Jade Money Tree

[BooseysMom]

This is my Jade money tree. It has been in the same pot for maybe 25 years. Handed down from my DM. She called it Nobbly! I love this tree so nothing can happen to it. Lately I have noticed the larger leaves dropping off which I put down to natural leaf drop but I was checking it over when I knocked off a curly branch. It came off very easily when it shouldn't have.
Has anyone got a money tree this has happened to?
I don't want to re-pot it after so many years. If anything happens to my Nobbly it will prove my luck with money.. I'm destined to be forever skint!!

I don't want to re-pot it after so many years The first thing that occurred to me on looking at that was “that needs repotting”. You’re starving it!

Take the branch that fell off, and lay it on a pot of moist compost. It should root and grow into son of Nobbly. If you look, you’ll see the branches are divided into segments, designed to come apart at the boundaries between segments. It’s one of their ways of propagating

Sorry, it needs re-potting! It will give him a new lease of life, some nice new free draining soil (I mix multi purpose compost with grit) and as much light as you can give, and Nobbly will much happier.

Mere thank you for your advice. Son of Nobbly
..I love that! Funnily enough I have 2 tiny baby Nobblies growing. But this is the first time a whole branch has come off.
The thing about re-potting is that I think I will have to break the pot to get him out and it's a special pot which mum gave me. So with bonsai trees, don't they stay in the same pot forever?
I do feed Nobbly in the summer with Baby Bio so was hoping that would be enough.

Pinkywoo thanks very much for your advice. See above for my response. I don't want to re-pot as it will break the pot, plus the curly branches which have taken years to grow like that

The roots must be really squashed after 25 years, the plant will be starving.
If you soak it in water for an hour or so you should be able to get it out of the pot, you could free it from the sides by running a knife round, and cut off any roots growing through holes in the bottom.

BTW bonsai trees need to be taken out of their pots to have their roots trimmed and sometimes need to be repotted.

Yes, break the pot if you have to - Nobbly deserves to be free

You could always Kintsugi the pot (repair with gold) - the art of taking a broken thing and making it more beautiful with gold

DorchaAndLouis. That's brilliant, thanks. I will try soaking him first. I remember now that Mr Miagi in Karate Kid got his bonsai out of their pots to trim the roots. It's more important to save Nobbly than the pot! BTW I can't really remember how long he's been in that pot..maybe not as much as 25 years but still at least 15. The way the branches heve grown suggests longevity.

LaurieFairyCake. Yes you're right, he does deserve freedom and some tlc! Never heard of Kintsugi. I will do some research. Thanks

I remember now that Mr Miagi in Karate Kid got his bonsai out of their pots to trim the roots. and to give them fresh soil. They’re restricted in space but not in nutrient

Mere.. yes that's true. Right, so I will give Nobbly a lovely new pot and compost with a bit of grit added and hopefully this should revive him.
Thanks for your help

If anyone who advised me is still watching this thread, I went ahead and re-potted Nobbly and he has a bigger new pot with fresh compost and grit. I gave him a root trim and found shiny stones embedded in the root ball. It was completely pot bound so you were right, he was long overdue a fresh pot and compost! So now he has the biggest pot of all my house plants and is likely to get huge! Thanks for all your help.

He will bless your home with a fortune now.

Well done! I’m sure Nobbly will reward you with lots of new growth!

MintyMoocow
NanTheWiser

Thank you both. 😊 He came out easily after only 20 mins of soaking so I saved the pot!