Garden Center, with locations in Manhattan and Red Hook, and Dimitri's Garden Center, now up in the Bronx. They are the larger garden centers in the city and as a bonus if you are an HSNY member you get a discount on purchases (10% at Chelsea, 15% at Dimitri's). I don't know if you have a car, but a coworker from Jersey swears that Metropolitan Plant and Flower Exchange in Fort Lee, NJ, have most everything. In fact he just called and they told him that they will not carry citrus until April, which in part led to my earlier comment. Good luck and let me know if we can help you further.

Help with Drooping Houseplants

Question:
All my corn plants look like Quasimodo! How do I straighten them out?

Answer:
Actually, they might not be corn plants. There is another one that looks very similar which is called a spineless yucca (Yucca elephantipes). Whereas corn plants and other kinds of Dracaena can deal with low light, spineless yucca benefit from bright light with plenty of direct sun. I am going to guess that the reason they have all flopped over is because of water, either an extreme of having too much or having too little. The soil should be kept moist throughout the summer and allowed to only dry out only a little in winter. The one thing, unfortunately, that growers and florists don’t always tell you is that inconsistent watering can lead to these plants drooping pretty seriously pretty quickly. I had one client once who was so attached to hers, as it was her only outdoor plant that survived 9/11, and it devastated me to have to tell her that she needed to start over because the plant had flopped to such a point that I knew it would not stand up on it’s own again. For your situation, apply small quantities of water with regularity; let’s say once a week. Some folks I have talked to also mist their yucca, but that is often more necessary in the summer during warmer weather. Try and find something like a bamboo stake or two and some twine so that you can stake up the flopped portions of your plants. If staking is a new or intimidating endeavor, let me know and I will advise you further.

Plant ID: Begonia sp.

Question:
Can you please name this plant? And tell me how to best care for it? Thanks.

Answer:
The plant in the photographs you have sent is a definitely a kind of begonia. If I had to guess more specifically than that, I might guess that it is a certain cultivar called a ‘Corallina de Lucerna’. There are thousands of different kinds of begonias out there and each one will have one of three different kinds of root systems: fibrous, rhizomatous, or tuberous. Begonia ‘Corallina de Lucerna’ has a fibrous root system, consisting of many fine roots that tangle instead of roots consisting of larger fleshy rhizomes or tubers. Based on that assumption, this is what you need to know about caring for your plant.

Your begonia requires bright light but does not need direct sun. If you wanted to try and get it to flower you would have to increase the sun to the point where the plant is getting about 4 hours of direct sun a day. However, where you have the plant now, if it is under florescent light on a daily basis it should be getting enough full spectrum light to be able to properly photosynthesize. During the summer months you can keep the soil moist on a regular basis, or allow it to go slightly dry between watering, but in the winter you want to water less. The plant is much less active this time of year so you can let the soil go fairly dry between watering. You will want to give it a weak solution of a balanced fertilizer every two weeks during the summer months only, when the plant is getting more sunlight and growing at a faster rate. The only other thing is that begonias love humidity. If you placed a layer of small stones or pebbles in the saucer underneath the pot and let excess water accumulate there, then the water in that “buffer zone” can evaporate and provide some humidity for the plant. As long as the roots are not sitting in water for any length of time, which runs the risk of root rot, the begonia will benefit from the extra moisture in the air. Since our places can get so dry in the winter I might even put a little water solely in my saucers if the plant’s soil is still moist and does not appear to need more water. As far as the container it is in, it should be fine. You could maybe repot it to a container an inch larger in diameter, or maybe even just do a little “top dress” of fresh soil, but hold off on that until spring.

Growing Citrus Indoors in Rye, New York

Question:
I live in Rye, N.Y and I also have been having similar problems with many of my 2 dozen potted citrus. I have had most for 2-3 years and they have seemed healthy. Fought off citrus red mites last winter with horticultural oil and pre-treated them in September before bringing them into the house this year. They are in a sun room with ambient temps around 70 degrees. They get east and southeast sun for half of the day (when there has been sun). They are potted in 5 gallon pots with either a mix of citrus/cactus soil or Moisture-control potting soil mixed with orchid bark stuff. The pots have extra drainage holes and the plants are not allowed to sit in dishes with water.

