Beginner Gardening: Just bought from Walmart, Crassula ovata 'Gollum. NEED HELP, 5 by TXdeedee

TXdeedee wrote:
Hi, Diana.

Ok, what I did: after checking all the stems above the soil, took out any that were squishy, that came right out with a slight pull and/or looked bad.....that was a lot of it! BUT I then just turned the whole pot upside down and worked, gently pulling and separating, gently breaking off the stems that felt squishy UNDER the soil.

You can see what I have left in the pictures. (boy those Walmart people do NOT take care of any of their plants! I should have gotten this for less than the $10 I paid.)

The soil is VERY wet all through and it is hard to tell exactly what color the roots are... could I rinse them off under gently running water to make sure they are not dead or rotting OR can I tell if they are OK by the way they feel, like if they are firm they are OK? Do you feel I could go ahead and plant this one main stem in fresh, fast draining soil and freshly washed/clean pot? I bought a bag of Miracle Gro, Cactus, Palm & Citrus Potting Mix, Fast Draining Formula. It does say it is enriched with Miracle Gro Plant Food.

There are three pics of stems I broke from the main stem(s) under the soil. I wanted to show how the stem looks where it broke, that it is a good color and they all have small roots around them. Again, do you think I could go ahead and plant them in soil and pot now? (the second pic of where the stem was cut is not quite as pretty as the other two, do you think its OK? It feels firm.)

I will be leaving tomorrow, Tues 09-16-14 to visit my daughter and grandkids and will not be back until at least Fri. I would like to get as much done today as is possible....thats why I am asking about what I can plant NOW!

I did get some Rooting Powder and will dip the cuttings I did yesterday and put them in a warm room, I hope while I am gone they will be working on building up the callous. Does that sound right to you? You stated 24 hrs and I read in other areas on the internet that it would take 1-2 weeks! But I gather it depends on how big they are, too. Reckon they will be OK while I am gone?

Thank you for your patience! As I am new to this, I am feeling kinda freaked out about all of it! I want to know ALL! lol I suppose mainly the fact I am going out of town, I feel it is important to know what I need to do today and what can wait. Of course, I want to save as much as I can of this intriguingly beautiful plant!