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Gardening Reference » Gardening in 2005
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by ecybele on February 17, 2005 03:17 AM
Hi! [wayey] I really hope joining this site will be helpful. I'm from Maryland, going to school in New Jersey. I have a jade tree, lucky bamboo, and multiple cacti.

I joined mostly because I'm worried about my jade and I'd like some input. It's about a year and a half old, of decent size, and it's been doing well, except that I watered it yesterday and saw two centipede-looking bugs and several tiny, tiny bugs in the soil. This frightens me. I don't want to lose the tree, but in a dorm, my options are very limited. Can someone tell me what these are and what i can do about them? [thinker]

you can see the jade here:
ImageShack photo hosting
by Amy R. on February 17, 2005 03:43 AM
hey there,
lovely looking jade plants, one of my favorites. i'm not sure what creatchies you have, but i'm going to post a link for you to check out. perhaps you'll be able to identify them that way. good luck, and let us know how it goes!

http://www.thegardenhelper.com/bugs.html
by Will Creed on February 17, 2005 03:47 AM
Hi Ecybele,

Interesting name. How do you pronounce it?

Are you a student at Drew or at FDU?

The crawly things in your Jade will not harm your plant. They may be nothing more than a sign of less than sterile soil. If they are not freaking you out, then you can ignore them.

From the photo, I notice that the glazed ceramic pot is very large. Is your Jade potted in a smaller pot that is inside the glazed ceramic? I ask because Jades have small root systems that much prefer to be quite potbound. In too large a pot there is a substantial risk of root rot.

Make sure you keep it in your sunniest window.
by ecybele on February 17, 2005 10:09 PM
Thanks! I'm a student at Drew, actually. Ecybele is e-sib-e-lee. The bugs are only creeping me out a little bit, but if my roommate catches wind of it, all manner of scary and evil will be loosed upon me.
Yes, the jade is in a smaller pot inside the ceramic one. It's the original plastic constainer it came in. I've been meaning to move it to a clay pot, but just hasn't gotten around to it. You said the bugs are a sign of less-than-sterile soil, so when I transplant the tree, how do I go about correcting that?
Unfortunately, because we're in a dorm, there is no window sill, and an awful heating unit below the window which creates a very bad hot/cold around the window, so I keep my plants in other places, but I have a plant lamp I bought at home depot, and my plants have had marvelous growth spurts since then.

This was very informative. I'm so relieved that I don't have to get rid of my tree. Thanks for your help!
by Will Creed on February 18, 2005 03:39 AM
Ecybele,

I wish I had a cool name like that. Mine is so ordinary no one ever remembers it. Yours is absolutely unforgettable, but somewhat subject to misspelling, I bet.

If you change the plastic pot to a terra cotta pot, use the exact same size so that you don't have to add any soil. Jades do best when tightly potted and when the roots are left undisturbed.

To get rid of the critters, plunge the pot in water up to its rim for about 30 minutes. That usually sends the buggers up and out in search of air.

Drew is a very good school. You must be very smart.

Will
by ecybele on February 19, 2005 01:23 AM
I think I misrepresented myself a bit. Ecybele is actually a screen name I made up in high school. People mostly just don't say it, since it's always in print and I'm never in the room with them. My name is Kate, which really isn't all that memorable either.

Water?! That's excellent. I was afraid I was going to have to go out in search of a jade-friendly insecticide. As long as I can scrounge up a bucket, I can get rid of these creepies soon, which will make me a far happier person, I'm sure.

I'm impressed. So few people have ever heard of Drew because it's so small. I'm glad at least someone remembers that we're out here in the wilds of New Jersey.

Thanks!

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