A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The House Plant Forum Help please! What is wrong with my Jade?

Hi, My Jade plant was once a full and healthy plant and then started to drop off leaves and branches. It looks healthy but slowly some of the stems are shriveling and flopping. I've been letting the soil dry out and i measure the moisture level and only watering a little bit.

There are still 3 solid stocks so I'd like to save what i can.

Here are some pics of the plant. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.

I've only grown a jade for a short while before I killed it with too much watering. Another cause I can think of is change of environment if you've recently moved it.

jades are succulents. they need very well-draining soil (cactus mix) and should be potted in unglazed clay that has drainage holes at the bottom. the soil should be allowed to dry out completely before watering thoroughly. bright light to full sun.

the soil you have there is regular soil and it doesn't drain too well and will hold moisture for longer than a jade likes. looks like you've got some root rot and/or the trunks have rot as well.

first thing is to get some cactus soil and an unglazed clay pot and repot it. before putting in the new digs, please take a really, really good look at the roots...anything that is dark and/or mushy should be cut away. put in the new soil and let it sit for at least 10 days (preferably 14) before you give the soil a good & thorough watering. by that i mean put some water in and let it soak down. repeat. then repeat again. at that point, you should be seeing some water coming out the bottom, if not or if it's only a dribble, do another bit of water. let it sit and drain out the excess water and then discard the water in the drip tray. keep track of how much water you gave it as it should need the same amount the next time and that should be in about two weeks for that size container.

when you examine roots, also feel the bases of the trunks...if they are soft/mushy you're best bet is to cut off the rotted area and let it form new roots. if you need to do that, let it dry for about a week before you plant it - and definitely don't water for two weeks after planting unrooted cuttings.

jades are succulents and they store water in their trunks and most especially in the leaves so they can handle a few weeks without any water.

good luck!

Great explanation Joclyn,, I just learned a few things on jades my self!! Thank you!

Yes. Thanks for the great reply!

Good job Joclyn, jades can be beautiful, but touchy to handle.

I moved mine one year from a bright spot to a slightly less lighted area and I ended up losing all my bottom leaves. Now I'm careful where I move it to. If you need to move a jade do it gradually.

I've never seen one in bloom, now you really have me interested. When does this usually happen? Mine is about 5 years old.

my grandmother's used to bloom all the time. it was in a west facing window and slightly crowded. i've had other's bloom since then, same conditions.

Thought I'd add just another jade problem a touch similar to this one. My jade's bottom leaves turned soft on me and it seemed they wanted to fall off. So I read up on this link and realized that I had been giving too much water.

www.thegardenhelper.com/jade.html

I thought for sure I'd lose my plant but so far it seems the leaves are getting their firmness back again.