Pls. provide a pic so we can see for ourselves what's going on there. We here, don't usually suggest watering 'a little'; it's not good for these plants.

Also depends on what type of mix it's in & how long since the mix was changed. W/out a pic & lots more info. it's hard to suggest how to help you.

I am having the same problem! And this is the 4th post I've read, all of which were relatively recent, saying the same thing... and no one has any solutions. This is making me very nervous!
Mine also has little black spots on a few branches here and there. One day a week or so ago I noticed about 20 leaves seemed to have fallen all within a day or two (I pay a lot of attention to my plants so they couldn't have been there any longer). No mass fallings since, but I'm still very nervous..

And again....please post a pic so folks have some idea of what you're describing. Details about your growing conditions would help, too. Starting with the most basic....indoor or out.

Josh

Took this for you guys today.
Any thoughts? Should I worry? They're on a few different branches but not too many overall...
yet..

Here's one of the whole plant.
I love it =)

It has the typical appearance of a jade receiving inadequate light, being leggy and floppy. Jades are tree like, growing upwards, but if not receiving enough light, will stretch out looking for more light, thus getting top heavy and flopping over the pot edge. They also are prone to overwatering in these conditions. It's hard to tell, but I suspect the soil (potting mix) is also not favorable for your jade, as they require a loose, free draining mix, which means no peat moss (which almost all commercial bagged mixes have).

Joe

I agree with Joe.

Josh

Is this a healthy Baby Jade? I rescued this a year ago.. it was only 1 stem with 3 small leaves and now it's gotten even bigger than this picture... It's about 6 inches tall and in a bigger pot.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:89731}}

Trying to post a pic {{gwi:89731}}

They look good to me, but, as in a lot of cases, that soil is going to be a problem down the road.

Joe

I used Cactus soil and I only water it about once a month.. just whenever the soil is dried out

The problem is the peat moss.....when it decomposes over time, it will get soupy and thick, which will rot the plant's roots. This happens in only a couple of months. For the record, "cactus mix" in most cases is nothing more than regular potting mix with sand in it. It is in no way good for cacti or succulents, and will not support long term health for your plants.

Joe

What are we supposed to buy for dirt? I was told to use cactus dirt and it's been in this dirt for a year now :(

I don't know of any good mixes you can buy outright. Most cacti and succulent aficionados, including myself, make their own mix. I use a modified version of "Al's gritty mix", which you can search up on this forum to get more information about. This question comes up on a daily basis, so rather than explaining it again, I'll let you search and gather information.

Joe

What Joe and Josh said .....

Here are what the mixes look like:

{{gwi:20508}}
{{gwi:1295}}

The first holds little or no perched water, which is the water in the soggy layer of soil at or near the bottom of the pot. The second gritty-looking soil should hold no perched water if made correctly. These soils offer great opportunity for healthy roots, something that needs some work where your plants are concerned.

If asked to describe the perfect soil, it would be rather difficult to do w/o suggesting that any water the soil holds should be mostly inside of or on the surface of larger, chunky soil particles ..... as opposed to the water being held in spaces between small soil particles, like peat, coir, compost, composted forest products, sand, topsoil ......

It's not hard to make the case that soils you can't water correctly w/o having to worry about root rot or impaired root function are inappropriate, with your plant being a living example. As long as you use a soil that can't be watered correctly, you'll be fighting against it for control of your plants' growth and vitality.

Read more about the reasoning and technicalities at the link provided.

Al

Here is a link that might be useful: Click me/ learn more .....

Sublime,

At the very least buy some perlite & mix your current mix w/ 50% of that & it will make a much better mix for your Jade. It will drain better, also, I'd take the attached saucer off of that pot & check the plant can drain freely.

I think a lot of new growers find it very overwhelming to make their own mix. One commercial mix I found is Hoffmans Bonsai mix. It's not as good as Al's gritty mix, but it's still better than any peat based mix. Aren't most commercial bonsai mixes mostly inorganic? If so, I think that would be a good starting point for new growers.

It isn't difficult to learn how to make your own soils; and how difficult it is, physically, is a matter of perspective. As I look back on all the conversations I've had in which people lament that making your own soil is just too much work, the most vigorous complaints usually come from those who have never actually TRIED to make their own soils. Learning to swim, ride a bike, knit a sweater, or even plant a garden all seem daunting at the point we're first initiating, but in most cases it doesn't take us long to realize how unfounded our trepidation was.

FWIW - I'm familiar with Hoffman's Bonsai Soil. It has ingredients that COULD make a good soil if they paid some attention to the size of the particles that go into it. They don't, so it's just another water-retentive soil off the shelf that sells for about $6/quart. That is VERY expensive for a soil. You can buy 2 cu ft of bark for about $4, 4 cu ft of perlite for $20, a 3 cu ft baq of peat for $10, and 50 lbs of lime for $6. To make your own soil, you have $4 worth of bark, 1.33 for peat, 2.00 for perlite, and about .15 for the lime; so for an outlay of about $7.50 you can make roughly 3 cu ft of soil. There are about 30 quarts in 1 cubic foot, so you'd be getting roughly 90 quarts of soil for $7.50 plus your effort. That translates to a little over 8 cents per quart as opposed to the six dollars spent for a quart of poor soil, like Hoffman's. That's what? not half, not 1/4 or even 1/10th ..... but 1/75th the cost of Hoffman's, which is a poor product. I think that for some growers, the savings incentive + the fact that you can MAKE a soil that is going to be far, far superior to Hoffman's or almost any other commercially prepared soil you can buy, are very powerful incentives.

