Am I doing this right?
Hi everyone! I moved into an apartment with two large but neglected jade plants on the patio, growing in soil outside inside a wood fence (in the ground, not a pot or raised garden bed). The soil was filled with cigarette butts, rocks, weeds, leaves, nails, etc and the two plants were wrapped together with rusty wire. I removed the debri and wires and pruned away dead and dry leaves and some branches, in the hope of giving the plant a chance to heal. I watered the soil as best I could (which is basically hard dust at this point... hydrophobic, with lots of water rolling off). Most of the leaves still look thirsty to me so that's been my main concern.
It's been a couple days, and the jades are looking a little better. I took these pictures today. I wonder where to go from here? I've never done this before. Can I replace some of the hard soil in the ground with nutrient rich succulent soil? Do I leave it be? Can I remove the two rocks directly under one plant (pictured)? How often should I water?
The tops of the plants get plenty of sun for much of the day, and the roots/lower halves are mostly in bright shade due to the fence, and some light bouncing back off the windows. They share the soil with a large tree and some crawling vines along the soil outside of the fence.
Any and all advice is helpful and appreciated!
u/eirracarrie — 20 days ago
[Thank you] Long overdue thank you to u/rennbrig from my father!
Dear u/rennbrig,
Here is my father's response, formatted in the way he requested. I transcribed everything he told me to tell you as he read your card.
Thank you for writing him, and apologies for our long delay in getting this thank you out!
Carrie
PS - To everyone else who wrote my father, we are working on your responses - so look out for a reply soon!
----
Dear u/rennbrig,
Envelope:
Re: Marine Corps stamp. I really like this. My father was in the Navy, but I appreciate this Marine Corps stamp and the celebration of the 250 years the Marine Corps had existed when this stamp was issued.
How did you know I love ducks? Oh yeah – Carrie told you! [he laughed]
Card (inside):
I don’t like Superman comics as much as I once did, but I still love Peanuts and anything family-oriented like Peanuts. I also like cartoons that are extreme oddities! The very strange genre from the days of MTV. Today, you can find cartoons of this genre on Adult Swim. There is a cartoon I like called “Ren and Stimpy” that I was reminded of because of your username (except the Ren has the spelling R-E-N. They spell it wrong! Let’s say that your ‘R-E-N-N spelling is correct! [He laughed]).
This card does make me smile! Especially the PS! For future cards, I love stickers, colorful inks, and drawings, if you feel so inclined! Feel free to be your most colorful self!
Card (outside):
Re: ‘bladderweed’ cyanotype by Anna Atkins. I would love if it you could send me a photo of the actual plant. Does “bladderweed” (Cystoseira granulata) grow in your area?
Thank you for writing. Stay in touch! I was too sick the last few months to reply right away. In the future, my responses will be quicker. Please write me again if you’d like!
Mike
u/eirracarrie — 3 months ago