# (Near) instant plants



## The Snark (Jul 4, 2014)

While I'm thinking about it. The crassula ovata and close relatives can be a very quick way to produce plants that you can custom 'tailor' to your decorative plant needs be it terrarium or about the house.

This 'Jade' succulent.
Propagation. Obtain one plant. Break off the stems or even single leaves and stick into very sandy loam or even pure sand after it has healed. Healed: closed off the wound so it no longer feels wet. Usually about 48 hours. Wet the soil twice to three tomes a day. Give it full light 14 to 16 hours a day. Regular light bulbs will work fine. They don't need UV which can actually cause problems. They should sprout roots within 2 weeks. Once rooted, you have a new plant.

To raise the new plant. Just as in rooting. Give them a LOT of light from all angles. The growth is regulated from both the intensity and direction of the light. Water twice a day. The soil must be well drained. They cannot stand standing in water. Within a couple of months each cutting should be well on it's way to a new well formed plant.

Once the sprouts have grown to the general shape you want, reducing the intensity and duration of the light and the watering, will retard their growth. This is excellent for limited spaces as terrariums. If you have a very strong light source you need to reduce the amount of water. You can reduce the water back to zero growth. Zero growth is noted when the leaves become thin and start to wrinkle. Increase the light and water until they swell back up.

If the environment is very moist with a lot of light and the plant(s) start taking over the place, simply trim them to whatever shape you want. Remember, all trimmings can be rooted and become new plants. The only draw back with a lot of light and moisture and having to trim them often it the trunk and stems will swell and the leaves become smaller and smaller. Bonsai effect. 

The only problem is the direction of the light. If the light isn't omnidirectional they will grow towards it. With potted plants this isn't a problem as you just rotate them once every few days. With plants in soil or substrate however, you will end up growing vine like things. You can also take advantage of this. Remove all the side leaves but not the leaves at the end of the elongating branches. It will grow faster and more directionally towards the light. Once it arrives near the light if you move the light to say, the other end of the terrarium, it will reverse the growth direction. Keep removing all the leaves except the end leaves and you can eventually end up with a bizarre jungle of stem.


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