This set of forums is an archive of our old CGI-Based forum platform (UBB.Classic) that was never imported to our current forum (UBB.threads); as such, no new postings or registrations are allowed here.

Please instead direct all questions and postings to the our current forum here.
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 1 of 2 1 2
#94593 December 12th, 2006 at 01:50 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
P
Member
OP Offline
Member
P
Joined: Dec 2006
I inherited a jade plant that is around 14" tall. The plant has been sitting on a construction site for the last two months. It hasn't been watered very much which may be the problem.

The tree has lost almost all of its leaves and even small branches have fallen off. One of the trunks looks kind of shriveled up and I'm not sure if that's from lack of water or just age.
I don't know much of anything about these plants other than the fact that they are very beautiful when properly grown.

I have taken pictures, but I haven't been able to figure out how to post them into this message. Any ideas on this? I'm sure it isn't a hard thing to do, I just am not very computer savvy on this point.

Thanks for any advice

- Mark

#94594 December 12th, 2006 at 02:04 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
P
Member
OP Offline
Member
P
Joined: Dec 2006
[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

#94595 December 12th, 2006 at 02:06 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
P
Member
OP Offline
Member
P
Joined: Dec 2006
All right! Figured that out. Now that that's done, any ideas on the plant? will it live? should I simply start the dropped branches and 86 the big plant? personally I'd hate to lose the big one since I know that these are slow growing plants.

Thanks

- Mark

#94596 December 13th, 2006 at 02:18 AM
A
Anonymous
Unregistered
Anonymous
Unregistered
A
hi and welcome!!

what a shame that it was neglected! it had to have been absolutely beautiful!!

i wouldn't get rid of a thing for the moment. those trunks are pretty well-established and should start sprouting new growth if the plant is given proper care - even the one that currently doesn't have any leaves. any leaves and branches that have fallen off can be put right in that pot to root (just let them harden over for a couple of days before you stick the ends in the soil)

it's winter now, so it may be a bit before you see new growth. i'd just get it started with regular waterings - don't even do anything to change the soil yet...concentrate on maintaining what's there. it's been treated badly and you don't want to do anything else that will shock it even more than what it's already got.

for a month or so, keep it in a spot that duplicates the sunlight it was receiving at the construction site.

they do well in bright light and even direct sunlight and will even be okay in partial shade...you'll want to duplicate the light situation and if it was not high on sunlight, gradually introduce the plant to more. go slow with it though as jade's don't like change too much.

when watering, it's best to set the pot (i'm glad it's already in unglazed clay) in a tray of water and let it be soaked up into the soil. you can even set it in the sink and fill it with water. the water level should be at least 2 inches up the side - keep refilling water as it is soaked in.

you can tell that enough water is in the pot when you see the sides of the pot change color (will get darker) and the soil at the top will become moister. the side of the pot will also feel a bit moist and will be cool to the touch. with that size pot, i'd say let it soak long enough so that you see a color change in the clay up about halfway to the top.

once you are done with the soaking, let the pot sit on something that raises it up a bit and let excess water drain off.

do a good soaking like this about every week to 10 days in winter and then at least weekly in the spring and summer when it will really be in a growing period. in fall you can start cutting back on the time frame for waterings.

definitely give more water if it's needed, tho (which may, right now, be more often). once the soil is try to the touch for a couple inches down from the top of the soil and/or if the bottom of the pot is very dry looking.

i'd say a good feed right now would be good - kind of kick-start it. i use peter's brand all purpose food and mix it to half strength. it won't need to be fed again for a couple of months (when it goes into active growth period).

in the spring you might want to consider repotting it - you'll have to wait and see how it's doing (it might not need repotting).

that one trunk may or may not put out new growth - just a wait and see thing.

another member here had some problems with her jade - she thought she was going to lose it...it lost just about all it's leaves and then she did a drastic trimming of what was still there and gave it tons of TLC (and rooted the cuttings). it bounced back really nicely and has put out tons of new growth. i'm sure you'll see the same with this one!

