I have a jade plant which is 13 years old-I received it around the time I had my child! It started out growing pretty well but seemed to dislike the south window in my house, dropping leaves and looking sad. So I thought that it was getting too hot. I moved a few years ago to the smaller north window, and it's hanging in there, but barely. The dirt in the pot is pretty hard and dry, but whenever I've tried to water it, regardless of the season, it starts dropping leaves and little limbs and now it's just one thick-ish trunk with a few dangling branches. I've seemed to root a few drop-offs in the same pot. I want to repot it per the jade plant site here, but I'm afraid it'll really get unhappy. I tried to support it with a little stick but it still looks unhappy. I keep the window shade closed because it faces the street and I don't like folks to see when we're gone or not. Maybe it needs more light? When I open the shade, it doesn't look happy either. This is the worst it's looked tho, I'm afraid. Suggestions? Its friend the aloe plant nearby is just fine. Thank you!
Thank you so much! I think I will have to repot it with fresh soil. It is in a larger pot, your typical green plastic Walmart type with a little dish under it, but the soil is very hard. I can move it back to the other window and see how it goes. I noticed that you are from Effingham County, GA. I am from Grovetown, GA which is near Augusta. I mention that because you likely know the kind of humid weather we have here! Take care, G
i wondered where you are. effingham county is nw of savannah, so yes, i know about our weather!!! and honestly, my jades go outside in full sun during the summer. i just put them out on a rainy day so they don't sunburn and there they stay until right before first frost.
Careful with the watering....can't tell you how important that is. I just about lost my beautiful jade because of too much watering. Sure it looks nice at the start, the damage is not seen that fast.
Kindness is a language the deaf can hear and the blind can see.
although jades are pretty darn hardy - can take a fair amount of neglect - they are a bit finicky with their living conditions and will drop leaves when they are moved to a new location; the amount of sun they are getting changes; changes in temps; watering routine is changed; etc. in general, they pout when things change!
jades do best in bright sunlight...they will make do in shadier conditions though. whenever you want to change the light conditions, do so gradually - they may still drop a few leaves, won't be all that drastic if you keep the change gradually over a couple of weeks time.
they're succulents, so they don't need to be watered weekly...they do need to be watered often enough (usually about every two weeks) so that the soil doesn't become compacted and dry as a rock. when you do water, make sure to do so throroughly - all the soil should be completely moistened and then allowed to dry out almost completely. watering should be repeated when the top inch/two inches are dry.
the soil should be cactus mix...or regular potting soil with lots of perlite or bits of styrofoam mixed in for drainage. container - best is unglazed clay with drainage holes; the basic plastic pots are okay as long as there are drainage holes!
sounds like your jade is suffering - the soil is so dry that when you do water, the water isn't getting to the roots properly.
definitely unpot it and remove the existing soil...if you have to spray it down to loosen it from the roots, do so. repot in fresh soil and don't water yet! let the roots get resituated from being disturbed. at least a week.
then do a thorough watering. adding in a bit of water and letting it soak down for five minutes or so. add some more in a different spot and let it soak down and continue with that until you've got all the soil moistened and you're just starting to see the excess water coming out the drainage holes.
as soon as you see excess, stop adding more water. let all the excess drain out and discard it.
i'd keep it in the same lighting conditions for the moment...give it about 6 weeks to get resituated from repotting and then start to increase the amount of light it's getting - either by opening the blinds a bit more every day or by putting it in a brighter spot and keeping it protected from the brighter light and then gradually introducing it to more each day until it's in full light in about three weeks.
it should be just fine...it will probably take a few months before you see that it's really bounced back though.
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