They grew really well this summer with lots of flowers and fruit. The new leaves appeared chlorotic so I fed them as best I could with iron and minor elements as well as a general plant food (Ran out of the citrus foliar and citrus liquid I had brought from Florida several years ago.) They never really looked great, but.... I top-pruned them so they would fit in the house with the 2 dozen Rosa Sinensis I have and brought them in. I've since obtained citrus foliar feed (but can't spray while in the house) and some granular citrus food. I put about a teaspoon of this on them after bringing them in having read that citrus are "heavy feeders" and they looked kind of "pale".

They soon began dropping leaves which I assumed were the previous year's growth but the leaf drop continued and several plants began to get shriveled leaves which turned brown and the trees failed. No bugs, the soil smelled normal. I unpotted one of the "sick" plants (a Buddah's Hand) and found mostly roots, none circling the pot, no rotten roots or bugs in the soil. I cut away some of the larger roots and put the plant in a clean pot with the above mentioned soil mix and I'm waiting for something to happen.

So, basically I have had citrus trees with leaf drop of 1) Apparently healthy leaves; 2) Leaves that shrivel and brown around the edges before falling; 3) Branch tips that wilt and don't respond to watering (if previously dry).

Somehow I thought I had saved my "grove" last year after the mites, but I'm unable to fix their problems now. I'm attaching some pix with the hope that you can somehow advise me since what I read on your blog seemed entirely reasonable for Hibiscus and Citrus.

I would be eternally grateful if you could help me manage my indoor citrus.

Answer:
Thank you for writing. I can’t even imagine how nerve-racking it must have been to deal with the red mites given the amount of citrus you have potted up. I’m so glad you were able to control the situation. Let me share with you my knowledge of citrus, along with the aid of some literature here in our library, and hopefully I can provide some new information to help you.

Regarding the sunlight it sounds like the room has a strong enough exposure that your many citrus get the hours of direct sun that they need. I assume in summer you place them in an area with an equal amount of direct sun.

A constant temperature of 70 through the winter sounds good. Your citrus could probably even tolerate colder temperatures, into the 60’s or upper 50’s, but I understand that you still want to enjoy your sun room as well. The only other thing about the temperature, as reiterated in my research, is that you want to make the temperature transition as smooth as possible when moving the plants indoors or out. I assume the sun room gets warm during the summer, but in the fall if the room stays around 70 then I would move the plants in while it is still nearest to that temperature outside. Of course we also need to take into consideration the nighttime temps in the fall and spring as they can drop pretty low compared to daytime temps. I have seen people leave their citrus outside until it gets in the 60’s or below and then move them into an enclosed, warmer 70 degree room and that can certainly lead to some shock and leaf drop.

Certainly the citrus and/or cactus soil is great because it has such excellent drainage. I would probably add some quality compost to it as well to increase the nutrient value and water holding capacity. I am curious to know more about how the plants in the moisture control and/or orchid bark mix are holding up. Both of those media can hold moisture for long periods of time without drying out and I was taught that all citrus enjoy being in soil that is allowed to dry out a little between watering. I’m sure the extra drainage holes you added make all the difference.

Citrus are heavy feeders, but you will want to concentrate more on when they are feeding most heavily. During the warmer months when the days are longest and the temperature and humidity is at optimal levels your citrus are going to be most active. In combination with the fact that they are all containerized, this means that fertilizing is most important through the spring and summer. Most citrus fertilizers have a higher first and third number, which means higher doses of nitrogen and potash compared to phosphorous. The nitrogen is important for the green of the plant, the development of foliage for photosynthesis. Potash is important on the cellular level because it aids the overall structural health of the plant. During the summer I would fertilize regularly every two weeks with a citrus fertilizer or another fertilizer as long as it is high in nitrogen and potash. If your local garden center does not carry a product specific enough I was able to find a number of adequate fertilizers for sale online. This time of year, since the plants are inside and still getting ample light, I might still fertilize but definitely less than during the summer. Since chlorotic foliage is an issue I might switch to a foliage fertilizer, with a high nitrogen content and lower phosphorous and potash, and apply lightly and sparingly through the winter. Usually I tell people not to fertilize in the winter at all but in your case it might help. Even though your citrus are evergreen they are still in more of a resting period this time of year. Over-fertilizing in the winter, when the plant is not active enough to take it all up, you can run the risk of adding too many soluble salts to the soil and that can inhibit nutrient uptake even if nutrients are present in the soil. I doubt you have, but if you fear you have over-fertilized, you do have the option of flushing the soil with a heavy watering and leaching out excess salts.

