Jade plant emergency please help

12 years ago

Hi, I'm brand new here and was hoping I could receive some help with my grandmothers Jade plant. Its almost a decade old and recently my boyfriend re-potted it for her but in Miracle-gro garden soil and perlite. It's been a few days now and this morning I noticed the leaves on the lower half of the jade were drooping. Checking the soil was a shock to me, Gramma had one of those glass watering bulb thingies in it and the soil was completely SOAKED.

I know from very little experience that Jade shouldnt be watered like that and that it should be potted in some kind of sandy mix, but would really like some advice on what I can do right now at this very moment to save this beautiful plant, she has had it for so long and I would hate to see it die..... Can I re-pot it right now in some other sandy mix (not garden soil) and hope it dries up and perks back up? Or should i leave it alone? I've already removed the watering bulb, of course. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

And I also apologize in advance if this issue is addressed somewhere else on this site. I did a search and couldnt really find exactly what Im looking for. But if there is thread on it I would love to have a link to it. Thank yas :)

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

Ron4310
12 years ago
If it were mine I would immediately remove it and clean off all the soaked soil. Then I would re-pot it in a very course potting medium and not water it for several days. My jades are planted in a mix that the water runs almost right through when watering them. The stuff I use looks like it was nothing but junk, but works great. I use "Nature's Natural Cactus Mix". It has a lot of pumice in it as well as compost and other course material. You could probably take the glass water thing and hide on her. I only water my jades when the leaves become soft and spongy and then I soak them for a few hours and then drain. My biggest jade is about 2 feet tall with 3 inch trunk is in a sunny window and has been watered once all winter.
rosemariero6
12 years ago
Take a deep breath...now let it out slowly. It's going to be all right!! =) It could have just had a bit of transplant shock...but, yes, you are correct...you don't want it in soaking soil. You don't want it in sandy soil either (unless very large particle sand-like rocks).

What you could do for now, is take the plant out of the soil it's in-removing as much soil as possible, without beating up the roots (or breaking them) too much. You can leave the plant out of soil for several days while you find something suitable. It won't die.

Crassula ovata (Jade) can grow in regular soil in the ground, but if you're keeping it in a pot, something that drains well is best. It doesn't need Miracle-Gro either. Perhaps you can find some cactus soil (bagged) at your local big box store? (Or lots of other stuff added to the garden soil you already have.) You can add perlite, but it would be better if you could find other things to mix in (bigger particles, for water flow, like chicken grit). You do want some soil for retaining moisture that will also give nutrients to the plant. Everyone has their favorite mix. I'm sure others will help add to what I've said.

Good luck!
Related Discussions
My beautiful jade plant seems to be sick...please help
Q
Comments (25)
I found turface and repotted the jade. The old soil was damp, it wasn't wet by any means, but it was probably very wet in the not so distant past. I reported using a mix of the turface, orchid bark, perlite and small marble chips. I propped it up with a few rocks just in case it wasn't stable but it seems to be okay. The roots did not seem to be wet, in fact some were fairly dry. I did not water it. I was going to wait until next Monday to water it. It has only dropped maybe a dozen leaves the last few days (as compared to the one hundred it dropped over the previous two weeks). Does Monday seem soon enough to water it? And how much water should I give it? Pictures of it are in the album
...See More
Problems with jade plant: spider mites? Edema? Please help! (Pictures)
Q
Comments (3)
Do not use soapy water - I know it is often recommended, but it dissolves wax on the leaves...the only soap to be used on plants should be true vegetable-based Castile soap (olive oil based). I do not have experience with neem oil, so can't comment. Lots of marks appear to be oedema (the hard, black bumps), even the bigger dry-looking patches. That happens when plant cant transpire all the water received. Other is possibility of powdery mildew, encouraged by high humidity. What kind of soil/mix is it potted in? Where is this plant kept? How much sunlight is it receiving? Even if you say it dropped lots of leaves, it looks quite etiolated - spaces between internodes are too big. That suggest not enough light. I would also suggest potting plants higher in the pot - the soil level should be higher. That will also help with soil drying up faster and general air circulation that is also important for succulents.
...See More
SOS Jade Plant Dying! Please Help!!
Q
Comments (2)
Thanks for your input. Perhaps I did overwater it in the past. The soil is not wet. It is totally dry. I have used a coconut substrate not garden soil so perhaps that's why it looks like it is wet. BTW The 'If you don't mind, please post photos direct.' was sufficient. You don't have to be so passive-aggressive and bitchy to someone who just joined the site! You are not forced to click on the links, everything action you take in life is a choice. I have only joined and the text box did not appear to show any formatting options at the time that's why I had to use that method. For some reason, it has appeared below now and I will obviously use that in future. I actually work in computing so I already am aware how forums work and had looked for an image upload button. I assumed that this site did not provide image storage capabilities (as some don't) and I had to link from somewhere else. Great welcome! Thanks! 4th Feb 24th Feb
...See More
My Jade plant's leaves are falling off...please help!!
Q
Comments (6)
Darielle 'Soft & squishy' is never good - plant is waterlogged, and could start rotting very easily. Original potting soil is likely full of peat (if not all peat) or cocopeat. These are ok for starting many cuttings, but they are tricky to keep properly moist: if too wet, plant will sit in mucky soil. If very dry, peat becomes hydrophobic and very hardy, and it repels water. If my plant, I would take it out immediately. Get rid of all old soil. Get a new mix - I do not know what is available to you, but simple and better draining mix could be made by using a cacti & succulent soil (or citrus soil) and mix it with at least 50% of coarse perlite. There are many other mixes ppl use (in my case, it is a mix of grit, perlite and turface). These will drain very well. You could find lots of posts about jades on Cacti & Succulents forum here - pls. click me Plant should be little higher up in pot - more soil should be used. That will allow for much better air circulation around stems. If you want to direct branches to grow in specific direction, wiring them could be better idea - string seems to be quite thin and it could cut/damage stem. Pruning is a simple way of directing growth. Keeping it outdoors would be good idea. If potted in well draining mix, there should be np with rain showers. Be careful putting it outside from - perhaps - darker spot indoors; plants need to be acclimatized to much better, outdoors sunlight.
...See More
C.Scanlon
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you two soooooo very much! I'm going to do exactly that. Take her out of the pot, just for the night, and get some cactus mix in the morning.
I think the reason she watered it so much is because on the old pot she kept a sticky note that said "do not water jade plant". but when it was transplanted he didnt put the sticker on the new pot, and she old and forgetful. However she is very thankful that I noticed this problem and am taking action.
This plant has inspired me start my own little succulent windowsill garden :)
Thanks again!!!!!

Jade plant emergency please help

Comments (3)

Ron4310

rosemariero6

Related Discussions

C.Scanlon
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Jade plant emergency please help

Comments (3)

Ron4310

rosemariero6

Related Discussions

C.ScanlonOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

C.Scanlon
Original Author