#94597 December 13th, 2006 at 03:49 AM
Joined: Jan 2005
M
Member
Offline
Member
M
Joined: Jan 2005
Hi. Joclyn gave you excellent advice and I do not believe the 2 stemed plant is going to die at all. The only things I would add are: keep an eye on the single stem with no leaves. If it rots, get it out of the pot asap, as rot can spread. If you water from the bottom, it is often best to use distilled water so minerals a/o salts don't build up in the soil. Good luck, keep us posted!

#94598 December 13th, 2006 at 05:03 AM
Joined: Nov 2003
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Nov 2003
Hi Mark - I am the member that Joclyn has refered to above.

Here is a link to my thread about my jade, in the cacti and succulents forum. I think yours will be just fine if you follow Joclyn and Margaret's suggestions!

my poor jade

#94599 December 13th, 2006 at 06:38 AM
A
Anonymous
Unregistered
Anonymous
Unregistered
A
good point, margaret!! i wasn't thinking about rot being an issue (since it's obviously been dry for a while).


thanks for posting the link to your thread, lynne! how's your girl doing, anyhoo??

#94600 December 13th, 2006 at 08:32 AM
Joined: Nov 2003
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Nov 2003
She's hanging in there joclyn, thanks for asking.
Unfortunately, some of the babies have gotten knocked off accidentally by the kitties in their rush to chase the outdoor birdies from the kitchen sliding doors to the ones in the familyroom, where the plant is by the door. I don't have any other place for this pot, so it's survival of the fittess right now!

#94601 December 13th, 2006 at 02:34 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
P
Member
OP Offline
Member
P
Joined: Dec 2006
Thanks for the advice on the jade. I'll leave it alone as suggested and see how it does.

One question though; I just watered the plant and am worried that if I set it in water that it will get over watered since the soil is, at this time, rather moist. Should I let it dry out first then soak it in the water as suggested by imersing the pot? Or can I simply set the pot in water as suggested with out worrying about too much water?

Lynne, Your Jade is beutiful. I hope that mine looks like that when it finall comes back around.

night all

- Mark

#94602 December 13th, 2006 at 03:04 PM
A
Anonymous
Unregistered
Anonymous
Unregistered
A
mark, if you've already given it a drink, then let it dry out before watering it again.

depending on how hot you've got your thermostat, it should be about at least a week before it should need watering again...give or take a day or two in either direction.

to do the soak, you can either place it in the sink and then fill the sink with a couple inches of water or you can get a large tray/dish/container to set the pot in and then fill that with water.

doing the soaking from within a container of some sort (a large rubbermaid container bottom or even a glazed pot that is larger than the pot the jade is in would work) is probably easier as you can place it on the counter or even just put the tray under the pot right where you've got it located. if you use the tray, you won't be without access to your sink (which you would be if you filled it up with water and put the pot into it).

another thing about water - some tap water has high levels of chlorine and other chemicals (mine has so much chlorine you smell it as it's coming out of the spigot). very high chlorine amounts can be harmful, so, i always keep some water in gallon bottles. letting the water sit, in a container, for a day will give opportunity for the chlorine to dissapate. keeping the water in jugs like that also is better for watering the plants as it will be room temp - not ice cold as it can be from the tap in the winter.

although they are a bit picky about changes to their growing conditions, jades are generally pretty hardy. yours should be in good shape within a couple of months!

#94603 December 19th, 2006 at 11:25 PM
Joined: Jan 2004
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Jan 2004
Hi Mark,

Joclyn is right on all accounts, she has mentioned quite a few times on the importance of not changing the jade position too fast, that is more important then many realize until too late.

I had set up my Christmas village on the spot where I had my jade and moved the jade just a bit to a corner spot, within a week I had lost 6 of the bottom leaves. So be very careful, jades love light areas but move it gradually.

#94604 December 20th, 2006 at 12:33 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
P
Member
OP Offline
Member
P
Joined: Dec 2006
Appreciate the info. I've got it next to a window on the east side of the apartment. That's the closest I can get it to the sun. It seems to like it. It hasn't lost any more leaves and the ones it has seem to be growing. Yay!
Thanks guys. I really appreciate the input.