Aside from the fertilizing, the only other issue that seems most pressing that I haven’t mentioned is the humidity. Dry winter air is brutal on our indoor plants so increasing humidity in the room is the first thing that came to my mind when you mentioned shriveling leaves and wilting tips. I have oversized glazed or plastic saucers with gravel below all my indoor plants. Excess water that collects in the gravel “buffer zone” evaporates in the immediate area around the plant and should help those dry and wilting tips. Some times I will even put a little water solely in the saucer if I know the soil is moist enough. This winter I went a step further and finally bought a humidifier and all of my plants look so much better. Increased humidity will not only increase the health of the new growth and the older growth to hold on, but it will also help combat pests like the red mites who thrive in drier conditions. I think even a spray bottle with a fine mist would be a help during these dry months if that isn’t already part of your routine.

I hope this information helps give you some new insight and is not too repetitious to what you have already read or know yourself. If you have more questions send them my way or feel free to call me in the office during the work day to discuss. Good luck.

Notes from Around Town: Ford Foundation Atrium

As fall and winter finally approaches, and as we adjust to our winter routine of spending less and less time outside, I wanted to share with you a special interior green space here in the city we can all enjoy. Below are pictures from the Ford Foundation Atrium, which is located between 42nd and 43rd Streets just west of First Avenue. Built from 1963-67, this interior garden space is one of the most popular green atriums here in New York City, and rightfully so. When you enter this green oasis you can't help be amazed by the tropical plants of all shapes and sizes that stand before you. As you follow the choreography of the pathways you find yourself eventually surrounded by these trees and shrubs, taking in the good air, and at peace thanks to the soft sound of the water feature in the center. The atrium is open to the public from 10-4 on business days and if you have never been, it is a visit that you should treat yourself to very soon. Even yesterday, on such a dreary day here in the city, my coworker and I couldn't help but feel inspired and energized after our trip through the atrium.
Different kinds of Ficus trees that have been there for years are now well established and reaching up 20+ feet into the vaulted ceiling that goes up the entire height of the building.
Below the larger trees the sloped beds are loaded with tropical shrubs like Schefflera arboricola with it's rounded palmately compound leaves, and groundcovers like Trandescantia with striking purple on the undersides of their silver-striped leaves, just to name a few. Variegated plants are incorporated too, like the arrowhead vine (Syngonium podophyllum) to provide additional texture to the planting beds on a year-round basis. With enough plants to maintain decent humidity in the atrium there were even a number of different ferns that I was thrilled to come across.
As we strolled through my coworker and I had to marvel at how brilliantly the atrium was laid out so that it was visible and enjoyable to all those in the offices up above. A man and woman were sitting on one of the paths having an afternoon debriefing and certainly we thought they had found the perfect setting for their little meeting.
In addition to all the levels and layers on the ground floor there is a mezzanine that had large trees and shrubs in it, as well as many hanging plants that cascade down to welcome you when you enter from 43rd Street.
And even though most of the plants in the atrium are tropical plants known for their foliage, I was able to find a few wonderful flowers to educate my colleague about. Above is a tropical shrub or tree botanically known as a Calliandra. Not surprisingly the common name of this tropical shrub is known as either powderpuff or flame bush. There were also camellias in bud and a few already putting out their multi-petaled winter blossoms. Down by the water feature in the center I found a gardenia that still had a number of their intensely fragrant flowers on it, and I tell you, I could stand there and smell the gardenias all day they are so amazing. So, next time you are over on the east side around 42nd or 43rd Street, treat yourself to a walk through the Ford Foundation Atrium. I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised. And lastly, as always, keep in touch with HSNY and become a member as I hope to lead a tour or two of the atrium, and perhaps others, in the upcoming months.

How to Combat Whiteflies

Question:
Can you suggest the best methods to get rid of white flies, both in a New York City garden, and then as a precaution before bringing plants indoors for the winter?

