For the life of me I cannot seem to do this. I have no problem propagating from leaves, but I'm 0 for 3 on stems. After cutting the stem, I give it a few days to callous over, then I've tried both putting into soil or water. Each time the leaves get wrinkly and shriveled up and the plant never recovers. Is there some secret I'm missing?

Patience, maybe? I would do it in soil. There is a phase where the whole thing shrinks up and looks sad, but it should end after maybe 3-4 weeks once roots have sprouted and are doing their job. The turnaround above ground is informative about events underground (and I wouldn't uproot a cutting to look at its roots).

How big a cutting and how big a pot have you been using? What's the light and water like for soil propagations?

Have you tried laying the stems on their sides? More chances for rooting. You may have to clip some leaves.

Baja_Costero said:There is a phase where the whole thing shrinks up and looks sad, but it should end after maybe 3-4 weeks once roots have sprouted and are doing their job.

That's reassuring! I didn't realize this was the case. I think I've waited 3-4 weeks at most, and since it just seemed to get more and more shriveled and bent over I would just abandon it. I didn't realize that there was a turning point. I generally use fairly well-draining soil with some perlite, use indirect sunlight at first and only water when the soil dries.

DaisyI said:Have you tried laying the stems on their sides?

No, I haven't tried this! Do you do this before putting the stem in soil? Or do you recommend putting the stem in soil on its side? I haven't had problem with the stem rooting, I just get discouraged when the new cutting starts shriveling up and bending over.

I have rooted a lot of tall skinny succulents and cactus by laying then down on their side and sometimes burying them completely. They push back out of the soil when they start to root - I guess the stems are pushed up at the roots push down through the soil.

Jademan said:

That's reassuring! I didn't realize this was the case. I think I've waited 3-4 weeks at most, and since it just seemed to get more and more shriveled and bent over I would just abandon it. I didn't realize that there was a turning point. I generally use fairly well-draining soil with some perlite, use indirect sunlight at first and only water when the soil dries.

If this is an indoor situation, it's impossible to provide too much natural light, and the more the better. The rest of the setup sounds good to me. Patience is key with these propagations. It's usually best to try and forget about them for a while (except for watering of course) and then in a couple of months be pleasantly surprised that there was an advance.

I root them in full sun outside. Water twice a week. About 90% success. As long as there's no freeze they're good to go.

With this shriveling that has been mentioned, I would recommend watering the mama plant before snipping the cuttings so the snipped piece is fully hydrated when snipped. A few days may not be long enough. I usually let Jade snippings callus for a week - in the same light as the plant from which it was snipped.

Hello Jademan, I have rooted many Jade stems. What works for me is to use shallow and wide containers with drain holes. Media mix is gritty. I usually do cuttings in mid Spring, that way I know outdoor light is getting longer. I never root them in water. I do follow your steps, callus the cutting then stick it in the media. Container is in part sun/shade but it is outdoors. So it will also feel the temp fluctuations and eventually harden the plant to its outdoor location. I try not to do cuttings in late Fall to winter. Though jades are good mild winter growers, when it comes to rooting, it needs sustained warmth at the rootzone to encourage rooting and good light for the rest of the plant. While it is new and young, it may be thistier once roots has started to grow well, so having a gritty, well draining media is important, especially come summer time when heat is intense and light levels much stronger. It will be by then drinking more to sustain its growing needs till it gets more fully acclimated.

Our growing areas have its own microclimates, ours is very dry, no summer rains, dismal humidity so I can afford to step up watering here at that time. It maybe different on your side but nevertheless, make sure you have well draining media and good light for your young cuttings till they slowly mature and harden to your growing area.

Here are some of them, all grown outdoors.