Your plant looks healty and normal. The red rim is due to stress from sun and less water/ or cold, and is natural. Some people prefer this coloring over the green. The yellowing leaves is also natural. It is just old leaves drying up and dropping and being replaced by new leaves at the growth point. Everything you are doing is good, so i would continue to do that

It's normal. The lower leaves will die off as the plant becomes larger. The red rim is due to adequate sun light. It look like a perfectly healthy plant. I have one jade that when in the sun the leaves turn scarlet and the other jades I have get no red at all. It depends on the variety.

I would say spidermites infestation

JA

I see very fine web on top part of plant; did you check it? Rina

Thanks for all the comments! Rina, I think it's just a little spider web... I have some teeny tiny spiders (not spider mites) in my house.

Ada, I tend to suspect the problem is not spider mites because I have felt the leaves and they are smooth. I've heard spider mites give the leaves a rough or gritty texture.

I tried to stick a pencil in the dirt last night and I couldn't even push it in, it was so bone dry

I believe that is due to peat in your soil. At some point roots unable to take the water. i would change the soil to gritty mix or at least 50/50 cactus soil/perlite.

I agree, let's hear more about the soil.

It could be that water is flowing around the sides of the root-ball and not moistening
the central roots at all. I would recommend a change of mix, most strongly a gritty mix.

Josh

It's not spider mites. Spider mites make webs so small you almost need a magnifying glass to see them. That web is from a regular spider.

Well, the plant came to me potted, and I don't know what the soil is... but it doesn't seem very porous. Very dry and hard. Could have some peat. I'm a little afraid to repot it, because it seems so fragile, and it also seems that there can't be much dirt in the pot to begin with since it's so small! Would I have to shake all the existing dirt off the roots? I think I've had too many traumatic repotting experiences... :)

So are those of you advocating repotting acknowledging something not looking quite right about the plant? ...or is it a "just for good measure" kind of thing?

you have aerial roots which means that plant doesn't have enough moisture so it tries to gets it from air.

When my jades were potted in regular soil thats what i had. eventually they rotted and died. When i discovered that there is a better way of growing succulents which is gritty mix everything changed. my plants are healthy and I can water them more often, not just sips like you do. they have a better aeration.

don't be afraid to repot. wash off all the old soil completely and see if any roots exist. they maybe all gone. any rotten,dry,hollow brown smelly roots should be removed w/sterile knife. sprinkle w/cinnamon and let it dry couple days. then pot it in a fresh fast draining or gritty mix preferable( search for Al's gritty mix formula). Please don't water for couple days. then water until it runs out.
Josh, please correct and add anything I left out

Inna

"you have aerial roots which means that plant doesn't have enough moisture so it tries to gets it from air."

That's news to me. I've been growing jades for 50 years and everyone has grown some aerial roots whether they were grown wet or on the dry side.

I used to have them a lot when my plants were in MG. to support my statement here is a link to an old thread

Here is a link that might be useful: Crassula aerial roots

what i was trying to say if mix is hard to rewet, most likely roots are gone. the plant is sending aerial roots. i admire that you've been growing jades for 50 years. I used to grow them in MG for 20 without much of success

Inna

I agree with Inna, it happenned to me too, and when I unpotted roots were sooo thin and mixed with the soil that when I tried washing them, most were gone. Very unhealthy roots, but I was able to root the trunk again in gritty mix very easily.
Niada

Elichka, good advice ;-)

John, your Jade's leaves don't look plump/turgid enough, coupled with the description
of the hard, compacted soil and the small container, I'm assuming that the mix is not
receiving moisture, and therefore neither are the roots.

Josh

OK, thanks all for the advice. Josh, you're right about the leaves: they don't seem nearly as plump as they did when I started, even at the top. They are flattening out. So I have an email in to a local nursery to see if they might be able to provide ingredients for the gritty mix in less-than-bushel-sized quantities, as I will only need about 0.04 cubic feet of the finished product. :) If they can't (and I hope I'm not stepping on any toes here), I'd be more than happy to buy a few cups of it from someone who has it pre-mixed.