Answer:
Sure enough white flies are one frustrating little pest, aren’t they? The main problem that sets white flies apart from the other insect pests is that they can produce so many generations a year. According to reference books here in our library, most species require 20-30 days for a complete life cycle, and that length of time can be even shorter during the warmer summer months. With numerous overlapping generations in a year infestations can happen quickly and can be very overwhelming, but I am more than happy to share with you my tips for helping to control them.

First, as I like to do with all insect questions, let me describe the pest and the damage so you know more clearly what you are looking at. Whiteflies are minute sucking insects that hide and feed on the undersides of leaves. If you shake a plant with whiteflies you will see them fly up and make a little fluttering cloud. Adults lay eggs on the undersides of leaves and these eggs are gray or yellow and roughly the size of a head of a pin. The larval nymphs emerge only a few days later as translucent little scales, also on the undersides of the leaves, and begin feeding off the plant. As they suck out the plant cells to feed they continue to go through different growth stages until they become adults only a couple weeks later. As you might guess, this feeding weakens and stresses out the plant. A good tell-tale sign of whitefly damage is the sticky honeydew that they secrete and leave on the leaf surface. This sugary honeydew can lead to sooty mold, a black fungus that grows on the honeydew covering leaves and fruit. Sooty mold is not likely to kill your plant, but it sure is ugly.

If you have whiteflies on plants that you still have outside, I would go ahead and treat the plants with an insecticidal soap right away. Safer brand insecticidal soaps and other such soaps you should be able to find at your local garden center or any larger retail store (Lowe’s, Home Depot, etc.). Read the instructions and spray and coat the infested plants as best you can. Remember that spraying the undersides of the leaves is crucial since that is where whiteflies spend most of their time. I believe the bottle will recommend spraying the plant to the point of runoff. As long as the leaves of the plants are not too fragile, like certain ferns might be, you can repeat application of the insecticidal soap weekly until you see the situation getting better. In addition to spraying, any physical removal of eggs or nymphs that you can do will be a big help as well. A soapy paper towel and/or swab with rubbing alcohol will help as you attempt physical removal.

Finally, when you move the plants back inside before frost, put out whitefly traps. You can buy them prepackaged or you can make your own. Get a piece of florescent yellow paper and cut it down to 2” x 2” squares. Coat the paper with petroleum jelly. Then use a cut-down plant stake, or some such support, to place the traps in your containers. Since they are not the most aesthetically pleasing, place them in the back of the pots so they are not such an eyesore. The bright color attracts the whiteflies and they get stuck to the petroleum jelly. Throw out and replace as necessary. This way you can keep track of the pests through the winter and you can tell if there are enough of them that another application of insecticidal soap is necessary.

Plant ID: Pachypodium sp.

Question:
I was given this cactus as a present from a supply house here in New York that no longer exists. My plant consists of four stalks, the tallest of which is about 40" tall from the top of the 11" diameter clay pot in which it is planted. In their heyday, each stalk put out a grand splay of green leaves at their top which would replace itself except for a slow period in the winter.
I water the plant once every three weeks by immersing the pot but don't know whether I should be wetting the leaves and stalks at the same time. I have had good reaction to Miracle Grow once or twice a year. The plant sits on the window sill of a New York City apartment and gets direct sunlight for perhaps 2 or 3 hours a day. I have not seen any evidence of bugs or other infestation but have sprayed it on occasion with Safer Soap on the recommendation of my local florist. During the last year it has passed through several phases of losing almost all its leaves, which eventually come back but not in the solid, full spray of the past. The tallest stalk now puts out leaves but they almost all start to shrivel and darken before they have fully grown.
So, doctor, that is my problem. What am I doing wrong? What can I do to bring it back to its former great self?

Answer:
Your cactus belongs to the genus Pachypodium. Pachypodiums are native to southern Africa and Madagascar. These cactus-like deciduous succulents are used to much warmer and dryer climates and should not be subject to temperatures below 50º Fahrenheit. In total there are about 17 recorded species of Pachypodium. Even though I cannot identify the species with 100% confidence, I might guess that you own the species Pachypodium lamerei. Pachypodium lamerei I have seen written up as a viable houseplant in the U.S. since it does not get nearly as large as some of the other species. A good ID tool for these plants is the flower (color, size, fragrance, etc), so if you have ever seen it flower that might help us identify your plant more specifically.

