help with sick jade

[jgmansell]

Hi all,
My jade has been looking sick for a few weeks with wrinkled and spotted leaves and some are falling off, any ideas on what is causing the problem?


Thanks
john

[Matt S]

Hi John,

Overwatering or underwatering are the two biggest problems with Jade, and I'd go with overwatering.

Has it been repotted lately? Usual practice it to repot when the weather is hot, and keep the soil dry until you start to see new growth, then start to water as normal. Being succulents, jades do not transpire (i.e. there's no water loss through the leaves, only the water used in photosynthesis), therefore the water uptake is low and roots rot easily.

I usually don't touch the roots or leaves until summer really kicks in, around Christmas.

Hope that helps.

Matt.

[jgmansell]

Thanks Matt, I water daily but it has been in this pot for about 2 years and there is very little room left, so it doesn’t hold much, maybe I should wait till it warms up a bit more and repot it. I would think that with so little room, it would more likely be too little rather than too much water? Also I was wondering if the spots were insect or fungus damage, I cant seem to find any similar images online.
Cheers
John

[melbrackstone]

Have to agree with Matt, looks like a root rot issue...

It's warm enough here in Brisbane to repot it now.. make sure the mix is a good open well draining mix. I suspect you may need to clean away any rotted root area and let it heal over before watering it again...

[jgmansell]

Have to agree with Matt, looks like a root rot issue.

That sounds like a bit of a worry! I will repot tomorrow and check out the roots, thanks Mel.

[Matt S]

That sounds like a bit of a worry! I will repot tomorrow and check out the roots, thanks Mel.

No need to worry, they're tough. As long as you have lots of sun and an open soil mix you could cut all the roots off and plant it as a cutting and it would still bounce back.

Matt.

[jgmansell]

Thanks Matt, that’s good news.

[Pearcy001]

Another vote for root rot. I instantly thought wet feet looking at the photo. Goodluck.

Cheers,
Pearcy

[maryo]

I tend to not water Jade in the cooler months. They do tend to prefer drier when it is cooler. It should be fine though just do not water in when you repot

[jgmansell]

Thanks Pearcy and maryo, I will post a pic tomorrow after I take it out of the pot.

[jgmansell]

I have just repotted the jade and found no evidence of root rot, so that is good news. It looks like the problem may have been too dry as the pot was entirely filled with roots, so gave it a good prune and repotted in a free draining mix. Should I water it now with seasol, or still leave it for a couple of days? I very much appreciate all the help given, so thanks again to all who offered advice.
john

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[melbrackstone]

You can water it into its new mix since it wasn't suffering root rot! Looks like you need to root prune it more often!

[jgmansell]

You can water it into its new mix since it wasn't suffering root rot! Looks like you need to root prune it more often!

It sure does Mel, and it has only been in this pot for a little over 2 years!

[Paul W]

I hardly ever water mine, they are really tough,it gets water when and if it rains,they are a type of succulent

[jgmansell]

I hardly ever water mine, they are really tough,it gets water when and if it rains,they are a type of succulent

The trouble is, it doesn’t rain anymore