A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2004 My Jade Plant is Dying!!!!

I have a jade plant in my house that I repotted a few months ago. Some of the branches are shriveling up and leaves are falling off. I was wondering if I should cut off the branches that are dying or if there is anything else I can do to save my plant?

hi natasha first let me welcome you to the garden helper. you came to the right place to find your answers.

now, why did you repot your jade? i find that they very rarely need repotting. a better remedy for an overly large jade is cutting it back and making babies out of the cuttings. that said, here we go on saving your jade.

if you have branches that are shriveling, then cut them back, and if any part of that branch is still firm, you can put it into the soil to root. from the sound of things you probably made the same mistake that many of us, incuding myself, have made, and that is to put your jade in a pot that is too big.

by placing the jade in an over large pot, it makes it difficult for the soil to dry. when that happens, root rot will set in.

there are 2 things i would do. first, i would take the plant out of the new pot, gently shake it to remove excess soil, and put it into a pot that is just barely big enough to hold the root ball. then put new soil (a cactus mix or potting soil mixed with some sand) around to fill in the pot, then place it in a spot where it gets lots of light. then, let it COMPLETELY dry between waterings.

second, i would do a forum search, here in the houseplant area, and look at all the discussions on this plant. there is a lot of good info and pictures to be found.

again, welcome, and good luck with your jade. let us know how it turns out!

Here's a lesson I learned the hard way with my jade plant. Before Christmas I set up my village and had to move my jade plant to another location. The moving wasn't so bad, but it's where I put it that ruined my plant. I put it in a room with filtered light. After a month of this I lost all my lower leaves before I knew it.

Sure hope I have more luck now.

Does anyone know how to prune a Jade plant? I have large branches that seem to be toppled over and I'm not sure if I should cut them, more water. less water? My plant is the kind with small leaves. I would really appreciate any help with this. This plant was a special gift and I hate to think after 3 years I might lose it. Thanks, Michael

hi michael welcome to the garden helper. if you have large branches that are toppling over, it is easy just to cut them with a sharp knife, and root them to be new plants. the mother plant will just branch out from just below the cut. the cut will develope a callous over the top and all will be well!

Hi Michael,

If the leaves and stems are plump and sturdy (not wrinkled, shriveled, or soft), then your Jade is healthy and there is no need to change your watering routine.

The slumping is nothing more than gravity doing its thing. The remedy is too prune back the longest stems by as much as you can stand. By pruning the branches back toward the center of the plant, you will then promote new growthin the center rather than out on the ends.