Regarding caring for your Pachypodium, they do prefer full sun and a fertile soil with maximum drainage. They can be watered with regularity during the active growing season from late spring through summer. Since you have plenty of new growth in the form of those small side shoots I would say your watering every three weeks is fine. As the saying goes, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”. However, since I know that this genus of plants goes dormant in the winter, I think you should cut back gradually on the water so that you are applying less or none in winter. As the days shorten and there is less sunlight for photosynthesis, the plant will begin to slow down. Perhaps water only once in November, once in December, and once in January. For late January and February do not water at all. You would then begin watering again, starting in March with smaller amounts and eventually getting back to the full submerging by the end of April or May. As for the Miracle-Gro, I would only apply it once a month when you water during the active growing months from June to September. It is best to repot in springtime while the plant is resting and before it becomes very active again. Schultz (I believe) actually has a soil mix that they advertise as being best for cactus and succulents. The label is quite clear, and I have found it in garden shops of all shapes and sizes around the city. The soil itself I have had good success with. I have even used regular potting soil with sand mixed in, but sand alone is not always as easy to come by in the city.

Finally, let’s revisit some of the issues you have noticed recently. The pinched deformities to the leaves on the tallest stalk are some kind of insect damage. To combat this, I believe that the insecticidal soap is your best bet. Safer is a popular company and I can stand behind their whole line of insecticidal soaps ready to use in spray bottles. You might want to treat a single leaf before applying the spray to the entire stalk, but the leaves seem sturdy and glossy enough that they should hold up just fine. Looking at the brown and black leaves, I would guess that those might be caused by a nutrient deficiency. As we have already discussed, since you have not repotted the plant in the four years you have had it, I would recommend changing out the soil. Fresh soil should allow for adequate nutrients and drainage for the plant. It seems as though the size of the container still allows for ample growing room so I think you can use the same pot when repotting. As far as the best order to control these issues, I would try and treat the deformed leaves and pest issue now and wait until spring for the repotting.

How to Care for a Macodes petola in New Jersey

Question:
I was recently given a Macodes petola and I do not know how to care for it. Can you please tell me this plant's proper light, fertilizer, and water requirements?

Answer:
Macodes petola, or jewel orchid, is a very unique member of the orchid family. I first saw one of these when I was a student at the NYBG and I could not believe my eyes. This orchid has dark green leaves with yellow venation that is truly a sight to behold. The yellow venation is so sparkly and bright you might think the plant looks like it is made of gold or is somehow illuminated! This is one such orchid that I would love to have in my collection not so much for the flower as much as the foliage.

As far as caring for your Macodes petola, they are particular but not impossible to keep alive. The first particular is that this orchid requires very high humidity. A bathroom with good airflow and indirect sun would be an appropriate setting. If that is not an option, place it near an open window where it can get some of the natural humidity from outside. If you are not doing so already, place some stones in your saucer to create a buffer so that excess water that collects in the saucer can evaporate and provide humidity without running the risk of rotting the roots. Do not allow the sphagnum moss that the orchid is planted in to dry out completely; it needs to be kept moist at all times. Regarding light requirements, be sure that your Macodes is never kept in a spot where it will get direct sunlight. Indirect sunlight is fine, but direct sun will burn the foliage in no time. The leaves look delicate and in fact they are much more sensitive than other more sturdy orchids (phalaenopsis, oncidiums, cattleyas,etc.) we typically see for sale. If you wish you can fertilize "weakly weekly" as you would your other orchids this time of year.

Where to buy Venus Fly Traps?

Question:

I live in Corona, NY. Where can I buy Venus fly traps?

Answer:

The botanical name for Venus flytraps is Dionaea muscipula. They are a carnivorous plant native to the coastline of the Carolinas, and they reproduce and spread by rhizome, or underground stem.

I am not familiar with garden centers near Corona, NY, but I have seen the plants for sale at the garden shop at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden in Park Slope, Brooklyn, as well as the Shop in the Garden up at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. Also, if you purchase from the internet, there is a great website called http://www.hirts.com/ and they sell a number of native carnivorous plants. You might find that it also helps to do internet searches for other retailers if you search under the botanical name, Dionaea muscipula.

