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Jade tree (rot?)

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

Jade was doing good. Very draining soil. Tiny pot. Last time I watered it, it seemed very dry so I left the plant in saucer with water for 30min - 1hour. That's it.Immediately, after a few days it started showing signs of issue.
And this is now.
Is it rot?
Or is this perhaps too little water, it's drying out?
Is it a goner?

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Comments (5)

somegu7
Original Author
5 years ago
somegu7
Original Author
5 years ago
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I'm sorry to tell you that your plant looks like it won't be recovering. If you want to preserve it, cut off the fresh growth and re-root the cuttings. In my experience, the variegated C. ovata is prone to weakness and needs all the help it can get. If not given close to perfect conditions, it will droop, lean, drop branches and finally, show deep grooves between the segments on the trunk. Once the trunk looks like that, I haven't brought one back from there. I also haven't lost one in a long time. They like bright diffused light/shade, morning sun only or afternoon sun only. I've seen big ones growing under the shade of a tree. I've never tried to bring one indoors but I suspect it wouldn't take more than the bare-minimum indoor wintering. Also, I'm pretty sure there are two varieties of variegated Jade, one being more healthy and hearty than the other.
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Rachel. Your Jade was a real bargain. Aside from one leaf, remaining foliage looks healthy. Are there other brown leaves/edges? I don't see any in the photo. The one brown-edged leaf looks like it was nibbled or bent. If either happened, it's natural for a leaf to brown. Just remove it. I don't pot in gritty mix, but the mediums I use are well-draining. Fast-draining soil dries quicker than standard soils. Repotting can be stressful, especially when mediums are changed. Your best bet is to ask someone who uses gritty mix for watering instructions. If brown leaf continues, it's possible you're under-watering. But, please don't fret..Every now and then a leaf yellows/browns..change of season can be a factor. However, if browning continues, it's something more than seasonal change. Toni
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D, I know that bark is organic, and that's why I said the mix was "primarily inorganic" - meaning that it is mostly a mix of Perlite, Turface, and Marble chips. While a mix like this is certainly capable of holding a good amount of moisture, it is also very durable and won't hold as much *saturated* water as an organic rich mix. I don't use mixes high in organics - the opposite in fact. When it comes to succulents, my mix is 1/3 bark or less. That's a ratio that many of us use: 1/3 organic (bark), 2/3 grit (turface, pumice, granite, quartz). Ron, the reason we add bark is because it doesn't hold an exceptional amount of water, but rather equalizes the moisture between the ingredients. Further, bark is very durable compared to something like peat or coco coir, and in general it lasts longer than one should go between re-pottings. The incidence of nitrogen immobilization is overstated, in my opinion and experience, particularly if one fertilizes. Remember, this is the *bark* we are using, not sapwood and not the bark from deciduous trees. In the proper ratio, bark is an exceptional material for any container mix. Josh
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URGENT advice needed for rotting jade plant!
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Hi Rina, I used the miracle gro cactus + palm soil but I don't think it drained sufficiently. I'll purchase some perlite to mix in when I repot the plant. It's only been out for a night to callus so I'm going to leave it out a bit longer. That photo makes me feel much better -- my plant has a trunk of a similar-looking size, and is about a foot tall. I've only heard of much smaller cuttings rooting so I was nervous, and I'm still probably going to cut one of the branches off to try and root it just in case the larger plant doesn't survive. Did your thicker jade make roots? And if so, did it take longer than for a smaller start? I have another question in case you have any opinion. I'm leaving my apartment in about 3 weeks to travel home for a month (I'm currently a student). I was planning to leave all my plants here and just water them very well before leaving, but now I'm not sure if I want to leave the jade. I can try taking it on the plane with me but I don't know if that would cause it more stress than it's worth. If I do that I'd leave it with my mom for the foreseeable future since she's a better green thumb than me 😅 do you have any ideas here? Thank you so much for your help so far, I was pretty panicked last night and you've been easing my fears.
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dbarron
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Succulent issues tend to be slow to show, I suspect issue started a long time ago.

They root easily...place in extremely well-drained mix and anchor..they'll root.

It looks (best I can see) like a stem rot, which probably wouldn't be caused (up there) by watering. But OMG, it should have far more root mass than that...that looks like a new cutting (almost).

The media may well be too peaty and water retentive for a succulent. I haven't grown a jade crassula for some thirty years, but as I remember, you water them well, let them dry for a long time (abusive I know) (sometimes I went a month), then water again.

As a general rule, they thrive on neglect and too much attention is very bad.

That should have sufficient root mass for a six inch pot, but given how little (if any) root remains that would be overpotting probably for now.
somegu7 thanked dbarron
Sage TX 9a
5 years ago
Yeah, that would be stem rot. I find my various crassulae plants need far more water than I was led to expect, but it turns out they're thirsty succulents in my heat zone. I water them just before/just as the leaves begin to shivel, which can be as little as twice a month or as often as twice a week, depending on where they are. (The tiny terrarium ones are meant to stay small, so they only get small waterings when they dry out, while my biggest one gets a good drench about monthly.)

With yours, there's no root mass at all but the leaves aren't shriveled, so they're probably pulling moisture from the stems. I would cut off the trunk(s) and root the pieces in a well-draining C&S mix. Once there are a lot of roots, repot into a grit + perlite + C&S blend.

The good news is that there is probably healthy stem tissue above the rot lines, so you've got a good chance of getting a few healthy jade plants out of it.
somegu7 thanked Sage TX 9a
rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
5 years ago
I would suggest to check whole stem: squeeze gently to feel if it is firm or soft. Soft is most often from overwatering, but sometimes could be from thirst. But don't run to water it, since there is definitely some rot there: 2 spots you indicated are rotting. Cut above, and keep cutting thin slices until there is no dark spots of any shape left in flesh. Leaving any will just cause continued rotting.

You may consider more inorganic mix - while 50/50 mix of C&S soil works for many, more gritty mix will be even better. Using mix of only grit and coarse perlite with just little bit of turface provides great drainage for all my succulents. They spend long time outdoors (as long as my climate allows) and get rained on without any problem. Just a small sample - see the mix they are in:

You'll find many threads with great suggestions and photos on Cacti & Succulents Forum

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