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#97175 January 8th, 2007 at 10:34 PM
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This past summer I purchased a Jade plant for my desk here at the office. It's still a baby and it sits underneath a florescent light, so I know it gets plenty of light. I don't water it that often. In these winter months I think I've only watered it once or twice. Well, I recently had to repot it, since the pot I was using didn't have proper drainage. I was hoping to wait until the spring to repot, but we had some down time here at work over the holidays, so I figured why not. Well a co-worker of mine, who is a more seasoned gardener than I came over to help me. I used cactus soil and sand and put it in a clay pot. Before she placed it in the new pot, she "teased" the roots to promote better root growth. Well I think her teasing might have been a little too harsh because I think she tore or broke off some of the roots, because one of my branches has now begun to brown and shrivel from the base up. Am I correct to assume that there has been some root damage or was it a bad idea to repot during the dormant season? I love my little Jade plant and I've been so careful with it. I hope it's not going to die on me. I can try to get a picture of it if needed. Any advice? Anyone?

#97176 January 9th, 2007 at 04:12 AM
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Hi Steph.

I'm sorry to hear about your jade. Usually it is better to repot when the plant is actively growing. Even better when it's spring. Keeping it in a pot with no holes isn't a good thing either though. So, you were sort of in a predicament either way.

I don't know if your coworker damaged the roots or not; but it sounds like the plant is rotting. You may want to wait until more opinions roll in, but it sounds like you will need to take cuttings. When you say the branch is brown and shriveled from the base up, do you mean from the base of the plant or the base of the branch? If it's from the base of the plant, you will most certainly need to take cuttings from the healthier parts and reroot.

Let the cuttings callous over for a few days and stick them in soil. Make sure the pot is not too deep. The roots will be very shallow. Place it in a very bright area and water when you see some new buds forming. Or you can purchase a new plant. Sorry...

#97177 January 9th, 2007 at 10:59 AM
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it does sound like there's something going on there...either it's rotting or it's just drying up completely.

if you could post a pic, that would be really helpful!!

is the part that's going brown/shriveling a seperate stem? if so, you could just remove it completely and leave the rest be so that it can finish getting adjusted to the new pot.

if it's a piece that's connected to the rest of the plant, you can just trim off the bad spot.

please do try to post a pic before you actually do anything...we wouldn't want you to cut something off and have it turn out to be unnecessary!!

oh, btw, WELCOME!!!

#97178 January 9th, 2007 at 11:38 PM
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Thanks so much for your responses. I came in to work this morning and I found a seperate branch next to the already shriveling one starting to fall over and turning brown as well. I'm afraid it's not looking too good. Here are a couple pics of my Jade. Pretty pathetic looking...LOL
[Linked Image]
[Linked Image]

#97179 January 10th, 2007 at 02:12 AM
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k. thanks for getting a pic!

i was hoping it was a bunch of tiny plants over one larger with a lot a branches.

things are so bad! you'll definitely have to pull the one out completely. the other you can pull and trim off the top piece and try to get it rooting.

see in the pic where i put a line - that's where you should trim it off. let it sit and air for a couple of days and then just stick it right into the pot again - bury it well...almost to where the leaves branch off. it should take - it'll take a while for it to really get roots going tho (it IS winter). the one circled in the pic is obviously the piece that needs to go.

what's the light situation? just fluorescent? are they on all the time or are they shut off at night? any possibility of putting it in a spot where it gets natural light? (and if so, how much & what direction does the window face?)

[Linked Image]

#97180 January 10th, 2007 at 03:03 AM
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How should I get rid of the damaged pieces that are left. I cut the one branch off you indicated. Now I'm not sure how to get rid of the damaged branches. Do I just cut them back or do I need to dig them out of the pot? Thanks so much for your help.

Unfortunately as you can see, I sit in a cubicle and I don't have any windows near me to get natural light. The flourescent lights do get turned off at night. I guess I could take it home. If so, which window should I put it in and how would you recommend me gradually changing it's location. I've read before that if you change it's light source too sudden it could go into shock and start dropping leaves.

#97181 January 10th, 2007 at 07:22 AM
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you should be able to pull the stalks up out of the soil pretty easily (it hasn't had time to get fully situated, so the roots should still be a bit loose in the soil).

you can keep it there...it will adjust to that light level. you may just see that it will be a very slow grower (not that they're that fast about it to begin with! wink ).

if you want to take it home, do so and keep it in the same lighting conditions for about two weeks (just leave the same kind of light on during the day).

then, move it closer to a spot that gets good natural light and over the next 10-12 days, move it closer every few days.

i've got mine in a west-facing window that gets late morning and afternoon sun and it's doing very well.

before you move it, let it fully recover from the repotting and the dead stuff. they DO react badly to changes, so, let it recover a bit before you move it's location. i'd wait at least a month and see how it's doing and if it seems to have become situated from the repotting, then you could take it home and put it in a better location.

don't be too upset! they are sensitive to changes, yes. they ARE very hardy tho, so it should recover just fine!!

just don't over water it...and water from below. put the pot in something that will hold water and set the pot in it and let it sit until the water is absorbed up into the soil...you can tell when it's gotten enough by the clay pot changing color and becoming cool to the touch - should be up to about halfway up the side of the pot. do a good watering like that every week-10 days and you should be fine!

#97182 January 10th, 2007 at 09:45 PM
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OK, thank you so much Joclyn. I knew if I came here I would get help.