Jade Plant on Long Island, NY

Question:

I’m thrilled though to have learned that you will answer queries on plants as I have been trying to discern the state of my jade plant. It is of uncertain age, but I can tell you it was in an 8” pot and perhaps 8” high and not quite as round when I received it about 5 years ago. It had a quiet life in a city apartment then. In my sunny winter windows on the north shore of Long Island, it has been transplanted a number of times. It is currently in a pot measuring 12” high by 16” wide and the plant is about 18” high and almost 36” in diameter now!

I’ve attached a photo for reference.

It’s gotten too heavy to move outside in summer as of this year and was most recently repotted in the summer/fall of 2005. My question is do I need to repot it again? The soil is very hard, so I am tempted to water more, but I refrain. I get a small number of shriveled yellow leaves thru the winter but nothing alarming. I know that jades don’t want a lot of fertilizer, water or anything except sun, but I am suddenly in the care of a giant! I want to feed eat properly!

How long do they live? I’ve been taking a few cuttings but should I be cutting this plant back or thinning it? It has a wonderful symmetrical roundness now.

Also, I’ve seen the jades in the Camellia house at Planting Fields Arboretum flower in winter. Mine never has, and theirs appear ancient, not as full as mine, but almost 5 feet tall…what makes them flower?

Answer:

And what a magnificent plant it is – I loved the picture! That is a certainly a beautiful specimen. To answer your first question, the plant will eventually need to be repotted, but I don’t think that is something that you are going to have to worry about for a few years, especially if you did it in 2005. It’s roots will continue to grow outward and downward, but at a slower rate. I do not see any need to prune it at all – it does have a fabulous shape. I have certainly seen plenty of jades perfectly content in almost pot-bound conditions, and continue to do fine for years. Otherwise you are certainly taking proper care of the plant. Never happy to be completely soaked, you can water a little more freely during the active growing season, (the summer months), but as you know already little to no water through winter.

As for how long they can live? They can go for a very, very long time. Growing up (I grew up out on the south fork of the island) I had a neighbor who had the largest, most unbelievable jade plants you can imagine. Honestly, she had four or five plants and they took up her entire sun room. Mrs. Fantini said that the plants were as old as she was, so that made them at least 90 years old! Granted as they get older they will not grow so aggressively, but you should expect to enjoy it for many more years.

Regarding getting them to flower, that is a question that I must admit I don’t have such a quick response to. The ones that I have seen flower have only been at aged conservatories where they have been settled and properly taken care of for years. I was recently up at the New York Botanical Garden and theirs was just beginning to bloom. There are ways of tricking various succulents into blooming, such as shocking them by putting them in total darkness, or dropping and raising the temperature of where they are growing, but I am very skeptical to suggest any of those for fear that the plant might get too shocked and go into decline. And it is certainly too amazing a plant, and too old a plant, to get experimental at this stage – at least that’s my opinion. I suppose regarding the flowers, all we can do is hope that as it gets more comfortable in its new home and pot it will eventually flower on it’s own.

Training a Jade Plant

Question:
I have an indoor Jade Plant with three branches - each about 12 - 18 inches long. I middle branch is growing straight up but the 2 on either side are growing in an inverted U. Is there a way to get them to grow straight up?

Answer:
To be perfectly honest, that sounds like a very comical looking plant. I personally have grown a few jades and the shapes that they take over time can be pretty unique. As far as how to train the two bent branches, my first thought is bonsai supports. Bonsai growers use a number of different metal structures and wire (from the most basic to the most complex) to carefully train their plants into the desired shape. Of the ones I have seen, you drive the base into the edges of the container or brace it to the bottom of the jade plant, and use the supports and wires to tie the plant stems in the desired direction. The one catch is that these structures, even though they help you train the plant the way you want it, they can be big and perhaps not what you want aesthetically. Now, if these two branches in question are very thick and mature, you might not be able to bend or train them very well at this point, but you could certainly try with new growth that emerges. Off the top of my head I am not familiar with bonsai stores or websites, but I am sure there are more than enough out there.