Jade Tree Cuttings Update

I've been in Newsletter Hell for the past four days trying to get a first draft ready in time for a meeting this afternoon. I've had little or no training on any of the Microsoft Office programs, none at all on Publisher. There were times when I had to laugh at myself as I struggled to get it to do what I wanted, sort of like the proverbial man who refuses to ask for directions and just blunders around until he accidentally ends up at his destination. In the end, it was worth the effort. The Steering Committee liked it and the Ag Agent said we have the best newsletter in the state.

But that was not the best news I got today. The best news was when I checked on my jade tree cuttings. They have been having a hard time, losing leaves and getting knocked out of their pots by my cat. I've been trying my very best not to overwater them. My goal has been to keep them "evenly moist" while they grew roots. I like that term. I learned it two weeks ago at a Master Gardener event where there was a speaker on houseplants. Apparently everyone talks about "evenly moist" but no one can agree on what exactly it means. That reminds me of a professor I had in college telling us that whenever an archeologist labels something a "ceremonial object" it means he/she has no idea what it is!

Since that same speaker is also a contributor to the newsletter and I was going to see her at the meeting today, I wanted to ask her what I have doing wrong that my cuttings weren't doing well. I remember her saying that very often plants lose leaves because they are being overwatered but people continue to water them thinking they aren't getting enough water and end up drowning them. So I checked on my cuttings this morning to make sure the soil wasn't saturated (it wasn't) and that they were still losing leaves (they were). I also gave them each a tug to see if they were developing a root system. Both stayed firmly in their pots. Upon closer examination, both have new leaves developing, an excellent sign I learned today meaning they are healthy and growing. I also learned that it is normal for cuttings to lose leaves in the process of growing roots. They have to devote more resources to developing roots and so have less energy to put into leaves. Who knows? Maybe I will actually learn to successfully grow houseplants!