- Mark

#94605 December 29th, 2006 at 12:42 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
D
Junior Member
Offline
Junior Member
D
Joined: Dec 2006
Hi,
Hello,
This is my first visit to this site, on my quest to learn what to best to with a Jade plant I've had for three years. But first I'd like to say I am duly impressed in reading what is here already at how generous you are with your time and knowledge. Gardeners (and musicians) are a pretty great group of people. Now the jade plant.
It has a overall foliage diameter of about 20", and rather than having one main stem, the plant is really 5 stems that go down into the pot, with some roots, but nothing longer than a few inches. I found this out when the plant fell over and came out of its pot.
I am repotting it, and I'm not sure if I should repot them back in the same pot, so that i would still have a tree like looking plant, or repot them all separately to have one main root stem per pot. If I do this I'll have five rather planar looking jades for a while, you can think of it as cutting the original place into five slices.
I also don't know if I should cut the bottom of each stem before repotting. I'm new to jades, as you can tell. Are the stems always kind of rubbery?

Thanks for any help.

David

#94606 December 29th, 2006 at 04:36 AM
A
Anonymous
Unregistered
Anonymous
Unregistered
A
welcome, david!! i agree - tons of great info AND people on this site!!

well, you can either repot them seperately or just put them all in the same pot as they were. personally, i think groupings of 2 and 3 would look nice (one by itself looks kind of bare). the choice is really up to you, tho!!

if it fell out of the pot, then is sounds like a bigger pot (and more soil) would be in order if you choose to keep all 5 together.

you can trim off some of the branches if you'd like to start new plants...just let them 'crust' over for a day or two and then insert them right into the soil (in the same pot as the parent or a seperate one). this is a slow-growth time and you might want to wait until spring to try rooting cuttings.

do you mean the trunk is rubbery or the branches? could you possibly post a picture?

#94607 December 29th, 2006 at 10:55 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
P
Member
OP Offline
Member
P
Joined: Dec 2006
Hi David,

Welcome. wavey

Good luck with your Jade plant. I'm sure you'll do fine. thumbup Are you a musician as well?

Mine is finally starting to grow. It seems to like the invironment that I placed it in.

The only question I have and you might be able to answer this Joclyn is that there doesn't seem to be any new growth on the trunks. Will this change? The plant looks really top heavy with all the leaves on the upper 1/10th of the plant. I like a more balanced look.

Thanks,

Mark

#94608 December 29th, 2006 at 01:36 PM
A
Anonymous
Unregistered
Anonymous
Unregistered
A
mark, i'm sure, once it really gets back on its feet, you'll see some new growth happening on the trunk area. probably not on the lowest couple of inches of the trunks, tho.

the branches should start to fill out again and you'll probably see some bits coming out of the areas along the upper portions of the trunks and they'll eventually turn into decent sized branches.

remember, they aren't the fastest of growers and it is the slow-growth time, so it may be a bit before you see anything happening!

were you able to duplicate the light situation it was in before you took it in? it doesn't have to be exact, just close so that it doesn't have too hard a time adjusting.

at the end of january, it would be safe to start giving it more light if it's not in direct light at the moment. again, make this change slowly - you can move it to directly in front of a window and then cover the window up a bit to restrict the light and then, over the course of a week/10 days, remove the covering a bit each day until it's in total light. the more light they receive the better they will grow.

i've got mine in a northwest facing window and i'm still seeing new growth - even though it's winter. it just gets enough good direct light for about 1/2 the day and it really seems to like it!

once yours starts to bush out a bit, we can see about doing some re-shaping (i'm into symmetry too smile ). the poor thing has been through enough trauma for the moment tho...let's let it recover and get back to good health before we start messing with it again!

#94609 December 29th, 2006 at 02:37 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
P
Member
OP Offline
Member
P
Joined: Dec 2006
Thanks for the input.

While I was checking it over, I noticed that there was a spot that was soft almost mushy on the third trunk, the one with no leaves at all. This was just above the level of the first joint from the soil. Since I've been told that this is a bad sign for jades and that rot can spread I took initiative and cut just below the mushy spot. That third trunk had no life and was shriveled. I'm guessing it was dead and had started to rot. ters
Am I going to have to dig out the roots as well?
Or can I simply leave the roots in the pot and see if that trunk starts to sprout new growth? I did get all the mushy stuff and checked to make sure that the part remaining was solid (as solid as the jade plant gets.)

