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Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

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Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

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Monday - June 22, 2009

From: denver, CO
Region: Rocky Mountain
Topic: Non-Natives
Title: Non-native, care for Jade plant.
Answered by: Joe Marcus

QUESTION:

I've had a jade plant for 5 years and it has done well, even though it was in a plastic pot with regular soil. I need to repot it and it was recommended I use a clay pot and a soil made for succulents that is more porous. Should I increase the frequency or amount of water I give it, since it will dry out faster now? Thanks

ANSWER:

The focus of research and the extent of expertise of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center are limited to plants native to North America.  Your Jade plant, Crassula sp. is a tropical plant native to South Africa and is really outside of our purview. 

You can do a Google search using the plant’s name and look for care information, or you can submit your request for information to the University of British Columbia Botanical Garden forums website: http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/forums/.  On their forum, tropical plant enthusiasts from around the world monitor and answer questions like yours about houseplant issues.
 

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