It could be a severe case of mealy bugs. The stickness could be from scale, but can't tell if there is scale. I am not sure if you can have both infections at once. I would cut off the really bad parts and treat the rest with q-tips dipped in alcohol and water mix or mix up in a sprayer. You'll have to do this every 2-3 days for couple weeks. Oh and definately isolate this plant from all other plants. If the soil has mold then it might be overwatered. Don't hose down a jade with water, they really don't need the extra moisture. They like to dry out very good before next watering. I hope you didn't buy the plant in this shape...shame on that store! Check the link below. There is help for mealies and care of jades. Here is a link that might be useful: cacti faq

Copper won't help much in managing PM. If you want to go 'organic' you should start early in the season with sulfur applications. Powder sulfur tends to have a better preventive efficacy than wettable (sprayable) sulfur and vice versa with regards to their limited curative efficacy. Will not work when temps are cold. Another preventive (and somewhat curative) solution is light horticultural oils which will work at colder temps but should not be used when temps are high. Care must be taken not to apply sulfur within two-three weeks of applying oils, For both oil and sulfur applications test must be conducted first to determine if dosage is toxic to leaf tissue of the particular cultivar. With regards to synthetic fungicides I would tend to shy away from anything not labelled for the specific use when applying to edibles and then closely adhere to the time of last application and other label instructions. Nik

dinah You are very welcome. I once affected the foliage of Phlox p. 'David' by spraying on too hot a day, perhaps 28 C - 84 F. The foliage was mature and looked so poorly that I could have cut it down but wanted to experiment . It looked worse after spraying with baking soda/water so I cut it the next day. Unlike you, it is very humid here in summer. Perhaps a half strength solution for more tender growth. Spray at 2 week intervals. Your remedy was working for you so I would suggest sticking to it! We all find what works best for us. I always start with the lowest treatment, that way you can have wiggle room. You have received great advice about airflow, thinning stems (for Phlox) and hygiene. That you treated the surrounding soil and did a great clean up bodes well for their health this year. The only thing I would add is that we should water the soil around plants that are susceptible to PM. If we water the foliage that can worsen the problem by spreading spores. If you continue to have issues with C. 'Baby Sun' then Blanket Flower is a great alternative. Jo, That would be a yes/no answer. lol! Horticulture can be such an inexact science. There are absolutes and there are areas that are fluid as we learn. Everything from reclassification of plants to pruning methods. The no side would be if you provide decent growing conditions, proper hygiene and watering PM does not have to be a reoccurring issue. If we have an issue and do nothing to improve the growing conditions and cultural practices then yes, we could have ongoing problems year after year. A plant that suffers from PM is then weakened and prone to other issues such as aphids. I had this happen with Heliopsis 'Summer Sun'. It was a wonderful carefree plant for so many years and it is a pity but I will dig out the weakened offenders and leave the unaffected ones. The general belief is that the cause of PM is twofold. The air is humid and the soil is dry. This makes perfect sense to me. PM usually starts here early July when the humidity rises, couple that with less rain and nature creates the scenario. If we supplement watering at this time we can minimize the stress. The monkey wrench is that PM is air born. The best we can do is keep our plants healthy and choose resistant varieties when offered. Nasty voles. I really like C. 'Moonbeam' and Zagreb'

It appears that the reference that I gave about the problems of wood mulches and the advantage of compost could use some backing up by more primary scientific material. The link below is to an Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet, Plant Pathology, 2021 Coffey Road, Columbus, Ohio 43210 Title: "Control of Nuisance and Detrimental Molds (Fungi) in Mulches and Composts" Please note the following and put in context of the full article (also note the appearance of statements such as "These bacteria compete with fungi to reduce the potential for the development of major mold problems.") "The best way to avoid all these problems and bring about beneficial effects by mulching is to add nitrogen to woody and hardwood bark products followed by composting to lower the carbon to nitrogen ratio. Blending of grass clippings with wood wastes before composting is one way to achieve this. Addition of poultry manure or urea to supply 1.2 lbs. available nitrogen per cubic yard of material satisfies the nitrogen need also. Some landscapers add 10-15% by volume composted sewage sludge to hardwood bark or wood wastes, and this makes an ideal product that has performed very well in landscapes. These amended products should be composted at least six weeks. This process kills plant pathogens, eggs of insect pests, and produces a nitrified product that releases plant nutrients rather than ties up nitrogen. As mentioned above, the microorganisms that have colonized these products reduce the potential for growth of nuisance fungi and provide control of many plant diseases" "What to Do Once the Problems Occur Sometimes very little can be done to control nuisance fungi other than to spade the mulch into the surface soil layer followed by soaking with water. Another option is to remove the mulch, place it in a heap after thorough wetting to allow for self-heating to occur (110-140 degrees F). This will kill nuisance fungi. If fresh dry mulch is placed on top of mulch colonized by nuisance fungi, the problems may occur again the following year or even earlier. The best control strategy for homeowners and landscapers is to purchase composted products low in wood content. Fresh, finely ground woody products should be avoided for many reasons unless composted first. Coarse fresh woody products are much less likely to cause problems unless applied too deep. It is important to soak all mulches immediately after they have been applied. Generally, mulches should not be applied to a depth greater than two inches. Mulches and composts applied in this manner provide many types of beneficial effects rather than nuisance problems, or worse, plant diseases. Sour mulches should be avoided altogether." Here is a link that might be useful: link for above