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#224790 Jul 28th, 2008 at 08:02 AM
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Hi everyone,

We've owned a tall (4ft) jade plant for about 2 years now. It sits in indirect sunlight. The room has 3 windows but it's not near any of them.

Over the past 2-3 weeks, we've noticed that many of the leaves are falling off and, in some cases, small branches. Some of the other branches are shriveling. Thinking that we were underwatering, we gave it water. Now, after reading some of these posts, it seems that we had more likely been overwatering.

What can we do at this point? I've moved the plant so it sits right next to the window. We could put it in direct sunlight by a south facing window, but some people say that will "shock" the plant. We could replant it in new, dry soil, but some say you should never replant if the it's not healthy. For the most part, the plant still looks relatively healthy (to my untrained eye). This plant has a lot of sentimental value so we're really hoping that it can be revived.

Should we move it to the direct sunlight or even outside? Can we just cut off the dead looking branches and not water it for a few months?

I've linked a few pictures below. Thanks everyone.

Jade1
Jade2
Jade3
Jade4

rdblatch #224919 Jul 28th, 2008 at 10:17 PM
Joined: Jul 2005
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Deep Purple
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Deep Purple
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pic 1 shows a generally healthy plant. i don't see any obvious rotting spots. have you carefully felt up and down all the trunks and branches for soft spots?

in pic 2, is that white fuzzy stuff on the leaf (the one on the left in the center) or just a reflection of the flash on the camera?

if it's white fluffy/fuzzy stuff, then i'd say you have mealy bugs. treat with q-tips dipped in rubbing alcohol...just dab right on the white fluff and it'll kill the bugs. won't hurt the plant because it'll dry up before it can.

rub the trunks around that leaf too. then look carefully at the rest of the tree...undersides of the leaves as well as where they meet the branches.

i also see some white stuff in the soil in another pic - if it's not perlite, then dab the r-a on them too...more mealy bugs.

you might want to repot with fresh soil if you do have mealy bugs - especially if they're in the soil...root mealys can do more serious damage than those that you see on the uppper/visible part of the plant.

the soil type doesn't look all that bad...could use a bit more perlite or cactus soil for drainage. for a container that size, you should water thoroughly (add in small increments and let it soak down and continue doing so until you just start to see water in the drip dish. then stop adding water, let any excess drain out and the discard whatever has collected in the dish) and then you don't need to water again until the soil is dry down a couple of inches. for that size pot, that's about 2 weeks.

the dried up pieces you can cut off...check carefully to see if there is any soft/mushy black stuff inside...if so, cut off another inch more. you should see regular looking wood when you cut a piece of the branches.

they do better in full sun. will do okay in bright but shaded conditions. it's NOT a good idea to move it from almost full shade to full sun without easing it into it gradually over the course of two-three weeks. you'd put it into shock and then it'd REALLY be dropping leaves!


Zone 6b
rdblatch #230603 Aug 25th, 2008 at 05:02 PM
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I am having the same problem, but with a much smaller plant. When I got mine it was huge and full and now it's dropping leaves daily. If I accidentally bump it, like 3 leaves drop. I follow the watering tips from different web sites which all seem to say I should water only about once a week in the active season which I believe is now right? Please HELP!


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