John Alexander,

unfortunately I am away till September. i can send you in September if nobody will offer. just write me EM. Meanwhile you can buy Perlite in Home Depot or Lowes and pot it in straight perlite. I've done it before. my plants were very healthy, sometimes I could keep them in Perlite for more than 6 month. Perlite is very good for establishing roots. I'm pretty sure that your jade roots are gone.

Inna

Another thing, if your plant won't make it, I can ship you jade cutting(rooted or unrooted,your choice).

Inna

Inna's got some powerful succulent giver magic happening here - good on ya.

thank you Jeff, i like to share

Well, there's no turning back now. I've got the plant unpotted and sitting on a plate with its roots covered in cinnamon. The dirt was as hard and shriveled as overcooked beef, and I had to work at it to clean it off. I have some Perlite to use until Inna gets back from her trip. Hope this goes well!

By the way, when you plant in something like Perlite or gritty mix, how often do you have to water? More often, I'd guess. Every other day? How much water?

Hey, John!

When you water a perlite or gritty mix, you slowly and thoroughly saturate the entire volume
of mix. I often pre-water lightly, then come back after a few minutes and really flood the container -
all of the plants outdoors right now, that is. Indoors, during the Winter, I take plants to the sink.

How much you water depends on the plant, the growth rate, the temperature, and the size of the pot.
During the Summer, in the heat, you can probably water safely on a schedule, say every 3 - 5 days.
As growth slows and temperature drops, obviously you water much less (every 7 - 10 days, guestimate).

Once you have it potted, post another pic and we can tailor the details for you area.

Josh

Well, the plant seems stable, at least. I've been watering about every 5 days. I'm in zone 5, and don't put the plant outside... it's about 2 feet from a big sunny patio door, though, and gets at least two of three hours of direct sun in the late afternoon. It's hard to tell what these succulents want... they react so slowly. It's been looking a little grayish and spotty, but I'm hoping that it's just from the trauma of the repotting and that it will in time come back. How long should I keep it in the Perlite? Inna, are you still up for sending me a little gritty? :)

Woops... I thought I attached this picture.

All perlite for root rebuild... interesting.

If your waiting for grit mix suggest you could also sift some construction sand ( bagged at Home Depot type stores) sizes should be sifted 1/8 - 1/4 inch to be used

Also Agway has an item called dry stall and other items that can be used for a good succulent plant mix
Zone 5 update for others Cooler temps at night lower 50's - 40's and mid 70's by day... also coloring leaves changing brighter colors soon ....... keeping inside is a good idea until later next spring.

It still looks thirsty to me, I would probably continue with the each five day double drink as Josh mentioned
but more experienced I would also lean toward every third day once or twice. I wouldn't let it sit in a pool of water in the catch tray.

Top leaves are looking better if me I'd trim the bottom weaker three that are most visual in pic.

New growth will be smaller and slow until Z-5's next season when the newer JADE fatten up ones grow next late May June July time frame if good sunlight season and outside grown.

It's looking better, indeed.

Those lower leaves will be dropped eventually. You could certainly pluck them if you like.
I think I'd actually reduce the watering now that we're entering the cooler months - maybe
every 5 - 7 days. Also, if you can move it any closer to the window, that would be excellent.

For the time being, stick a kabob skewer or long toothpick into the pot to determine how much
moisture is present in the lower part of the pot. This will help keep you from overwatering,
and will speed up the recovery process (the establishment of new roots).

Josh

JA

send me email ifarber7@hotmail.com

Inna

Elichka, I sent you an email a while ago about the mix and never heard back... maybe it went to your spam? I just sent another one with my address, if you're still willing to contribute. The jade plant is doing great... it's in a new springtime of life!

Hello,
I am hoping someone can help me. I have attached a photo of my Jade Plant to this message. I have had this plant for several years now, but it is looking very sad lately. Can anyone tell me if this plant is still healthy or whether it is dying? Every time I touch any of the leaves or even the branches, something falls off. It used to be much stronger and a darker green colour.

Your soil is too peaty - cut it with at least 50% perlite. These plants like a porous soil and not a lot of water - that potting mix is too rich for its blood and the plant is revolting. Get it out of that mix and into a better draining one, wait about three days, and give it a little water. It is a full-sun plant, so acclimate it to more light until you can give it as much sun as possible.