I have grown Crassula ovata for the past 20 years recently. Take them out of the pots and examine the mix and roots. Cactus mix is not good for Succulents or Cactus. It holds too much water, and I am going to repeat my self, Succulents are from Africa, they grow on rocky outcrops, they do not like water, unless it drains fast. How much white stuff is in your mix? any rocks, if not put some stream rocks into the mix. "Jade" grow by the thousands on Rocky Hills sides, so the rain goes down rapidly through the rocks, they grow into the cracks. They do not get the care that you are giving them. In the summer they lose leaves, they don't like the heat they are winter growers. I have a wonder full book from Charles Glass and if you don't know who he is your are a beginner. Fianl words from his book. It's just plain common sense. "There is an illusiion of comfort in rules such as 'Water when dry" (what is dry?") 'Full sun" CA sun or New York Sun. African Sun'" Water ever two week, in CA we must water once a week. We have low humidity except this week. here are no rules concerning good culture which may not and and occasionally whould not be broken; there are principles and guide-lines which when followed with interest, Common Sense is the most important factor in growing plants." CActi and Succulents for the Amateur. Jade leaves are not supposed to crack, the plants are not supposed to ooze. I use Saffer's Soap, which is nothing but soapy water, and not detergent, with maybe some alcohol added. You can wash off the spider mites, if you water on a regular schedule, and get rid or soil mealies. When was the last time you changed the soil, perhaps the roots need to be cut back 1/3 and theh plant topped 1/3 not now but the first of October, just remember rules are just guide lines and use them as such. How large are your Jades ? When is the last time they were trimmed, soil changed? Does your hair fall out. So do their leaves, are they getting good air circulation? Are they getting cool nights and plenty of air circulation. I wash mine down once a week because it makes sense to me. I follow how the Huntington Gardens takes care of their plants, it workds for them and it has always worked for me since I was a child. We use no pesticides for the 100,000 plants that we have documentated growing in one green house and outside on benches with no heat. The proof in in the plants. The above suggestions are excellent I would listen if I were you. All of us have tricks in growing. Good luck, love your plants and they will love you. Randy I didn't even need to look at the photo, you are right on and so are the rest of the suggestions from others. Norma

I believe what you are seeing is what us gardeners refer to "aphids". Aphids can be in a variety of different colors, and love to suck the juices out of almost any plant it can find. Kill them by washing the plant with soapy water and rinse well. If you search up on Google "Homemade Insecticide" you should get many results that have a recipe to keeps these bugs away for good! Plant nasturtium to keep aphids away from all other plants. Plant any strong-scented flowering allium (like onions, garlic, wild garlic, etc.) to keep aphids away from all plants. I recommend Allium Giganteum or Globemaster as they bloom in a short period of time from planting.

That is the ratio of alcohol to water that I use, but I know that others have used it stronger. Perhaps you should alternate your use of the oils and the alcohol. Persistance is key with this insect pest. Truthfully, a month is a very short time in the life of the typical scale infestation. ;-( Also, this is a good time of year to hold off on fertilizing your plants. Unless you have quite a bit of artificial lighting, houseplants slow down during the fall and winter (in your location) due to decreased day length. They don't need that extra 'boost'. It might very well make the scale insects easier to control, as well.

Scale and mealybugs are related insects, and since their life cycles closely parallel each other, they will be considered as one in this FAQ. Both are in the order Homoptera (one set of wings). Size is from 1/12 inch to 1/5 inch (2 to 5 mm). Although more than 160 species of scale and over 30 species of mealybug are recognized, only a few are serious pests of cacti and succulents. Some species are host specific, that is, one kind of scale/mealy will feed on only one family of plant. An example is the Golden Mealybug, Pseudococcus aurilanatus, found in California, which feeds on the Araucaria family (Norfolk Is. Pines, etc.) and few other plants. Others, like the Grape Mealy, feed on hosts as varied as potatoes, date palms, apples, Agaves, ivy, English walnut, orange trees and of course grapes, among a long list of likely hosts. One major difference between scale and mealybugs is that mealybugs remain motile, while scale females usually lose their legs as they shed, becoming immobile when maturity is reached. Males of both kinds of insects mature to small, winged midges that fly but, having no mouthparts, cannot eat. Each female lays between 300 and 600 eggs that can take up to 10 days to hatch (a few species are live bearers, the eggs are incubated within the female and the young are born live). The young move about, inserting their mouthparts into plant tissue and excreting "honeydew". This honeydew forms the major part of the diet of other insects, some of whom actively transport the scale to uninfested areas. (Paradoxically, honeydew forms a large part of the diet of adult lacewing insects, whose juvenile form is a major predator of scale.) Besides honeydew, scale insects provide shellac, cochineal red dye, and jewelry in the form of beads (from Ground scale, the family Margarodidae esp. M. meridionalis, and M. rileyi). Outbreaks of scale can be triggered by plants being under stress (overwatering/underwatering), too much new growth resulting from an overabundance of nutrients (overfertilizing), overcrowding (unavoidable in some collections) and other conditions specific to the infestation. These other conditions can include injudicious spraying that kills the predators but leaves the scale eggs alive, introduction of a new, more favorable host plant, etc. Major predators of scale include lacewings, ladybugs, parasitic wasps, and animals such as woodpeckers and chickadees. Many remedies are available for control. Organic controls include alcohol spray (isopropyl alcohol, straight or diluted), soapy emulsion (can be mixed w/alcohol), horticultural oil (read the directions, taking the plant out of the sun is a must) and pyrethrum spray. Soapy water/alcohol should be reapplied every 2-3 days for 2 weeks. This is because little residual action can be expected, and newly hatched insects are occuring. Chemical sprays with proven results include Sevin and malathion. WARNING. DO NOT use sprays containing malathion on the Crassulaceae family of plants. These plants include the common Jade plants, as well as Aeoniums, Adromischus, Echeverias, Sedums, Kalanchoes and other genera. Some species in these genera are very sensitive to malathion, and damage or death may result. Cacti, however, exhibit tolerance to malathion. For root mealy control (generally Rhizoecus falcifer or R. cacticans), soil drenches are commonly available. Alcohol in large quantities in the root zone is generally to be avoided since it can dehydrate some tissues. Soapy water/alcohol mix should not be allowed to dry in the root zone since damage can occur. If it is used, after a short period it can be flushed by pouring clean water through the root zone.