For me, personally, knowing how EASY it actually is to make my own soils once set up to do it, I can't justify buying a soil off the shelf for any reason when making your own is soo much better and less expensive.

Al

This post was edited by tapla on Fri, Jul 4, 14 at 16:12

I think that growing plants, which ever type you choose, is more than just plopping it in a pot with soil. To me, it's a hobby that I enjoy, and am willing to put effort into. In the past, I grew lots of things in plain old bagged Miracle Grow soil. Most did great.....for a while. I had many of plants do good, which got me all excited and thinking I was good at growing things, only to decline rapidly and die at some point. That's when I snooped around on the internet, stumbled across GardenWeb, and started reading Al's posts about gritty mix and such. I started finding lots of posts from others as well, talking about their success with the gritty mix, so I gave it a shot.

I now look back and realize that I was indeed doing nothing more than plopping plants in a pot and filling it in with soil, which was killing them over time. Now, I feel like I am actively involved in their whole process of growing, and have a far better understanding of what makes them thrive. I can happily say now that I don't buy too many plants anymore, because I have been able to keep the same ones alive for years, with no problems whatsoever. It also brings me great joy to have plants not only survive, but thrive, year after year. Now, I feel like I might actually be good at this plant growing thing.

So what does all of that blabbering have to do with anything? Well, I hope that any growers who might be intimidated or overwhelmed by the thought of making their own mix, gritty mix in particular, will read this and decide to give it a shot. I hope to convince them that it's not hard at all, and will add a lot to the enjoyment of whatever it is they grow.

Joe

Well Joe.......you've DEFINATLEY convinced me to try it!! I really appreciate it! I don't know about any other newbie but I'm tired of buying SUPPOSED cactus mix, filling my pot, adding my plant, and then when I go to water it, it's supposed to have good drainage but then NO water drains out the bottom. So then I go spend MORE money to buy a differnt brand only to either find the SAME thing or VERY little drainage. So I'm convinced that doing it yourself is going to save money plus doing the right thing for my cactus and succulents. Thanks again :)

Thank you Al for posting your link for your soil!! It was very EDUCATING for me to say the least. I do have a question.......would the gritty mix work best for succulents? Or do you use a different one for those? Thank you!

Thanks for the tips, I had just transplanted that into the bigger pot. Before this it had a clear plastic drain catch and it really did drain well. :)

Hey! I am the original poster. Sorry I temporarily don't have a way to post pictures. However after much much thought trying to figure out what variable has changed I decided it was a light issue. The plant has always been in the dining room in between two south facing windows (no direct sun but lots of light coming into through the windows.) Then I realized that because June has been exceptionally hot this summer I have been using the blinds in that room to alter the amount of light (and heat) that comes through those windows. I moved the plant outside to our deep covered porch and it hasn't dropped a leaf in a week now. I think the problem is solved. As usual lots of great information here. Thanks!

A reduction in the amount of light a plant is acclimated to can cause a loss of foliage. Usually, that starts with older foliage, which would be that low on the plant and on the interior, close to the trunk. It's good to know too, that root congestion can also cause the same issue. If you haven't done a full repot (not just a simple potting up) recently, I urge you to inquire about how to do it (includes bare-rooting and root pruning). It makes a significant difference in growth rate, appearance, and o/a vitality.

LilBit - I use the gritty mix for all houseplants, including succulents, and everything else I grow that will be in the same soil for more than one growth cycle. I think you would do yourself a service if you make sure you understand the concept behind the soil before you adopt it. When it comes to growing, you're empowered by knowledge - the more you know about plants and the science behind growing them, the brighter green your thumb will become. Armed with an understanding of the concept behind the soils, you'll be able to troubleshoot many issues on your own, and you won't be locked in to a particular recipe. Not that the recipes won't produce excellent soils. They will. I'm just emphasizing that the concept is more important than the recipe.

The gritty mix offers much better opportunity for plants to realize their potential, and it significantly increases your margin for error when it comes to over-watering and nutritional issues associated with water-retentive soils, not small considerations.

Al

for Tapla, What do you recommend as a storage container for the Jade soil mix? I'm sure with the variety of what I posses as houseplants (however few I have left after our move due to giving them away so as not to kill them during transport) I will need different soil compositions. Fortunately our new house came with a lovely garden shed so I will have the room to store it.

Thank you for your advice Al. I've been doing my research and I've repotted a few of my plants in the gritty mix it's been since Sunday and so far so good one in particular has REALLY perked up. Thanks again for the advice have a great evening! :)