Hello Jade Lovers,
It has been 2 years and it is time to change the soil.
Do you know when it is time to change the soil and/or replace the pot?
Smell Smell Smell and touch.
Smell the soil- if it does not smell like the real soil aka Manure-like aroma(follow your nose), then it is time to change the soil. In wine, we called it the “terroir”
Touch: It feels so good playing the soil with your hands. I love love love to to dig/hold/caress a good lump of clean moist dark rich -a little bit of gritty soil.
When you are going to change the soil in the pot, do not water it for a couple of days. You want the soil to be a little dry. When the soil is dry, feel it–if it feels like sandy, then you know it is time to change the soil. It shows that it has run out of the nutrients.
If you look at the pictures, I do not use any shovels or the digger. All I needed was a spoon like tool(or a big spoon) , a bucket and a tarp to prevent dirt from getting into the clean carpet.
Now- start digging with your hands. Remember when we were kids, we play on beach, oh yea- it brings back good memories of building sand castles.
When you are digging the soil with your hands, feel the soil, feel the roots-if they are soft and moist, then you got a big problem. It means the roots are rotten-decaying- and the soil is infected with “cancer”
Slowly and gently, scoop the soil out of the pot and put in the bucket. With that big of the jade plant I have, it took me like 2 hrs to scoop out the soil as much as I can. Yes,I have someone to hold the jade plant when the soil is quite low in the pot. Yes, the jade plant is heavy but feels so good to hold her-just like holding a nice looking naked body(LMAO)
While I was digging and scooping the soil, I feel the roots. I have to prune some of the roots. Look at the inside of the pot- are they any signs of fungus or white spots or any spots? You can clean the inside of the pot or just replace it with a bigger pot.
When to replace the pot? Common sense tells you that the roots need to grow and explore. It is advisable to use a slightly bigger pot and another good tip is—get wheels!!!
That my biggest regret- I did not have wheels roller underneath the pot. Pretty soon, I need a bigger pot, oh well, when the time comes, I will have to have a pizza party and invite some people over.
After you have scooped out the soil with your hands( yes-hands- forget about manicure for once), doesn’t it feels some kind of accomplishment seeing the dirt in your fingernails???
It is time to shower the jade plant with the good clean “organic” moist soil packed with high nutrients and protein for her to grow bigger and produce more babies.
What kind of soil to use? Well, you can use the any good soil from Home Depot( I do not work for HD but own stocks in them)- I have to get 2 big bags(2 cubic feet) of soil- any clean indoor potting soil is good enough.
**** Do not use any of those fertilizer sticks–it cause more harm than good to your plants. They are detrimental!!! Why you might ask? Well, it is like “OVERFEEDING” DO YOU LIKE TO OVER FEED YOUR KIDS ?
As you know, most pets are sick not because they are underfed, but they are being overFED!!! Look at yourself in the mirror- honey–am I fat??( killer question)
The fresh soil you put in the pot has more than enough nutrients the plants need. Remember– it is patience and lots of love that help the plant or any human being grow.
When you put the new soil in the pot- do not forcefully press the soil, just gently drop the fresh soil and let gravity takes it course. Once a while just gently pack it down.
Wait for a couple of days, then add more soil to the pot.
Do not water the soil as it is already moist out of the bag. Wait for 3-4 days and then give a good through watering.
NOW you are done- doesn’t it feel so good to the smell of fresh soil in the house-Man I love the smell- it brings freshness and aliveness to the plants,house and you.
2 weeks ago, I had to help a couple re-pot their 10yrs old jade plant and took me like a whole day to do it. They even paid me a small fee to do it- but I really enjoyed doing it. The soil has not being changed for 8 yrs and was in pretty bad condition, dry and sandy and worst of all, root decay. Had to cut the roots off.
Now- they are growing happily in the new pot and fresh soil.
Anyway, it took me like 2 days to do all the re-poting as I have about 10+ different kind of jade plants.
I washed down the roots and the leaves.
Since I changed the soil, the jade plant has been growing like crazy.As a matter of fact, all my my jade plants are growing very well and healthy.
Remember jade lovers, Jade Plants are living breathing beings and they will bring you happiness, success, good health and lots of prosperity– Good feng shui and Good Karma to your home and to your family and love ones.
Any questions or you need professional service from me- shoot me an email-chrisgoh@wineinwashington.com or chrisgoh@medicalczar.com aka the Jade Master.
