With Mothers Day only a few days away I would have normally been wondering what to buy my Mother, since she seems to have everything, and no matter what I end up buying although I know that she will be grateful it will probably end up being relegated to the back of a cupboard. However this year I have planned early and this year I intend to give her a Jade Plant.
I have had a Jade Plant of my own for about four years now and over this time it has grown quite large. The inspiration for the gift came from a passing comment that my Mother made when she visited me a couple of months ago. Initially I had decided to take a cutting from my own Plant and nurture it until it was large enough to give to her but then I realised that it would make an ideal gift for Mother Day for the woman who has everything.
WHY THE JADE PLANT?
I thought that a Jade Plant would make an ideal gift because they are incredibly easy to look after.
My Parents go away on Holiday several times a year, often for up to 3 weeks at a time and therefore House Plants are generally not practical for them since most Plants cannot usually survive this length of time without watering. The Jade Plant however can survive such neglect without a problem.
Jade Plants also do not need to be re-potted very often either. In fact these Plants thrive best when they are Pot-bound.
To say that my Mother is not very green fingered is a bit of an understatement to say the least, she has had various so called low maintenance House Plants over the years which she has managed to kill off, but my thought behind giving her a Jade Plant was based on the fact that these Plants really do thrive with minimal care.
A BIT ABOUT THE PLANT
The Jade Plant is also often known as the Money Plant, and also is occasionally referred to as a Friendship Tree. There are many different cultivated forms, the most common of these are Silver Jade Plant, Silver Dollar, and Chinese Jade. Despite the name of the latter all Jade Plants are native to Southern Africa where in the wild they frequently grow over 10 feet tall.
All Jade Plants belong to the Genus Crassula which means "a little bit fat." This refers to the Plants thick, succulent leaves which have evolved specifically to survive in drought conditions. These leaves are soft and fleshy to the touch and have a dark green coloured smooth, waxy outer coating.
CARE AND MAINTENANCE
The cultivated form of the Jade Plant can grow surprising quickly if given the correct environment. Most House Plants will generally grow between one and five feet tall. They prefer a dry sandy soil which should be allowed to completely dry out between watering. During the Winter months they should only be watered every few weeks but during the Summer they are best watered every 5-7 days. The main thing that Jade Plants require is Sunlight, and they should always be placed in a Sunny spot in the House. A windowsill is usually ideal, but during the Summer months they can be placed out on a Patio during hot spells.
If Jade Plants are given enough light they can display small Pink flowers during November to April but this is unusual with the British climate. I have never seen my own Jade Plant flower and believe that a fertilizer would have to be regularly used to achieve this.
Jade Plants are incredibly easy to take cuttings from and this is done by removing one of the small leaves and simply placing it in a dry, sandy soil, cactus soil is ideal for this. The soil should be kept dry, it is sometimes hard to resist the temptation to water, but a detached leaf in a damp soil will often become affected with leaf rot. Even in a dry soil the leaf will put out tiny white roots after only a few days. The soil should be lightly watered about a week after the first roots have appeared.
PESTS AND DISEASES
Jade Plants are quite susceptible to Mealy Bugs but fortunately if these occur they are very easy to treat. Any affected leaves should be wiped with a cotton swab that has been soaked in rubbing alcohol and then the Plant should be thoroughly washed with a small amount of cold water with detergent.
CONCLUSION
I find Jade Plants to be very aesthetically pleasing with their thick stalks and bush like appearance but I know that this view is not shared by all. They are incredibly easy to grow successfully providing that they are given plenty of Sunlight, and they can survive long periods without water, but this will lead to much slower growth when compared with a Plant that has been watered more frequently.
I just hope that my Mother will like it....
Thank you for reading.
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The Jade plant is the ultimate symbol of prosperity for the Chinese. It's flat round ... more
leaves and compact shape makes it the Asian equivalent of a money tree. This plant is approximately 12cm high (including the peat pot). The peat pot contains 80% wood fibre and 20% light peat, to give the plant a healthy start. The pot will become part of the root system so you can simply plant the whole thing in a larger pot of your choice without having to disturb the root system. With the plant you will receive nine Chinese coins. Bury the nine coins in the soil of the plant and place in the wealth corner of your office or home. Symbolically as the plant of tree grows so to will abundance increase in your life. This plant is particularly auspicious, as the mother has been grown in coin-rich soil for many years. For greater prosperity, buy two or three plants and place in the same area
Postage & Packaging:£4.39 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days......
The Jade plant is the ultimate symbol of prosperity for the Chinese. It's flat round ... more
leaves and compact shape makes it the Asian equivalent of a money tree. This plant is approximately 12cm high (including the peat pot). The peat pot contains 80% wood fibre and 20% light peat, to give the plant a healthy start. The pot will become part of the root system so you can simply plant the whole thing in a larger pot of your choice without having to disturb the root system. With the plants you will receive 2 x nine Chinese coins. Bury each set of the nine coins in the soil of each plant and place in the wealth corner of your office or home. Symbolically as the plant grows so too will abundance increase in your life. These plants are particularly auspicious, as the mother has been grown in coin-rich soil for many years. For greater prosperity, buy three plants and place in the same area.
Postage & Packaging:free Super Saver Delivery Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days......
The Jade plant is the ultimate symbol of prosperity for the Chinese. It's flat round ... more
leaves and compact shape makes it the Asian equivalent of a money tree. This plant is approximately 12cm high (including the peat pot). The peat pot contains 80% wood fibre and 20% light peat, to give the plant a healthy start. The pot will become part of the root system so you can simply plant the whole thing in a larger pot of your choice without having to disturb the root system. With the plant you will receive nine Chinese coins. Bury the nine coins in the soil of the plant and place in the wealth corner of your office or home. Symbolically as the plant of tree grows so to will abundance increase in your life. This plant is particularly auspicious, as the mother has been grown in coin-rich soil for many years. For greater prosperity, buy three plants and place in the same area.
Postage & Packaging:free Super Saver Delivery Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Postage & Packaging:£2.75 Availability:Temporarily out of stock. Order now and we'll deliver when available. We'll e-mail you with an estimated delivery date as soon as we have more information. Your credit card will not be charged until we ship the item....
Mar 21st, 2006
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