All my other plants here at work excel in this flourescent lighting, so hopefully my jade will catch up eventually. If I do end up moving it home I will definitely wait until it's recovered from the state of shock it's in now.

Yeah that was another reason why I wanted to get it into a different pot, because I wanted to water it the way I do my African Violets - from the bottom saucer and just let it soak up the water from the bottom.

My co-worker friend feels awful about my jade. I told her it's no biggy and that half of the plant is still in good shape and it should be fine. So, I'm going to stay positive.

I own lots of different plants so I'm going to stick around here and see what other information I can dig up. Thanks again!

#97183 January 11th, 2007 at 03:23 AM
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oh, tell your co-worker not to worry!!! with such small plants, you never know just how well-established the root systems are!!

i've learned that i usually lose at least one stem of a new plant - especially when they're that small...even if i don't repot it. it's just a 'par for the course' kind of thing!!!

you'll LOVE the site!! lots of terrific, friendly & helpful people here!

AND there's a ton of info - make sure to check out the links that are listed at the top of the page!!

#97184 January 13th, 2007 at 03:21 AM
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It's me again. In the pictures listed above, there is a taller leaning branch. Well it's still leaning and the leaves are soft. It has a baby sprout on the top that has been trying to grow since I first bought it. The other two green branches that are to the left are both standing tall and aren't soft at all. Do you think there's a possibility this taller one got hurt too? Or maybe it's in shock still and is trying to recover? Think I should just wait and see what happens with it?

#97185 January 13th, 2007 at 04:13 AM
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the next time you repot, you can fix that leaning issue smile .

in the mean time, generally, soft is not good when you're talking about jades.

for the moment, i'd just keep an eye on that stalk...may be a case of overwatering a bit and if you let the plant sit for a bit (say two weeks) without watering, that piece should have time to clear out the excess moisture...

if the others are starting to look drawn/wrinkly, you can give them a small drink applied directly to their bases - a few tablespoons of water would be enough to hold them until you get back to the usual watering schedule and procedure...if you end up doing that, just avoid putting water near the one that seems to be in distress.

it should be fine after it gets adjusted to the recent changes...they're pretty hardy!!

#97186 January 13th, 2007 at 01:42 PM
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When you repot, you'll have an opportunity to look at the roots on that taller stem. The others too. If the roots are rotten, then cut away the rot. If you find rot at the base of every stem, them cut until you have all healthy tissue.

If you end up with all stems with no roots, allow the cuttings to sit out for a few days and then pot them in dry soil. Then you could go ahead and put them in the spot at home where you want to keep them. I would hold off on watering until you see some new budding, growth or signs that they've rooted or perked up. Or you can give the soil a little mist a couple of weeks later. Try to keep the jade away from drafts and heat registers.

Once they have rooted, water them based on how they're growing and how dry the soil is. Water less when they're not growing. Water more when they are. Of course temperature and light are factors as well. For instance if they happen to grow in the fall and in the spring, you'd water a little less in the fall because of decreased light. The leaves are another indication of when it needs water. They'll start to flatten when they need water. When they're plump and firm, hold off on the wter a bit.

Lastly, don't worry! Jades can be very resilient.

#97187 January 15th, 2007 at 09:13 PM
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OK, thanks again! I'll hold off on watering for a while and just see how it does. I'll definitely keep an eye on the tall one that's kind of droopy. I do believe come spring I'll find a place in my home near a nice sunny window.

Also, I plan on moving from Ohio to California late summer. What do you suggest I do for the move? We plan on making it a road trip out there. Since jade's hate change, I'm thinking maybe I'll keep the Jade up in the front of the truck with me where it will get the most light. Anyone have any suggestions?

#97188 January 19th, 2007 at 06:14 PM
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Put it in a box in the front seat with you so that nothing can bump into it. Be prepared for leaves to drop. Jades pout if their scenery changes. We are moving next week and I have a nice jade that is going with us.....I'm terriified.....but that is a new thread to start!!! laugh

#97189 January 29th, 2007 at 03:41 PM
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Welp, it's been a few weeks and my taller leaning branch isn't doing any better. It's now begun to shrivel up and the baby it was trying to sprout has now shriveled up completely. I was told that if the leaves were soft that I was overwatering it. So I didn't water it, and only put a couple teaspoons of water on the healthier branch. Well now the leaves are still soft, but now really thin. Should I water it? Should I cut it back some? I'm afraid I'm going to lose another branch. Sometimes I wish I would've just left it in its poor drainage pot until spring.

#97190 January 29th, 2007 at 04:30 PM
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It sounds like all the roots are rotted. They may have been for a while. Even when the new sprout was coming up.

A jade can be rotted at its roots and still put out new growth for a time because of the stored water (and probably nutrients) in the stem. That's why it's important to save as much healthy tissue as possible when the roots have rotted. All the rot does is travel upward.

If there is still enough healthy stem left for you to reroot, I think you should do that. Don't give it anymore water. It's true that the leaves could be limp because they need water. But, with the roots having rotted, they can't take up the water that needs to be delivered to the stems and leaves.

#97191 January 29th, 2007 at 05:46 PM
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try giving it a good watering...sounds like it needs it! if there's any bit of softness to the leaves, you might be able to save it.

#97192 January 29th, 2007 at 05:54 PM
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Sorry, I've got mixed responses. So I'm still not sure which one to do. I'll try to take a pic and post it so you can see. It's pretty pathetic looking. ters


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