Q. I have a large jade plant my friends and family admire. Is it possible to propagate new plants that I could give as gifts?
-- Jen Markin, Arlington Heights
A. Mature jade plants are very easy to propagate from tip cuttings. Take 3-inch cuttings of actively growing stems and remove the bottom leaves. Allow the cuttings to heal overnight to reduce the chance of decay. Once the ends are calloused, pot them in a tray of consistently moist sand. Give the cuttings as much bright light as possible and temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees. When roots have formed, usually in four to five weeks, carefully plant each cutting in a small clay pot that has a drainage hole and is filled with fast-draining potting mix for cactus and succulents. As with all jade plants, always water well but don't water again until the soil is completely dry.
Q. My 3-year-old asparagus fern is becoming too large for its pot. Can it be divided and repotted?
-- Renee Blackwood, Evanston
A. Asparagus ferns can be divided, but it would be best to wait until late winter or early spring. At that point use a very sharp knife to cut the plant into smaller pieces, keeping the roots as intact as possible. The divisions should be planted at the same level they were growing in a pot with a drainage hole and fast-draining potting mix.
Asparagus ferns typically need repotting only when the root ball is so large it has displaced soil or cracked the pot it grows in. Otherwise the best time to repot house plants in a slightly large pot is very early spring before new growth resumes.
Denise Corkery writes for the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe. Send questions to: Gardening Q&A, Sunday, Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611-4041; e-mail to email@example.com.