Crassula rupestris pruning (10 pics)

I continue to tidy up the windowsill. Today it's make-over time for the Crassula rupestris. This is actually this same plant only that the big main plant is at my parents home and what I have are cuttings. As you see, this one got completely out of hand. The "last year of darkness" has been tough on it. You can tell its story simply by looking at it. All the stretching when the sun wouldn't come out for weeks. Then I gave up on it. As usual, neglect is the best thing that could happen to succulents. And so, without water, the upper parts grew dense and pretty again this winter like they should. Even with a nice red tan.

Having limited space, I can not be growing this monstrosity. And so it's time to pick up the scissors and prune it into something better. Good thing Crassula rupestris plants (or maybe all Crassulas?) grow roots with no problem and are low-maintenance in general. So let's remove the stretched middle part then. I've done it several times before.

What I like to do is separate all "good" parts with dense growth from the ugly stretched, dry or damaged parts. You have to make sure that there is enough stem with a free node where the new roots can grow from easily. So you cut well into the stretched part, under the first node with leaves. Those leaves you can simply pull off, you don't need them.

If there is a nice cluster of leaves and branches close to the root you can keep it too. Argh, this pic is really out of focus. Sorry about that. Can't re-do it now.

After you remove all parts you don't want you will end up with a bunch of smaller good parts.

Some of them might be really good.

If you want to keep as much of the plant as possible you can also keep the slightly stretched parts if the leaves are meaty. Those will branch out and look much better soon.

And then you'll have some random parts because why not.

Stick all of them into the soil in an arrangement of your liking and that's it. They will soon be rooted and will grow into bushy little leaf balls. Good light and little water will keep them dense and bushy. But if things go wrong again - repeat the procedure.