By the way, when you trim a trunk like that, is it normal for the color to be a dark reddish brown? The skin is much lighter.

Thanks,

Mark

#94610 December 29th, 2006 at 02:40 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
P
Member
OP Offline
Member
P
Joined: Dec 2006
I only have windows on the east and west sides of the appartment. The plant is next to the window on the east side and the light does approximate the light at the construction site. I have the blinds up and the jade gets as much sun as is available.

- Mark

#94611 December 29th, 2006 at 03:48 PM
A
Anonymous
Unregistered
Anonymous
Unregistered
A
i've never had a jade that large and i've never taken cuttings either, so i don't know what the inside looks like! maybe someone else can answer that one. smile

until someone says otherwise (or you see more rot happening), leave the roots and the stump in - you might just get something sprouting (like what happened with that other stump that's there) now that the dead part has been removed.

glad you found a spot that could approximate the light levels!! let it be for now...it really needs to recuperate for a bit.

#94612 December 31st, 2006 at 07:46 AM
Joined: Nov 2006
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Nov 2006
I was so happy to read all this stuff about Jade plants!! Someone gave me a baby with roots. Got it planted. Don't know anything about them; so now I have a head start with all the help that's in here!!!! I'm still so glad I found this forum!! thumbup

#94613 December 31st, 2006 at 01:30 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
P
Member
OP Offline
Member
P
Joined: Dec 2006
What is zone 6b?? I'm sure it relates to climate and probably something to do with longitudinal and latitudinal positioning. I'd be interested to find out what "zone" I'm in. Duh

"Woah man; I'm in the zone" :p LOL

Thanks,

Mark

#94614 December 31st, 2006 at 03:51 PM
A
Anonymous
Unregistered
Anonymous
Unregistered
A
you can find out what zone you are in by using the usda zone map

#94615 January 1st, 2007 at 06:07 AM
Joined: Feb 2004
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Feb 2004
zones usually have to do with the lowest temperature that a place gets during the winter. The lower the plant zone number, the lower the temperatures get in the winter. For instance Fairbanks, AK is a zone 1 because it gets down to -80 in the winter, where I am in PA, it is a zone 6....we are still trying to figure out if it is 6a or 6b, but it rarely goes below -5 here, so it is probably a 6b.

#94616 January 2nd, 2007 at 10:20 AM
Joined: Jan 2007
Junior Member
Offline
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2007
Hi everyone, I'm new to this site. I have had Jade plant also in the past. I learned then that the roots of a jade plant are equal in size to its height. The one I had was when I lived with my Mother and I transplanted it out side (Center of Florida) That was 33 years ago!!! Its still there and it is now about 6 ft tall...Mom said that she has cut it back at least 4 times since it was put outside. At one time it had got up to 9 ft high that was when she cut it back the first time. So I'm guessing it now has about 20-30 ft of roots now, it is solid(main trunk is about 18" around)- not moving- it even survived Hurricanes Frances and Jean, two years ago. I'm hoping to get a cutting from her this spring, so I can have one in my yard.

MsDragonLadyFl.....Debbie

#94617 January 4th, 2007 at 02:25 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
P
Member
OP Offline
Member
P
Joined: Dec 2006
All right, Based on the map, I'm somewhere around zone 8 and 7 Not the best environment for Jades outside. Very interesting about the Florida Jade. Good to know that they do grow large. It must be a beutiful plant. I'd be very interested in seeing a picture if you could arrange for that.

How does the plant cope with the moisture?? I thought that they rotted if they were gotten too wet and kept that way. I know from living there that Florida isn't exactly the driest environment.

- Mark

Page 1 of 2 1 2

Link Copied to Clipboard
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5
(Release build 20201027)
Responsive Width:

PHP: 7.3.33 Page Time: 0.035s Queries: 64 (0.019s) Memory: 0.8511 MB (Peak: 1.0221 MB) Data Comp: Zlib Server Time: 2024-03-29 01:01:27 UTC
Valid HTML 5 and Valid CSS