Hi Im new here and also new to rescuing plants! I am trying to save one large, one small and two potted cuttings of the Jade Plant - Im an estate agent and one of the houses is empty and with the owners permission I was allowed to rescue the above! Rescue - well thats what I would love to do for them. I brought them home today - the two plants were sitting in large dishes of water and when I moved them lots of their green healthy looking leaves fell off - is this due to overwatering? The pot that held the cuttings is bone dry. The larger of the two plants is very lop sided and one of the smaller branches is shrivelled and bendy. Any advice on what I should do to bring these beauties back to 'normal' would be appreciated....please can you keep it simple as i am a total novice. thanks for listening lisa
Hi...and welcome. It is possible that over-watering can cause leaf drop sometimes. It did for me once a few years ago. the trunk got rubbery too and bent right over, like soft rubber. Leaves will drop if the soil is dry for too long a time as well. It is a tough plant that does not require a great deal of care...but it does require some. The shrivelled and bendy branches are goners. The bone-dry soil is absolutely not good at all. The soil should always be moist...(but not wet), if you know what I mean. If you feel energetic, you could place them in a slightly larger pot with a new mix of potting soil and compost. After they have stabilized after 2-3 weeks, give them some liquid plant food (the type for green plants, not for flowering ones). You can continue feeding them every 3-4 weeks until next fall. During the late fall, winter and early spring, I normally give them very little water and no food. I always water them from the bottom in the winter time. ** A note on feeding: Never give them plant food if the soil is dry. It could damage the roots very badly. I hope that this helps. Sucess.
thank you ..... from my jade plants :-D Thank you so much for helping me out. I have just repotted the plants into new soil/compost as you suggested - I have also taken all the old spongy bits away - they look so much better already!! I know have one large plant, and 4 smaller ones - 2 of which are hopefully going to root. Thanks again - will keep you all posted!!
Did you know that you can get a single leaf to root....and subsequently form a plant? All the plants that I have recently had were made that way, not from twig cuttings. It's an amazing plant. I had so many that I eventually had to give them all away except for the one that I kept. Fingers crossed now that your plants will go ahead and make it. They are attractive plants, I find.
To propagate Jade, all you need to do is remove a leaf or a branch. Give it a few days to callous up on the cut end. Then just plant it. They root very easily
