Tim,

I took a gander at your photos and don't see any of the white you speak of, but I would guess that if you've eliminated the usual suspects on the outside of the plant (mealy bugs, for example), depot the plant and look at the roots for a problem - you might have root mealy bugs (they'll look like spots of ash on the root ball).

Check the soil, as Jeff suggests.

Some of my leaves froze on the edges, and they've been drying up similar to yours, with the white dust after they've dried.

Could these have been touched by frost/low temps?
It's been pretty cold in the Bay this year...

Josh

Thanks for the advice. I depotted one of the plants and didn't find any signs of insects or rot on the roots or in the soil.

They may have seen some frost but I removed all the damaged leaves after the plants were inside. The damaged leaves were not soggy or limp. They had the dry tips as show in the photos. New leaves continue to have the dried tips and curl and drop while they are still very small.

What part of the Bay Area is your jade plant? I wouldn't think you'd have to bring it inside for the winter unless your in an inland area? I've got a jade in a large container that is kept outside year round for 3 years here in Sacramento...It is doing fantastic (even with 3 nights in the mid 20's back early December), but I admitt it is under my front door overhang so it has that extra few degrees protection! Otherwise, if it was totally exposed it might be a different story.

Hey, 916!
I'm a Sac State graduate! I live about 35 miles northeast of you in Auburn. My brother lives in Sac and has good luck growing Jades, too. It's always interesting for me to compare the vitality of our plants throughout the seasons. The warmth of Sacramento always seems to give the advantage.

Tim,
I'm posting a few images of my largest Jade, which suffered sub-freezing temps in early December. Thankfully, this Jade was bone-dry...so the damage was confined to the soft tissue of the leaves. You can see the silvery, flaky powder on the leaf-edges. Is this similar to what you're describing? The difference is that the new growth on my Jade is free of any blight or distortion.

{{gwi:475684}}
{{gwi:475687}}
{{gwi:475688}}