I agree, check for rot. If ok, repot in something much less water-retentive. On the simple end of the spectrum, buy cactus soil and cut 1:1 with perlite- available in any garden center and you have only two things to buy. On the more complex end, research gritty mixes and buy the components available to you to mix your own soil- may have to order some or all online, and you may pick three or four components. The keys are to get oxygen to the roots through porosity of soil, and not have the roots standing in wet, wet soil. If you do have soft, mushy black roots (or trunk), all of it will need to be cut away. Take pictures and post here for more help. ez

Thank you! I added a sloping floor leading to the drainage hole (which has an insect screen covering it) to all planters and repotted, adding even more grit. I will keep them in the shade for a while and test with a skewer before watering. Hopefully this helps. Otherwise, I will revisit making a new mix. I am still a little unsure about the screening advice I received. When I first screened my Floor Dry through 1/8", I lost nearly 70%. I was told I could go back and screen again through the 1/16" I gained a ton back but maybe it is now too small and thus falls to the bottom, retaining too much water... All plants have been showing new growth but if I continue to notice wrinkled leaves, I will reassess the mix. I did screen perlite through the 1/8" and of course only saved 30% of the bag. I will look for orchid bark to since most of my reptibark ended up being too big and I've yet to find a solution for that... Thanks again! We are so happy to finally leave the world of renting -- especially since our mortgage will be less than our rent!

I am looking at the photo from May 16th (I didn't notice it before) and that looks like some bugs. And you say they came back. Can't tell for sure what they are, but they look like scale. I am surprised, have not seen scale on jades yet (maybe just my luck?) and I have grown many of them over the years. Anyway, test if scale: take a q-tip or cotton ball or even soft tissue or rag. Moisten in rubbing alcohol and wipe over the 'thing'. Do not 'push' hard; if scale, it will die on contact and comes off very easily. Scale is quite regular in shape, circle or oval, just slightly raised in the center. Google photos of scale and you'll see how they look. They do not move, rather stay in same spot. Almost as they are glued to the plant. You could scrape scale off easily with your fingernails...I prefer the wiping. Don't like dead bugs under my fingernails, lol. If you try that, it also should come off easily. If you have to scrape hard to the point of damaging leaves, it isn't scale IMO.

"It's a bit hard for me to comprehend how the shape/angle of the same volume container changes the amount of water that's retained in the soil." This image ^^^ illustrates the maximum ht of the PWT any given soil supports is always the same, regardless of pot size or shape. Which of these pots would make it more difficult to keep succulents (or any plant, for that matter) happy/healthy? The bonsai pot. Reason: After a thorough watering, about 75% of the soil is saturated. In the standard pot, it's maybe 15%, if that. This image ^^^ also illustrates a PWT is the same ht for any given soil (unless you 'trick' the excess water into leaving the soil by way of ballast, wicks, or other simple tricks that set the laws of physics to work in your favor. To see how the shape of the pot affects how much perched a water a soil can hold, compare the funnel (C) to A. Both pots are the same width, and the PWT is the same ht in both, but there's a conspicuous difference between the 2 insofar as the amount of PW in play. It might be that pots taper toward a smaller base than rim because it's easier to get them out of the mold, but I like to think people long ago discovered that pots that taper hold less than pots with straight walls ..... on a per soil basis. The overturned pot that fits snugly in the bottom of a larger pot probably reduces the volume of soil that is capable of holding perched water by 2/3 - 3/4 in the example. "....... do you think the plants would get shocked too much if I keep taking them out and messing with them? The jade in this discussion had no visible thick roots and I'm worried that if I try to take it out again and wash out all the old peat (like Rina said) I will damage the little roots it does have." Transplant shock isn't that big of a deal and is related to root pruning or damage to roots during the repotting process. I'm with Rina in thinking it's not such a good idea to avoid addressing issues related to root function and root health. If your soil doesn't allow you to water correctly because it's excessively water retentive, you'll be in a constant battle with your soil for control of your plant's vitality. Because most succulents are very efficient at retaining water, it's not likely the added stress of another transplant will be what ultimately decides whether the plant retains or forfeits its viability. I think root rot would be the larger concern because it's obviously in play, based on how you described the root system. "..... what if the water doesn't come out the bottom when you water (even if it seems to be a lot).... or if the water immediately drains out and doesn't seem to be retained at all?" Rina covered this well. As some soils dry, they shrink to the degree there is a void between the root/soil mass and the inner wall of the pot. If you water and instantly see water exiting the drain hole, you need to take steps to ensure the entire soil mass is saturated, then drained. You might need to allow water to drip or trickle on the root mass for a half hour or so, or soak the planting in a tub of water with the water line in the tub about even with the top of the soil. Al