I'd guess to start, it's too little sun combined w/ too frequent watering.

These aren't the easiest plants to grow & not such great choice for 1st time Jade owner.

Sorry, I don't wish to be a downer, but have seen other folks have these kinds of problems. This plant is known to have some of these issues (quick to discolor & have some of those blackened areas). I'd have gone w/ a plain green Jade (Crassula ovata). Easier growing & easier learning curve.

Let's see what others think.

I may be wrong but there appears to be two scale insects on that single leaf you show us.......? The soil looks to be very dark, wet and peaty, but you say it's half pumice? These do tend to suffer from brown marks a lot.

Gill

That's neither Pumice nor potting mix. Are you talking about the soil underneath those little rocks on top? I agree w/ Gill looks VERY peaty (dark & wet) & I don't see pumice.

Maybe show us a handful of what ever mix is UNDER there? Maybe if you take the rocks off, the mix would have chance to dry out.

The soil underneath looks like this:

I add a bit more pumice to that potting mix and I use that in all my other succulents and they are doing fine. The soil is dark because I just watered it 4 days ago...Hmm now that I think about it, maybe Imontestella is right. Too little sun and too frequent watering... I'll try to put the jade in a sunnier spot and check for scale insects too. Thanks!

Are variegated succulents more difficult to grow than regular ones?

Echoing what Gill said, looks like it could be scale from the pictures, though I am not a professional plant dr so google and read about scale and compare to your plant.

Scale often leaves shiny, sticky residue in it's wake - you have anything like this on the leaves?

Variegated plants in general grow a bit slower, and enjoy/want more light, as they have less leaf area for photosynthesis (only the green part "works"), and as a result they can be a bit fussier, but in particular with jades I don't modify the care and feeding variegated and non-variegated plants receive and they're all happy.

Daniel

That particular jade, Crassula ovata ssp obliqua var. Tricolor, is the most troublesome of all jades, plain or variegated, imo. Even a plant scarcely watered and kept in good light can get brown, unsightly marks. I think any humidity even fairly low can cause it. I wish I knew more about its origins which would enlighten as to this problem, or, as I suspect, is there a virus lurking in most of them which reacts in this way to humidity or even perhaps to some other factor? I notice such problems appear much more rarely when they are outdoors, despite humidity. So do not be put off growing jades in general of whatever colour. they are not all like this.

Yep, typical 'Tricolor' showing ugly brown blemished leaves.

My least favorite of all Jades.

Josh

Aaypua, I do apologise for doubting your soil mix as it honestly looked as though we were going to see a potful of peat and a few pumice specks mixed in!

Gill

It's alright, Gill. It does look peaty in the picture :)

I'll try to modify the care and see if it will improve. Thank you so much for all your help!

Aaypua

The leaf in pic #1 seems to have few issues: the end of it seems to be rotted; there may be some fungus (perhaps powdery mildew? or similar) and/or scale - the roundish brown spots. If not scale, they may be oedema. Check if they come off easily when wiped with a moistened cotton ball or paper towel - if yes, it is scale. If you would have to force them to come off to the point of scraping and leaving 'holes' in the leaf, then it isn't scale.

They are definitely prone to all kind of darkish spots as everyone pointed out.

I have few of them, they were outdoors whole summer long in a spot with full sun until about noon, then bright light for rest of day but no direct sunlight. Every pant has at least a leaf =most often few- with some marks, but not kind you are having in pic #1. Here are just few of them - just brought in and not 'cleaned' (you may see a spider web or two :)

It definitely isn't scale. I tried rubbing it with alcohol and they won't come off. I don't know what's wrong with it. It keeps getting worse! It even started getting to the stem. There is also no white powder on the plant.

Your plants are beautiful, Rina, despite the challenges that particular one offers.

Margaret

Thank you. They are looking quite good, even with few spots but he spots are really quite small and few. Will see if they stay the same over the winter, indoors.

I would like to have at least one, spotless - I could if I picked off a leaf or two, but was hoping they just clean themselves up on their own. But considering that we had quite a few humid days this summer, I think they made it just fine.

I was gifted a variegated jade years ago. They grow outside here, year round, so jade isn't a challenging plant for us. This one never grew, never thrived. I just couldn't figure out why and finally tossed it. Now I know it wasn't just me!

I'll try all your suggestions. I hope it bounces back soon. Thanks for all your help!

All of the plants I have started as cuttings from this one plant, bought about 4yrs ago: